Instafrenchie gives you 6 tips for selling successfully on Instagram

Instagram is THE social network for professionals who want to increase their sales. Instafrenchie gives you his tips to sell better (more) on Instagram!

Instagram can be a powerful sales and marketing tool for your business, if you are willing to use Instagram Business.

While many users make purchases because of what they see on Instagram, most don’t open the app specifically for that reason.

Selling on Instagram has become easier as the app has evolved.

Today, we want to share six different ways to sell creatively on Instagram.

The success of the sale on

Instagram

Before you sell products on Instagram, make sure you have a professional account, not a personal one.

A professional account gives you access to analytics as well as many other tools you can use to create better posts for your audience, such as the swipe-up feature when you have 10,000 followers and the ability to create posts that can be used to make purchases.

If you currently use a personal account, it’s easy to upgrade to a business account.

Just follow three simple steps:

Log in and click on the profile icon in the lower right corner.
Once you see your profile, click on the three-line icon in the top right corner, then click on Settings.
Finally, click on Account and then click on Switch to Business Account.

Now that you’ve turned your account into a business account, it’s time to optimize it so that your followers and customers can recognize you.

Check your profile picture and make sure you use a logo or a branded picture.

This will help you establish brand recognition so people know they’ve found the right Instagram page for your business.

Since you have a business account, you can add additional information to your profile.

Add links to your website, contact info, and easy-to-use buttons like Contact or Book, depending on what works best for your business.

You’ll also want to make sure your bio includes information about what your business does and who you serve, so new visitors can tell whether or not you’re a good fit.

Now that you have a well-presented Instagram Business account, let’s move on to tactics you can use to create interesting and creative posts to sell on Instagram.

1. Instagram Shopping posts and stories

One of the easiest ways to sell on Instagram is to create posts that allow for purchases.

Such a post contains special tags that indicate that the items in your photo are for sale. Instagram users can click on your photo to see the tags and then quickly and easily shop from there.

Shopping posts on Instagram are really effective sales tools because they remove a major barrier to selling on Instagram.

Most Instagram users are on the app because they want to be there, looking at stories and browsing their news feed. They don’t want to have to leave the app to go to someone’s website.

With shopping posts, they can buy your products right on the app, which decreases your chances of losing sales by pushing them to another site.

It’s easy to tag your posts, but you must have Shopping enabled on your account in order to access these features.

Since you already have a business account, just go back to your profile and go to Settings. Then click on Business and Set up Instagram Shopping.

In order to use this feature, you must have a Facebook Business account with a product catalog, and that account must be linked to your Instagram account.

Once everything is set up, it’s time to create your first shopping post.

Upload your photo as usual, write your caption, and then click Tag Products, the same way you would tag another profile in your photo.

Then enter the name of the product you want to tag and off you go!

The most important thing to note is that you need to make sure your tag is placed on the right product.

Otherwise, buyers may get frustrated and leave without making a purchase.

Shopping on Instagram Stories

You can also make your stories marketable by adding stickers to products.

Instagram Stories get a lot of traffic, so if you aren’t using them yet, it’s a good idea to do so.

They can be a great way to connect with your audience and build trust.

Beyond the community aspect of Stories, you can also use them to sell on Instagram.

It’s easy to create a buyable story with a sticker. Simply create your story as you normally would, then go to the Stickers tab and select the product sticker.

Choose the product you want to tag, then place the sticker where you want it on your story.

Then share it with your audience!

2. Take advantage of instagram stories

While we’re on the subject, let’s talk a little more about Stories and how you can use them to their full potential.

People love Stories – over 500 million users use them every day.

And it’s no wonder – they’re short and ever-changing. They’re easy to access since they’re at the top of the app, and it’s a different way to feel connected to the brands and accounts you follow.

There are many different types of stories people can create, and Instagram has added many stickers and engagement tools to encourage interaction. From videos to boomerangs, real-time images to pre-created graphics, there are different ways to create content for Stories and sell on Instagram.

The surveys

One way to use Instagram Stories is to post a poll.

This is one of the easiest ways to encourage engagement with your audience, as they can quickly vote on a question you ask.

All it takes is a tap of the finger for them to engage with you.

Polls are great because they let you know what types of products your followers want to see more of on your page. This information can help you direct your marketing campaigns so you know what your audience is interested in.

The countdown

Another tool provided by Instagram is a countdown sticker.

Adding one of these stickers to your stories is a great way to get your customers excited about a new product launch, or any event you want to share with your audience.

People can save the countdown sticker or add it to their own story to share their excitement with their followers.

Front page content

Finally, if you’re not using front page content on your Instagram page, it’s time to start doing so.

Create front page items for your different products to make it easy for users to find what they’re looking for on your page.

You can include product information, tutorials, customer testimonials, or any other information about that particular product under your front page element.

3. Use quality product photos

This may seem obvious, but it’s an important part of selling on Instagram.

You need to show and showcase your products in the best possible light, which starts with high-quality photos.

Your photos need to be as impressive as possible to stop your viewers from scrolling.

However, just because they have to be beautiful and polished doesn’t mean they have to be perfect.

Many Instagram users no longer like to see perfectly polished photos because they don’t look realistic. Instead, add more natural photos alongside your more edited photos.

A good way to achieve this balance is to find and use a good filter.

Create a consistent editing technique that not only gives your photos a polished look, but also ties all your photos together.

There are many easy-to-use editing tools, from sites like Canva for graphic design to Adobe Lightroom for quick retouching.

When photographing, take a few moments to think about the composition of the photo.

Consider the background – is it messy or will it distract from your product?

You probably want your product to be the focus, so you don’t want to have something too busy in the background that might distract from your product.

If you’re taking photos yourself, consider getting a simple flip chart from a craft store to use as a background for a flatlay.

A simple white or solid color background will make your photos look great and put your product in the center of attention.

4. Highlight and encourage customer engagement

Instagram is a social media platform, and selling on Instagram depends heavily on it.

Whether you create a story, post, IGTV video, or anything else, you should try to do it in a way that shows customer engagement or invites your followers to engage with you.

Use reviews

An easy way to do this is to use the reviews that are already on your website.

Ask the reviewer’s permission, then take a quote to create a post that will promote your product while increasing consumer trust.

People trust what others say about a brand, often more than what the brand says about itself.

The more testimonials and reviews you can present from real customers, the more you can build that trust.

If you can and if you have permission, identify the person doing the review in your post.

This proves that it’s a quote from a real person and helps build engagement and interaction with your customers.

Don’t forget to reply to anyone who comments on your post to ensure you continue that conversation.

The legends

You should also write engaging captions that encourage your followers to do something.

Create a compelling and easy-to-follow call to action for your followers.

If you don’t know where to start, start with something simple, like double-tap if you agree!

Then you can ask them to comment or tag a friend in their comment.

The CGUs

Another way to showcase your customers is to request and repost CGU.

CGU stands for user-generated content, which is content that other people create about your brand.

CGU is very effective for the same reason reviews and testimonials are: people trust other people.

So encourage your followers to tag your product or company in photos of them using your service or product. You can do this by running a contest or by simply asking them to mention you.

Then, with their permission, share them on your account.

CGU is a great way to build trust with your followers, and it saves you time on content creation.

5. Invest in ads on Instagram

If you have a budget for paid advertising, spending it on ads on Instagram may very well be worth it.

Instagram ads allow you to target a very specific market, so you know you have the right eyeballs on your content.

They are also very simple to use, effective and can be quite profitable, depending on your target audience.

You can create Instagram ads for your story or feed.

There are many types of ads you can create, and there isn’t necessarily one that is more effective than the others.

Instead, it depends heavily on your industry and target audience.

When you create an ad, you do so in your Facebook Ad Manager account.

However, don’t think it’s a good idea to simply duplicate your Facebook ads and place them on Instagram.

Remember that the two platforms are different and each requires a separate strategy.

That said, if you’re familiar with creating Facebook ads, you know how the software works.

If you don’t know how to make these ads, here’s a quick overview:

A. Choose a goal for your ad

The main types are awareness, consideration and conversion. If you are considering creating ads looking for purchases, conversions are the way to go.

B. Give your campaign a name.

This allows you to separate your different campaigns while trying different strategies.

C. Choose your advertising locations.

You can deselect Facebook so your ads will only show on Instagram.

D. Define your target audience

You can do this by selecting demographics, interests, behaviors and connections.

You can also create a custom audience based on your current followers, email subscribers, website visitors or any other list you already have.

E. Select your advertising budget and schedule

You can set a daily or long-term budget, depending on your goals.

F. Finally, choose your Instagram ad format.

We will present the different formats right away.

Create ads for your feed

There are many types of ads you can post on your feed to sell on Instagram.

These include photo, video, carousel, and collection ads.

They each have their own pros and cons, and they have a different impact on the cost of your ad.

Photo, carousel and collection ads can all be made purchasable in the same way as you would a normal post.

These ads are often accompanied by a Learn More or Buy Now call-to-action banner that appears at the bottom of the image to encourage the viewer to click and act.

Instagram ads in the news feed can be effective, especially if they integrate well with other posts in your audience’s feed.

If they’re too different or look too much like an ad, they can slip past.

Try different types of ads, various photos and videos, and a variety of caption options to see what works best for your audience.

Create ads for your Stories

Instagram Stories ads are also popular.

You can create ads in the form of videos or images and since you are paying for it, you can use the swipe-up feature on those ads.

Yes, even if you don’t have 10,000 followers yet, you can get the swipe-up feature on an ad.

The video ads for stories are 15 seconds long and the images play for 10 seconds.

You can have up to three consecutive slides, so you can do one video, one image, one video, or you can do three videos, or you can try a different combination.

Again, just like with feed ads, you want to make sure that these ads fit in well with the other stories that your audience sees.

You also need to get their attention from the beginning so they don’t just skip your ad.

6. Use IGTV to its fullest to sell on Instagram

If you haven’t done so yet, now is the time to use IGTV to sell on Instagram.

People are starting to watch these longer videos more often, and they can be a great way to educate your audience about your brand and product.

Here are a few ways to use IGTV to your advantage.

Post tutorials

Teach your followers how your product or service works. Show them unique ways to use your product.

You could even feature other customers who have unique stories.

For example, if you sell a food product, feature various recipes that include your ingredients.

The more creative you are, the more likely your followers will enjoy your videos.

Organize a question and answer session

People like to participate, and your followers may have questions about your product or service.

Host a Q&A session to clarify any potential confusion and drive sales.

You can also use this to show your audience more of you and your business and build trust.

If you’re not ready to create a full IGTV video, a Q&A session is a great thing to do on Instagram Live.

You can even invite people to join you on the video to ask their questions.

Or you can just answer what you see in the chat – whatever works best for you and your followers as well.

Showing what goes on behind the scenes

Everyone likes to be in on the secret.

Sharing behind the scenes of your business is a great way to build a relationship with your customers and create brand loyalty.

This is how you build trust to become their go-to source for your type of product.

It can also be fun to show your team’s funniest moments so that your company becomes more approachable.

Giving a glimpse of the future

Get your customers excited about what’s to come!

Share small previews of future products so they know what to expect from your company in the future.

Again, everyone likes to know exclusive information, so give them what they want.

Best practices

Before you create your first IGTV video to sell a product on Instagram, there are a few things we want to mention.

Don’t just be a talking head.

Unless you’re going to make a very, very short video, don’t limit yourself to talking to the camera.

Add some voiceover and B-roll to make the video interesting for your viewers.

When was the last time you watched a 10-minute video where someone was just talking to the camera?

Probably not recently, and your followers probably don’t want that either.

Also, once you’ve created and published your video, be sure to add a preview to your feed and story.

Link it to your IGTV so your followers know you have a new video and that they should watch it soon.

Come on, we'll let you make sales now!

There you have it: six creative ways to sell on Instagram.

Which one will you try first?

As with any digital marketing strategy, these tactics can all be used at once, but it may be wise to implement them one at a time so you don’t get overwhelmed and ensure you’re creating quality content.

Happy selling!