Why Instagram Marketing is Key to Ecommerce Success

Written by Shane Barker

Entrepreneurs and business owners love Instagram.

Why?

The platform boasts 1 billion monthly active users, with 90% of them following a business account. It’s slowly moving from a photo app to a tool that businesses, both big and small, can use to promote their services and products.

What’s more?

When used for ecommerce marketing, Instagram allows you to go where potential customers are, make them aware of your products, and encourage them to purchase. Instagram also helps you drive traffic to your site and gives you a competitive edge.

Not convinced yet?

Let’s take a look at various reasons why Instagram marketing can lead to ecommerce success.

Why You Should Use Instagram Marketing to Boost Your Ecommerce Strategy

Did you know that people use Instagram for inspiration and to discover things they care about?

60% of users use it to discover new products, with over 200 million users visiting at least one business profile daily.

Amazing, right?

So there’s no reason why you should be ignoring the platform.

Here are some of the reasons why Instagram marketing is the key to ecommerce success:

1. The Visual Nature of Instagram

The visual nature of Instagram sets it apart from other social media platforms. It gives you massive opportunities to showcase your ecommerce products.

You can use videos, photos, Instagram Stories, IGTV, live videos, and even Reels to drive home your message.

By leveraging them, you can reach out to your target audience on Instagram and grow your reach and engagement. This, in turn, can bring more traffic to your website and generate sales.

However, do ensure that you adopt an aesthetic for your brand and stick to it. Find what colors work for your business and incorporate them into all of your posts.

A good example would be the @almostmakesperfect Instagram account. Molly Madfis, a lifestyle blogger, incorporates neutral palettes into each of her posts and maintains consistency in the palette.

You should also find a theme that best represents your brand in terms of subject, style, color, filters, text overlays, etc. Every content type you post should offer value while also fitting in with your chosen theme.

But that’s not all.

If you want to build a successful Instagram account for your small business, you need to:

• Optimize your photos so that they are clear, interesting, and attention-grabbing.
• Consistently post fresh content since the Instagram algorithm considers recency when showing content.
• Post when your audience is the most receptive.
• Use various post types. Experiment with videos, IGTV, Stories, images, live videos, etc.
• Use hashtags strategically.

2. Engaged Users with a Shopping Mindset

A study found that 42% of adults in the U.S. visit Instagram several times a day, while 21% visit about once a day.

Once on the site, they use the platform to research products before purchase. 87% of them also said they acted after seeing product information. Some followed a brand, visited their website, or made a purchase.

With each of these moments, Instagram offers your ecommerce business a chance to drive action.

So, how can you leverage this engaged audience?

Use the following marketing techniques:

Optimize your profile: Make sure your bio showcases your brand voice and the products or services you offer.

Have an Instagram strategy: Understand who your target audience is and what kind of content they like. Define your Instagram marketing goals, and set up metrics to help you measure performance.

Have a stellar content strategy: Use compelling photos, videos, and Stories to promote your brand. Use persuasive calls-to-action, and the right hashtags. Remember, your content strategy is what will help you improve your content on the platform and drive audience engagement.

Engage your audience: Appreciate your audience’s interest by responding to them, liking their comments, and replying to their messages. You can also run hashtag campaigns, and feature user-generated content on your feed to engage your audience.

3. Instagram’s Marketing Tools

Instagram offers various tools that make it easier for you to get your target customers to shop from your brand. These include:

Instagram Shopping and Checkout

Instagram Shopping offers your audience an immersive storefront where they can explore products. It transforms your feed into an ecommerce store.

An Instagram Shopping account allows you to tag your products in posts and Stories. You can then drive them to your catalog so that they can complete the transaction there.

Instagram Checkout, on the other hand, makes the shopping experience seamless for your customers. They can buy products without having to visit your ecommerce site.

All they have to do is key in their details and shipping address the first time they checkout. They can then easily select products they like, choose a size or color, and continue to checkout without leaving the app.

Instagram Ads

Instagram Ads help you grow your brand awareness by helping you reach a wider audience.

However, for this to work, you need to choose the right ad format. Each ad format on Instagram offers different options for placement and has its respective objectives.

Link in Bio

Instagram also helps you drive traffic to your ecommerce website. All you have to do is add a link to your online store in your bio. You can ask your audience to check this “link in bio” to drive traffic to your website.

4. Instagram Insights

With a business account, you can access insights on Instagram. This tool allows you to see when your audience is active, your Instagram popular posts, account reach, and impressions. You can also compare your original posts and ads to figure out if your paid efforts have worked.

By getting these detailed insights, you can figure out how to improve your results.

However, Instagram Insights only offers a basic overview of the analytics.

For a more in-depth audit of your Instagram account, you can leverage third-party tools like Combin.

Their InstaCheck Audit offers you a comprehensive look at your Instagram profile, including the aesthetics, branding, engagement, and content. They also provide recommendations on what you need to improve or change to boost your online presence.

What’s more?

You can order an audit of competitors to examine their strengths and weak points.

Ready to Unlock Ecommerce Success?

Instagram marketing is one of the best ways to grow your ecommerce business.

As an ecommerce store owner, Instagram can help you reach your target audience and promote your products using numerous business tools. The visual format of the app also makes it easy to showcase products from your online store and build your online presence.

Do you have any questions about the points mentioned above? If so, do let us know in the comments.

About Author

Shane Barker is a digital marketing consultant who specializes in influencer marketing, content marketing, and SEO. He is also the co-founder and CEO of Content Solutions, a digital marketing agency. He has consulted with Fortune 500 companies, influencers with digital products, and a number of A-List celebrities.