5 Instagram Strategies You Need to Drive Sales in 2019

With 1 billion users and counting as of 2019 (500 million of which use the social networking site every day), Instagram is quickly becoming the go-to platform for business owners and marketers to raise awareness for their brand and drive sales for their business.

But for many business owners, leveraging Instagram to drive traffic (and conversions) may seem like a daunting task.

It’s okay, we get it. Instagram can indeed be confusing – driving sales from this platform requires a bit more than just snapping a nice photo and hitting “Share.”

But once you master the platform, Instagram can serve as a major lead-generation source for your business!

Keep reading to learn five strategies you can leverage to drive sales from Instagram in 2019.

1. Optimize Your Business Profile

If your Instagram business profile isn’t set up for success, you’re behind before you even get started. While there are, of course, the basics of setting up a profile, there are a few more best practices that will help you generate sales from Instagram.

Run through the following list to make sure you’ve got your Instagram profile set up for success:

• Switch your account over to a Business profile if you haven’t already, which will provide you with analytics and the ability to promote your posts.
• Use a branded Instagram handle and hashtag (i.e. make sure your handle name is easy to remember and associate with your business)
• Include contact information in your Instagram bio, whether it’s a phone number, email, website link, or all of the above
• Include a branded profile photo (like your logo!)

2. Instagram Ads (product tags, carousels, etc.)

Instagram offers five different ad formats for marketers: photos, videos, carousels, canvas Story ads, and Story ads.

Every ad, much like Facebook, appears natively in the user feed so Instagram users aren’t interrupted by the ad.

To achieve the best results from your Instagram ads, you should experiment with the different ad formats to see which resonates best with your audience.

You can use these ads to promote your product or service, drive traffic to your website, or encourage users to contact your team.

Every Instagram ad includes a call-to-action, some of which include:

• Apply Now
• Book Now
• Call Now
• Contact Us
• Learn More
• Download

You can leverage Instagram’s ads to target a specific audience and put your product or service in front of them.

You can also retarget people who have visited your website and show them additional ads on Instagram, Facebook, and more.

The key to successful Instagram ads is experimentation. Experiment with your call-to-action, copy, photos/videos, and ad formats. Then, you can check your Instagram analytics (and Facebook Business Manager) to see which ads perform best.

3. Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories are an in-the-moment way to engage with your audience. They’re an engaging, popular way to promote your business, share information about your company or team, or share flash offers.

And, if you have more than 10,000 followers, you can add a “Swipe Up” feature in your Instagram story so Instagram users can go directly to your website from your story.

4. User-Generated Content

User-generated content consists of any form of content that’s created by users and consumers about a brand or product. Unlike influencer marketing, user-generated content isn’t paid for, and it allows consumers to see a product or service being utilized “in real life.”

It can generate almost 7x more engagement than normal content shared by a brand, so it is a wonderful addition to your Instagram marketing strategy!

By incorporating user-generated content (UGC) into your current marketing efforts, you can drive sales by combining branded hashtags (hashtags associated with your business) with UGC for an engaging and authentic user experience that showcases your product line.

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5. Be Intentional With Your Content

The final strategy for leveraging Instagram to drive sales is to be more intentional with the content you publish. A general rule of thumb is that someone should be able to recognize what you do or what you offer within the first nine posts on your Instagram profile.

Your posts should be eye-catching, engaging, and on-brand. While your color scheme doesn’t have to be monochromatic like Instagram’s top influencers, you should put some thought behind what photos and videos you’re sharing. Are they high quality? Do they communicate value? Would a user feel compelled to research your brand after seeing it?

With a little bit of time and effort, you can get your business’ Instagram profile in tip-top shape and ready to drive more sales for your business in 2019!

Are you ready to grow your business on Instagram? Drop me a note or comment below.