Instagram has become a tool for many companies to increase their sales and platform. Now, Instagram contains many features and tools to help companies be successful. This blog contains helpful features that can help boost any Instagram account.
Storefronts
The first step to getting any sales and engagement is to turn the profile into a storefront. This is a simple task that can be done in settings. By changing this feature according to Instagram itself, “People can visit a shop from a business’ Instagram profile or through Feed and Stories. Once they’re at the shop, people can browse products, explore collections, and purchase products — seamlessly through our in-app browser or without leaving the app from shops with checkout“. Having this feature helps users navigate through a page easier when finding products through an Instagram profile.
Not only is it a great tool for customers to purchase and view products, with one simple click of a button. The storefront setting also has great tools that allow the company to view the “insights” and interactions.
- Simple demographics of Customers- (rough age, and gender)
- Views per post/ story – (accounts reached, accounts engaged, and profile activity)
- Engagement- ( Current followers vs. Non- followers)
- Profile Activity- (website taps, email taps, address taps)
- Tagged products (simple click to order)
Above, is an example of the ” follower breakdown” Instagram offers when converting your page from a personal to a business storefront, and the insight/feedback it offers a company.
Consistency within Profile/Highlights
Another feature that attracts sales and engagement is consistency within posts. According to many sources, the more consistent a company is within its profile page, the more engagement and success. This consistency can consist of:
- Posting times (Day & Time)
- Profile appearance (such as distinct colors and theme)
- Specific Content
- Signature style within the photo ( example: angle of camera, filter and etc)
According to Social Media Examiner, Branding your Instagram through the profile and posts can help with recognition. This falls into play with consistency. Profile appearance that has a distinct theme or color is a feature that allows customers to recognize and organize a brand. For example, ShakeShack displays green and black as their highlight covers along with their profile picture. As for their posts, Shake Shack’s signature posts include clean-cut and vibrant photos on their Instagram. Below, is a great example of how Shake Shack applies consistency throughout their Instagram page.
Links & Hashtags
Profile links are extremely important when it comes to having a successful professional profile.
Hyperlinks can call for a quick purchase or sale through a visit to an Instagram profile or post. The Marketing Dive, states “1/3 of Instagram users have bought directly through an AD”. These ads are often through posts and hyperlinks. Gen Z has shown the highest support for using Instagram as a purchasing platform, due to its easy and quick way of purchase. Directing to this targeted audience with this feature can increase a company’s sales through Instagram.
As for Hashtags, these can be highly effective when wanting to receive engagement and conversation within a post. Engagement and conversation are major contributors when it comes to sales within a company. Hashtags make content more “discoverable”, in other words. If a user clicks on a hashtag, a page of all the posts containing that hashtag will pop up. This is also seen as “free advertising” when it comes to getting more views within a page. This feature helps users discover new profiles, which could lead to more sales within a profile page/company. Content creator, by the name of Modern Millie, dives into what an effective hashtag contains and how companies can benefit from using this type of marketing, through a Youtube video.
Story Polls
A story poll is a way of gathering information from one’s followers/viewers. This is a twenty-four-post that allows viewers to “vote” on a post. This makes them one of the easiest ways to boost your engagement on Instagram and gather instant feedback from your community. And now, they’re about to get a whole new look.
Instagram has even added new sticker features to help increase engagement, making the polls easier to interact with. The LaterBlog goes more into depth about how the new sticker formats. Polls on Instagram have remained the same since 2017; now, in 2022, the stickers have been upgraded. New Instagram polls include textboxes as well as four-option voting, instead of restricting posts to two-option voting. This feature allows companies to gather more data and improve upon it. When companies receive feedback from Instagram story polls this can help not only their sales increase but their overall success of a company.
Instagram sales
Overall, there are many features that can contribute to a company’s profile that’ll help increase sales. Instagram has a lot of features, whether it be through a story, a post, or a link, Instagram has many features with easy access. The features allow for easier use on the customer side and the company side, making Instagram a great platform for all.
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