Instagram announced that it had grown its business community to two million advertisers in September 2017. This was just 6 months after hitting the 1 million advertisers mark earlier in March, the same year. Young consumers depend on the platform to research, discover, and even buzz about products. However, selling on this platform is not simply about posting photos of the products you want to sell.

You need a massive following to boost your sales on this platform. It's not surprising, therefore, that people are buying Instagram followers https://howsociable.com/buy-instagram-followers/ intending to sell products to them later. But, the major challenge that people face is turning followers and fans into actual customers. This requires a carefully formulated strategy. Here is a guide for using Instagram as a platform for selling your products.

Use Product Promotions and Photos

When it comes to using Instagram as a platform for selling your product, you don't have a one-size-fits-all approach. However, some strategies work better than others depending on your product and the target audience. For instance, promotions and photos work better for some products.

Instagram reports that 60% of users depend on this platform to discover products. Whether you have an e-commerce brand or a retailer, posting product photos will help you reach followers and prospective digital window-shoppers.

The attention of most Instagram users is captured by stylish photos. Thus, the approach can be used to drive traffic to a digital store or even sell directly. Similarly, product promotions can attract followers and generate conversations around the products being sold.

Brands are using Instagram Stories for social selling. This enables them to experiment with calls-to-action, offers that are specific to certain stories, and new creatives that are beyond regular feeds. However, using this feature requires a brand to have more than 10,000 followers.

User-Generated Content

You don't have to use your face to sell your products on Instagram. Some brands have increased their sales using user-generated content. For some brands, this is their sales strategy. For instance, you can post a photo of a customer using or holding the product that you're selling.

Some people won't try a product until they see or hear somebody else talk about it. Therefore, using user-generated content can be a great way to motivate such people to try your product. And, you can encourage your followers or fans to share details of the latest purchases on their feeds and include a branded hashtag.

Using user-generated content to sell your products on Instagram shows how your products look like. It also provides a break from traditional promotional posts while enabling you to show different angles of your products.

Use Instagram Shopping

Instagram put its native shopping features through major changes in 2019. These changes allowed followers to buy products from the page of a seller directly. In simple terms, Instagram Shopping is a feature that integrates with the product catalog while tagging into the feed of a seller. This provides a seamless experience when it comes to shopping.

When scrolling through your feed, a follower can tap on your shopping-enabled photo. This will prompt Instagram to highlight the tagged products. The platform denotes such posts with an icon for a shopping bag at the top-right corner.

When a follower taps on a tagged product, they see close-ups and additional details. After this, they can navigate to the product page from Instagram directly. What's more, a user can see active products on the seller's feed by tapping the shopping icon. If you have an active Facebook product catalog, enabling Instagram Shopping is a smart move.

Use Shoppable Instagram Tools

In addition to Instagram Shopping, you can use other tools to sell your products on this platform. These tools can help you turn your Instagram account into a storefront. Some of these tools let you include a link that can be tapped by visitors to visit your product page.

What's more, these tools include curation for user-generated content and advanced analytics. Such tools can convert visitors into buyers and help you boost your social presence.

Use Influencer Marketing

Not every sale on Instagram will occur from your personal or business account. Influencer marketing provides a great way to sell your products on Instagram. This refers to social media marketing where influencers endorse and place products in front of their audiences. Influencers are individuals or organizations that have social influence or expert-level knowledge in certain fields.

Influencer marketing is now a great way for individuals and brands to sell their products to large Instagram audiences via more relatable and compelling manners. To sell your products on Instagram through influencer marketing, you need to partner with a person that has a highly engaged audience. This person will raise awareness of your product or brand and bring new customers your way through endorsement.

Influencer marketing is an effective way to sell because the promotions do not have a salesy feeling. What's more, influencers have engaged audiences and their reach can be greater than that of your account. Thus, partnering with a relevant influencer can be a cost-effective way to sell your products on Instagram.

Use Instagram Ads

Some brands have become successful on Instagram by using ads to sell their products. Using creative ads like Carousels and Stories provides targeting options and flexibility. This enables brands to reach more customers that use Instagram to do their shopping.

The Bottom Line

Selling products through Instagram is a reality for some modern entrepreneurs. Some people have even grown their following and make living selling products to them. But, selling products on Instagram is not as easy as some people may want you to think. It's a task that requires skills and consistent efforts. You need carefully formulated and implemented strategies to make a living by selling your products on Instagram. Hammering your followers with promotions and photos of your products is not the best way of selling on Instagram. If your primary goal for setting up an account on Instagram is to sell your products on Instagram, follow these tips and stick to the best practices of this platform. That way, you will succeed in selling your products on Instagram.