How to Sell on Instagram in 2022

Imagine doing a business and enjoying it. Social media today now serves as a place to do more than reconnect with loved ones and meet new people.

With social media, you can now make money and run your business efficiently, while still doing everything you would normally do with a social media account. 

With 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is the 6th most popular social networking platform in the world.

According to Statista, more than 200 million Instagrammers visit at least one Business Profile daily. 60% of them do it to discover new products and 90% of accounts follow a business on Instagram. It has become a major player in the e-commerce field. 

No matter what kind of products you sell, Instagram can help you get your products seen. With higher sales, better visibility, and a clearly defined brand image, learning how to sell on Instagram is guaranteed to boost your business. 

Have you been wondering about the steps to take towards selling on Instagram? Or why you should sell on Instagram?

In this article, these questions would be answered.

Why Should I Sell On Instagram?

Some of the reasons you should consider selling on Instagram are:

  • Selling on Instagram gives your customers a visual reference of what you offer. Seeing is believing, which Instagram for business allows you to provide with one simple upload.
  • Instagram is social media. This means there are a lot of people on it, willing to see your business. Instagram makes it easier to share your brand’s message.
  • With Instagram, you can target an audience that others within your industry are not targeting right now. In return, you can show others that you’re modern, have the expertise, and you can prove it with your images.
  • Instagram is growing very fast. As such, having your business and selling on Instagram now might be the growth sprout you need.
  • The Millennials segment is growing every year. The spending power of Millennials is growing every year. One of the points of emphasis in reaching out to this young generation is to be personable.

    The images that you put on your Instagram for Business account can help to make that happen.
  • With Instagram, location tagging is available. Using local hashtags on posts on Instagram has even been shown to improve SEO efforts and create more visitor interaction for promotions that are run.
  • Responses happen in real-time. This is a great advantage, one of the major reasons you should sell on Instagram in 2022.
  • All businesses benefit from analytical data and your Instagram account is no exception. With your Instagram business account, you’ll get access to Instagram Insights where you’ll be able to see things like audience demographics, audience behavior, analytics for your posts, and analytics for your stories.

Are there any Cons to Selling on Instagram?

There are some things you may consider as problems when selling on Instagram.

Some of them are:

  • Your targeted demographics might not even have an Instagram account. Instagram is a social platform that is dominated by the younger age demographics.

    Although older users are exploring Instagram with more frequency, it’s a good bet that the average viewer is going to be young, with limited discretionary spending, and that may not be who you want hearing your brand message right now.
  • On Instagram, there isn’t much room for additional content. Some images require a little explanation, but Instagram doesn’t offer much space to make that happen.

    It’s also difficult to create a comprehensive company bio on this platform, which makes it a little hard for followers to get to know who you are.
  • On Instagram, there is less visibility. Business posts and ads appear lower in users’ feeds than posts by their friends and family. By switching to a Business account, you’re automatically demoting yourself in the ranking algorithm. 
  • Instagram has a bad habit of revealing everything you do on the platform. Many Instagram creepers have been busted by accidentally double-clicking on an old photo way back in an ex’s feed.

    It’s not just jealous exes who have to deal with this transparency, it’s also something businesses should keep in mind. Everything you do is visible to your competition.
  • Instagram is a mobile inclusive app. unless you use a special third-party app or make some changes to your browser, you can’t access all of Instagram’s features from your PC; many only work on a mobile device or tablet. 

Is it worth it-Selling on Instagram

The pros and cons of selling on Instagram show that the positives will generally outweigh the negatives, but some steps must be taken to ensure success.

You must focus on your experiences, showcasing the visual beauty your products or services have to offer. There must be an effort to get to know your followers.

Each post must incite some sort of action. If you can do that, then you can meet your goals and sell out as much as you can. 

How to Sell on Instagram

To sell on Instagram, take the following steps-

Step 1: Pick a Niche Product That Sells

Instagram is a social media platform with a heavy focus on all things visual.

According to Instagram, people come to the platform to be inspired and to find things they care about.

So it’s easier to sell products that have a strong visual appeal or aesthetic. Also, ensure you are about to sell something that people are willing to buy. 

Step 2: Set up an Instagram Business Account

A business profile on Instagram is like an interactive business card. It provides a better marketing experience for you as the business owner.

It also helps customers connect to your business. With the business account, you can add valuable information to your profile.

To set it up:

  • Go to your Instagram profile and tap the three horizontal lines in the upper right corner.
  • Then, tap Settings and Account.
  • Tap Switch to Professional Account and then Business.  
  • Once you’ve switched, you’ll be able to add details to your profile like contact information and business category
  • Simply tap “Done” after you’ve added your details.

Step 3: Increase Your Engagement

To make massive sales on Instagram, you need to choose a distinct theme or aesthetic. This can range from having a color theme to a specific font or brand voice in your content.

You should also create quality photos and videos. Avoid grainy images or shaky videos.

Your content and profile picture should be visually appealing to reflect your brand’s main message. 

Write captivating captions and stay in touch with your followers. Answer their questions, respond to comments, and address complaints.

You’ll build a strong relationship when you interact with followers.

Step 4: Utilize the URL in the Instagram Profile Bio

Whenever a new customer finds you on Instagram, they’re likely to go to your bio page and see your link.

So having it up there at all times will encourage traffic to your online store.

To use this link properly, edit the URL link in your profile, refer your followers to the link and change the link accordingly. 

Step 5: Get the most out of Instagram Stories and Reels

With 500 million daily users worldwide, Instagram Stories is a great feature to help you grow your business and stay engaged with your followers on a more frequent basis.

Since Instagram is a mobile app, you need to make sure that your store is 100% mobile-friendly. 

Step 6: Get the Most Out Of Instagram Advertising

If you’ve been struggling with getting more traffic, it’s time for some Instagram advertising.

Creating an Instagram ad campaign means you’ll be posting sponsored content on the Instagram platform to reach a larger and more targeted audience.

You can decide how much you want to spend on your ad, where you’d like the ad to be seen, and how long you want it to run for.

Consider using photo ads, video ads, stories ads, or even collection ads.

Step 7: Use Shoppable Posts

In these posts, you can tag your product like you would a person in a personal photo. When the user clicks on the photo, a link will pop up that can take them to the website.

Shoppable posts are marked with a shopping bag icon in the corner of the photo. Users can also browse your entire shop directly from the profile.

Step 8: Use the Right Hashtags

Hashtags are a big part of getting your product out there on Instagram but if you use it the wrong way, it’ll have an adverse effect.

Use the search feature to explore the top hashtags for your niche. Pick three to five of the most relevant hashtags to use in your campaign.

Step 9: Create Partnerships with Influencers

The exploding popularity of Instagram can make certain people shoot to online stardom. There’s no shortage of Instagram influencers out there with a large following in a wide range of niches.

Find a few Instagram influencers that match up with your intended audience, and reach out to ask about working with them.

In exchange for payment or free products, they can help you advertise your products and services on their page.

Step 10: Use Instagram Selling Tools

If Instagram Shopping isn’t available in your country, you can still use Instagram selling tools to grow your business.

These are third-party tools that offer software to make your feed shoppable. These tools help you monetize your channel in creative ways.

Conclusion

Selling on Instagram is one of the best ways to help you find your target audience and appeal to a niche.

The picture format allows you to create a clean, eye-catching aesthetic to represent your business–and attract new customers.

If you haven’t already started using Instagram to boost your sales, there’s no better time than now to get on it than now.

All you need is an Instagram account, a great camera for taking pictures, the drive to sell your products, and of course, a product to sell. 

Frequently Asked Questions

To grow your account, you must work on your Instagram audience, optimize your Instagram profile, post useful and relevant content, post regularly and consistently, use hashtags to attract a relevant audience, create a brand-specific hashtag, amongst others. 

No. On Instagram, you can buy and sell without violating any laws. 

Instagram now lets you store payment info and buy products directly in the app. The payment feature appears under Settings in the app, with an option to add debit or credit card information, track previous payments, and set a pin for extra security.

Turn on Instagram Shopping, go to your Instagram business profile and tap the three lines in the upper right, select settings, tap business, then tap shopping, select the product catalog you want to connect to your account, select done.

According to their Business Help Center, the selling fee is 5% per shipment or a flat fee of $0.40 for shipments of $8.00 or less. 

References

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