Marketers are always looking for the next profitable platform or the newest trend. If you run an ecommerce website, especially, you may be looking for ways to stand out in a crowded space. For many brands, Instagram is becoming a viable venue to not just attract consumers but make sales.
Why You Should Consider Using Instagram for Business
One report showed that 200 million of Instagram’s 1 billion users visit profiles for their favorite businesses daily. The same report shared that 90% of people follow their favorite brands on the platform. And 11% of all 116 million Instagram users in the U.S. shop via the platform. It’s worth noting that a separate survey found that 44% of people shop via Instagram weekly. Whichever statistic you choose to reference, it still shows a lot of room for growth. Ninety percent of people pay attention to their favorite brands on Insta, but less than half make purchases through the platform.
The Instagram Shopping feature, which brands can use in any post on their Insta feed, makes it easy for those 90% of people with their eyes on your company to turn into loyal customers with a click.
Is Instagram Shopping the Right Choice for You?
Before you decide if you want to put your time and money into Instagram shopping links, you may want to consider some helpful Insta demographics. According to Statista.com, the bulk of Instagram users range in age from 18 to 34, with millennials and GenXers between the ages of 35 and 44 as the next largest demographic. Slightly more men than women under the age of 34 use Insta. That figure skews slightly toward more women within the 35+ demographics.
Teens tend to prefer Snapchat and TikTok to Instagram, but it remains the third most popular social network amongst this demographic.
With this in mind, it’s clear that you can reach virtually any demographic – and people with a broad variety of interests – through Insta.
How To Qualify for Insta Shopping Links
As a brand owned by Meta, Instagram Shopping falls under the same rules and policies as Facebook. You must meet the Commerce Eligibility Requirements to sell on either platform.
To sell on Instagram, your account must represent your business and your ecommerce domain and must provide accurate pricing and availability information. Your refund and return policies must be evident and easily access on your website or on Facebook or Instagram, according to Meta’s “Commerce Eligibility Requirements.”
Certain items may not be eligible for sale or promotion through Instagram. Obviously, your account must comply with Instagram’s Community Guidelines and Terms of Use.
With all this in mind, if you sell in a market supported by Instagram Shopping, setting up your shop or using Instagram Shopping links can be easy and profitable.
You’ll first need to set up your shop by adding products through the Commerce Manager platform. You can choose how you want your customers to pay:
- Directly in Instagram
- Through your ecommerce website
Once you set up your shop in Commerce Manager, you’ll need to submit it to Meta for review and approval.
How to Set Up Your Shopping Links
Retailers know that “lifestyle selling,” or showing products in their natural setting and in use, helps create connections with consumers. Instagram Shopping links provide a full, immersive experience within the virtual environment of the social platform. Think of it as the difference between going to a warehouse store with items stacked on shelves or visiting a showroom with products artfully displayed in room-like settings, on mannequins, or in other real-world environments.
With Instagram Shopping, it’s as easy as putting shopping links on your best photos to showcase a single product or multiple related products, in use. The more consumers can relate to your photos, the more they can visualize themselves wearing or using your products.
When users click the link, it directs them to your website or to the checkout page on Instagram to complete the purchase.
Best Practices for Insta Shopping Success
Because posts with Instagram Shopping links appear in your brand’s feed as native advertising, they are likely to catch a user’s eye. You can use Shopping links in Stories, Reels, and in photos that appear on your feed. Instagram.com suggests that using tags and links 5+ times per month can increase visits to your product catalogs, which leads to increased sales.
Of course, the best Insta Shopping link campaigns begin with an optimized product catalog on Instagram. When users click one of your Shopping links, they will first be directed to a page in your catalog showing the product. You want your product descriptions to be complete, informative, enticing and concise. It should also reflect your brand.
Optimizing your product catalog for the right product tags and descriptions isn’t always easy – and it can be time-consuming. A full-scale digital marketing agency like Sandhill Digital can help you optimize your product catalog, your shopping links, and your Insta Shopping campaigns for maximum success.