How to Use Instagram to Increase your Sales

​Using social media platforms for marketing plays a big role in the growth of businesses. Millions of people are using social media to share pictures and life stories and the best businesses are utilizing its power too. Finding customers online is easy if you have the right strategy.

Instagram is one of the largest social media sites. It just hit 800 million users in September which makes it a goldmine of potential customers. In fact, Instagram beats all other platforms in terms of engagement rate and many small businesses have reported to have grown customers and driven sales by using the app. Instagram is well known for picture selfies and will definitely work well for business that sell products or provide a service that can be photographed. Such businesses posts colorful pictures of their products or their customers trying their products which attracts many other people who are searching for similar brands and products. So how do you use Instagram to increase sales and traffic to your website assuming you already have an existing account?

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1. Take or Create High Quality and Colorful Photos of your Products or Services.












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​​​“Instagram is a place where visual expression from businesses inspires visible action from people around the world.” -Instagram
Photos attract customers especially if they are colorful and look professional. Taking Photos showcasing products you are selling or creating graphics showing your services you offer, will drive traffic to your website which will translate into sales. You don’t have to use a high end camera for this, just use your smartphone to take cool pictures at the right angles and with the right lighting. Then add color to the photos by using filters till they become catchy. Avoid overdoing the editing since it might alter the color of the product or look funny. Photos that are likely to do well are those taken of customers trying your products, so avoid using images that have been taken directly from the catalog. You can request to take a photo of a customer when they are trying the product at your store. For graphics, use available software to make nice graphics about your services. For advanced graphics creation, hire an agency or an expert to assist you.

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2. Run Instagram Contests

Running contests is one of the best ways to boost sales as it engages many Instagram users. There are many ways of running contests. You can decide to run a like to win contest where you ask followers to like a post for a chance to win. Another way is to run a hashtag contest where you ask users to post a picture with a relevant hashtag for them to win. You can also run a selfie contest where you can request followers to take a selfie holding one of your product or maybe a handwritten banner showing a product or name of your business. Another way is to hold a voting contest where you can ask followers to post a creative photo with your hashtag then asking people to vote the best photo then selecting the winner with most likes After a contest, it is a good idea to post the winner either by tagging them or by including their photo in the winner announcement post.

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3. Using hashtags in your posts
When people search for something on social media, most use a hashtag to easily find an item they want. Using hashtags in instagram posts will make it easier for your products to be discovered by potential customers. Depending on the product you are selling, you can always find the best hashtags to use. Sites such as http://hashtagify.me/ help you find the best hashtags to use in your posts. For example, let's say you sell dresses online and you have a dress by name “Fan Of The Glam Red One-shoulder Bodycon Midi Dress”, you can use a hashtag based on the category of the dress or brand or the use of the dress. You can use hashtags such as #Mididress #Bodycondress or #Partydress.

4. Give exclusive offers and discounts
​It is good to keep your customers interested and motivated to keep checking your products by giving offers or discounts on some products. Keep offers limited so that users feel urgency to take advantage which will lead to more exposure and more sales.

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5. Post Teaser clips and ensure Timely engagement with customers.
Ensure you answer customers queries in the comment section to them motivated and makes them value your services. Customers are likely to buy once they develop trust in a certain business and when they feel the customer support is top priority. Every now and then, post teaser clips of new releases, new store opening or an upgrade of you shop. This is a way to keep customer interested and curious of what is next.

​With these five tips, you are on your way to boosting sales your business on a whole new level. If you ever feel trying such methods is a challenge, you can always find experts to help you achieve your goals.

What do you think? Which method has worked or do you think will work wonders for you?

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-Anthony, from the Online Growth Systems Team
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