At first blush, Instagram seems like yet another social media platform that you don’t have the time to manage. At second blush, it’s a set of pictures, seemingly random. A shot of someone’s coffee in one and beautiful interiors in another. So how does one actually drive sales to their business using Instagram? It’s all in the execution and commitment.
Giraffe Home offers a beautiful array of product images in lifestyle settings in its Instagram account – making it easy for its followers to see the products in their own homes.
Visual content has never been more important for retailers. Unlike service-based businesses, you’re selling products. And unlike products that we need (like food), the products independent retailers sell are beautiful, unique and photogenic.
This month I covered why you need to be on Instagram and a general Instagram 101 for Retailing Insight magazine. So once you’ve decided you’re ready to take the leap and get more active on Instagram, how do you generate traffic and sales as a result?
Here are 5 things you can do today to Instagram Like You Mean It:
- Consider what you want your Instagram to look like. Do you want to post mostly pretty images of products or a balance of product photos, merchandising, people and general everyday content? I advise for the latter. People respond to stories, not product. General product shots are fine when they’re peppered throughout other types of images that help narrate to someone what your business is all about: fun, unique and beautiful items. In that vein, consider what your STORY is and post photos that help convey that story.Once you have several images in the Library you’ve created just for Instagram photos, start posting them. Aim to post at least daily.
- Want to add fancy borders, add text or create memes from your Instagram photos? Try using apps like Overgram (free, iTunes) and Color Cap (free, iTunes). For Android users, check out Textgram (free, Google Play) and Color Cap (free Google Play). There are other options, too, that range from $0.99 – $2.99.
- Hashtags help people find you. Look at other Instagram accounts and see what types of hashtags are being used. Include hashtags like your city, what the image is or conveys. Aim to include one or two hashtags in your initial post. You can add more in the comments section if you feel it’ll help people find you using other hashtags.
- How do you get people to follow you? Engage with customers. Engage with other accounts of businesses near you, or customers you WANT to come shop with you or know about you. How do you find them? Use those hashtags! Search using a relevant hashtag (let’s start with your city) and pull up accounts that have used that hashtag. Scroll through and see if there are any interesting accounts to follow and/or comment on images. The more you engage with those accounts, the more likely they’ll follow you and consider visiting your business or website.
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Zee Bee Market does a great job adding text to help drive engagement through its Instagram account.
Another way to encourage new followers is to Re-Post or Re-Gram images you like from accounts you follow. If you do this, be sure to include their Instagram name in the post so the person knows you’re re-gramming their image and you’re giving them credit. I’d also tag them IN the picture (you can do this by adding their account name in the “Tag People” section right before you hit the “Share” button. Be mindful of who you re-gram and how often you re-gram. Some accounts love it when you re-gram their images because it increases their chance of people following them but others feel like you’re taking advantage of their images. Also, you don’t want an account full or re-posts. Apps like Repost for Instagram (free, iTunes and Google Play) and make it easy to re-post images.
Once you’ve started to Instagram, how do you drive sales to your retail business? This is where engagement really matters. Like any marketing vehicle, you have to engage with customers to want them to do business with you. By commenting on photos of current and prospective customers (in a genuine and authentic way) or posting photos of products that you think someone would like and tagging that person so they see it, you start to build a relationship.
Manos Zapotecas alternates images of artisans and lifestyle shots in its Instagram account.
From there you continue to work at being active and engaged and customers will start to notice you more often in their daily feed and be more likely to stop in when they need a birthday, wedding or baby gift. Or if they see a beautiful top or piece of jewelry they’d love to have for themselves.
Post inspirational sayings, photos of the resident dog in your shop, happy news, new shipments that have just arrived, videos of you unboxing the new shipment – the whole idea is to let customers see more of you through imagery.
Instagram can be a very powerful (and FREE) marketing vehicle for independent retailers. With more customers, especially the millennial market, starting to use it on a daily basis, it’s worth taking note and considering how it can be part of your marketing toolkit.
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