If ever there was a time for relaxing scents to become really popular, it was in May 2020 – in the midst of a global pandemic. Thankfully, that’s when Daniel Hoftun took the plunge and founded Volant Aroma – an aromatherapy Ecommerce business – from his Norway apartment.
Daniel grew up surrounded by a natural lifestyle in Norway’s countryside, and that experience followed him to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and beyond.
“My deep interest for optimising everyday life through aroma, combined with my chemistry and computer science background, led to volant – the company I had to start.”
-Daniel Hoftun
In fact, he built the first collection of Volant products from that apartment we mentioned, as well as packed every order and hand-delivered them on a bike.
Now, just a short year later, Volant Aroma is based out of headquarters in Oslo, armed with a team, a warehouse, and a mission to “create products that bring people together across borders and origins.”
Building the Volant Aroma Marketing Strategy
One thing the Volant team identified early on was that the essential oil market was not nearly as saturated in Norway as it is in the United States. Without a huge presence in the country, that meant that one really important marketing opportunity was education.
In order to begin educating customers on the benefits and uses of aromatherapy, Daniel and the team identified the platforms where educational content would thrive. These were the blog, the email newsletter, and social media – specifically, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook.
“As a Direct-to-Customer company a lot of our ‘product’ is the story we tell [about our products], and that story is definitely being told through Instagram. It’s Instagram and email that are the drivers of that.” – Tobias Nervik
The team at Volant set out to build educational resources on their site and share tips, tricks, how-tos, and recipes on their social media channels. In spring 2021, Volant brought on a social media manager to begin developing those channels in earnest.
A common thread was developing as the team spoke to freelance social media managers, looking for the right fit. More than a few of those freelancers recommended Tailwind – including their eventual hire!
Growing the Volant Aroma Instagram Account (With Tailwind!)
In April 2021, Volant signed up for Tailwind with both an Instagram and a Pinterest account, looking to grow their organic social channels. With a lot of ground to cover, they created a packed schedule of content, including 50-70 Pins a week on Pinterest and 14 Facebook and Instagram posts a week (2 per day).
Things happened quickly. From April to mid-July (time of this interview), their 2,000 organic Instagram followers tripled to 6,800 and are still growing.
How did they do it?
Posting Regularly – As we mentioned before, the social team at Volant posts at least twice a day on Instagram, with a healthy content mix of Reels, feed posts, and Stories. This steady stream of fresh content on their feed means that they’re constantly top of mind (and top of feed) for their followers, and always offering a new piece to engage with.
Relevant Hashtags – The social team at Volant uses Tailwinds Hashtag Finder to search out relevant hashtags to their images.
For example, not only does this caption contain oil diffuser-related hashtags, but it also contains design inspiration and decor-related hashtags relating to the context of the photo!
User-Generated Content – Not only does Volant’s feed contain quotes, Reels, and how-to graphics, but it’s also peppered with curated content from influencers and customers featuring the product.
This definitely makes content curation and planning much easier, but it also creates trust and authority. When customers see real people using your products (and liking them!) they’re more inclined to make a purchase themselves.
Easily Digestible Education – Volant shares recipes for oil blends in simple graphics, as well as other useful tidbits that can help customers (or essential oil enthusiasts!) learn something new.
In fact, this content is one of the things shouted out positively to the team all the time in web reviews!
Influencers – Volant works with a lot of influencers in a brilliant way, if you ask us. Rather than partnering with essential oil educators or gurus, Volant uses influencers to tell a broader story about environments and restful homes.
If you look at Volant’s feed, you’ll notice a ton of influencer content from interior decorators and designers who incorporate Volan’ts sleek diffusers into the room scapes they create.
Engaging Directly – Volant avoids the hard sell on their Instagram page. Instead, they focus on a lot of Stories and feed posts with questions and conversation starters.
If potential customers want to learn more, they’re directed to the link in their bio! Instead, Volant prizes community building.
“Building a community around our existing user base is definitely something we’re trying to do. And that’s something we’re trying to do through organic social media and email -and Tailwind runs the organic social media for us.”
-Tobias Nervik
The community-building aspects of the business are what Volant Aroma credits as the most profitable.
“In percentage, it is very profitable to grow organically or get sales through email… having that in the backend is what gonna help us succeed in the long run.
It’s building that lifetime customer value and keep getting those repeat purchases.”
But we know what you might be thinking – followers don’t necessarily translate to sales, especially on Instagram!
Well, remember that link in their Instagram bio? In June 2021, Volant saw $20,000 in sales from that link alone!
Increasing Volant’s Revenue 80% From Instagram
Although Volant also has a presence on Pinterest and Facebook and even runs Paid ads on Facebook, Google, Snapchat, Instagram, and Pinterest, they see more returns from their organic Instagram profile link than any other platform.
In fact, a lot of sales come specifically from their Instagram profile link!
June’s $20,000 numbers were an 80% increase month over month from Mays ($5,500). And it’s important to note that those link in bio visits were not from Instagram ads – those were from visits to the Instagram profile itself!
Clearly, Volant’s Instagram marketing strategy is paying off – especially in a time where the Instagram algorithm can make it difficult for sustained growth.
What Can You Learn from Volant’s Strategy?
Volant Aroma has only been in business for a year, which makes their success on Instagram – in spite of the algorithm – pretty impressive. There are tons of tips, tricks, and tactics you can learn from their journey to growth on the platform, like:
Posting regularly on Instagram Stories, the Instagram feed and Instagram Reels with Tailwinds SmartSchedule
Using Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder to find relevant hashtags for all their posts
Curating User-Generated content to help tell their brand and product story
Creating easily digestible education on their Instagram Feed and Stories
Finding influencers in a space that helps your product shine naturally
Avoiding salesy tactics and instead focusing on community building
But perhaps the most important and most interesting is how they’ve positioned their product on Instagram.
Instead of filling their feed with one-off shots of their product, Volant has embraced identifying a core desire of their audience – to have a restful, tasteful living environment. Their content doesn’t focus on only their diffusers, but rather their diffusers positioned in environments that their audience love and want to recreate themselves.
That’s what it means to know and speak to your audience’s lifestyle, and when done correctly, you will see a big payoff.
And just like Volant, you can take care of managing your community and content on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook with Tailwind while you dream up new ways to inspire your audiences! Try out a free trial of Tailwind, no credit card required!
Pinterest and Instagram are marketing gold mines for local travel and hospitality brands. Using these social media platforms, it is easier than ever to reach and engage future guests.
But sometimes small businesses with limited marketing budgets overlook the importance of social media marketing beyond Facebook. Sadly, they miss out on opportunities to connect with potential guests early in their vacation planning process.
The good news is with a little planning and creativity, you can draw people to your brand and eventually to your local attraction!
The highly visual and aspirational culture makes these social media platforms ideal for brands offering that rely on travelers or offer unique experiences.
Why? People use Instagram and Pinterest when planning their next vacation. The aspirational nature makes Pinterest and Instagram vital parts of your promotion strategy, whether you run a small B&B inn, an independent hotel, or a local tourist attraction.
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Looking Ahead From 2020 (for Local Businesses!)
It’s no secret that 2020 was a difficult year for the travel industry. However, people are craving new experiences, travel, and adventure as vaccines become more widely available.
According to Think With Google, 57% of consumers are looking forward to traveling once “the pandemic is over.” Search trends indicate that Millenial and Gen Z consumers, in particular, are most eager to travel, showing in their Google searches.
These consumers seek authentic experiences, are internet savvy, and are open to new experiences.
This interest extends beyond Google to their social media channels like Instagram and Pinterest!
Both Pinterest and Instagram are highly visual social media platforms. If you are in the travel and hospitality field or own a brick-and-mortar business, you already know the value of stunning photographs and images. You may already invest in professional photography, video production, and design.
Visual media like Instagram and Pinterest offer the opportunity to repurpose your visual assets in fresh and engaging ways. Active users share ideas, dreams, aspirations, and inspiration.
Harness the Positivity of Pinterest
If you think Pinterest is only for brides and DIY crafters, think again. While most active “Pinners” are affluent females with creative interests, the platform increasingly attracts people of all walks of life who are making plans and saving inspiring content.
Pinterest is both a social media platform and a content discovery tool. In some ways, it is similar to a visual Google and has the potential to drive traffic to your website or direct booking platform.
Nine out of ten users said Pinterest is “filled with positivity” The overall culture is aspirational and inspirational. Many use it as a combination of a vision board, search engine, and planning tool.
Pinterest users also happen to be shoppers. Omnicore digital marketing agency found that 87% admitted to trying a new product or brand after seeing Pinterest. Around 64% of active users indicated they use Pinterest to find ideas, inspiration, products, or services.
Pinterest identified a 2021 trend they refer to as “hypothetical sabbatical.” Users search for and Pin content covering topics relating to their dream vacation, camping or adventure destinations, and niche experiences specific to their hobbies and interests.
Engage With Travelers on Instagram
Instagram also attracts consumers, in fact, 81% of Instagram users said they use it to research services and products, according to Instagram. This may be one reason influencers shine on Instagram.
Users share moments and experiences with friends in a way that is candid and often carefully curated.
Images and video engage users especially when supported by compelling copy.
Since Instagram is part of the Facebook family, it shares its advertising interface while offering platform-specific options like story ads.
It all starts with your profile. Optimize all your social media profiles in order to a) appear in relevant searches on platforms and b) showcase who you are, what you do, and why visitors should visit your local business. Strategically use your social media bio to reference local landmarks or quickly describe what you offer.
When optimizing your Instagram profile, consider the following:
You need to associate your Instagram Business account with a Facebook Business page. The two share an advertising platform, Creator Studio, and other resources.
Your Instagram bio link is precious real estate. Some brands and Creators refer to a special landing page like Tailwind’s Smart.bio or LinkTree to help followers access their best content, subscribe to their newsletter, or find them on other platforms like Pinterest.
Remember to tag your location in both your profile and in your posts.
Optimizing your Pinterest profile is a little more involved; check out this guide to Pinterest for Business for more details on setting up and optimizing your Pinterest profile.
As much as possible, plan for a consistent theme and visual branding to make it easy for your followers to recognize you. Also, develop a consistent publishing schedule to keep your presence fresh and engaging.
Social Media Marketing with Pinterest and Instagram
Each social media platform has a unique culture and purpose. While you want to coordinate your branding, you may tailor the content for each audience as much as possible. For example, Pinterest offers the opportunity to drive traffic to your website, so you may want to pin your most compelling content and any local media features.
On the other hand, Instagram is a high-engagement visual platform to showcase your most compelling images and share special moments.
Content Ideas for Pinterest
Curate a mix of compelling photographs, videos, infographics, and links to your other online content on Pinterest. Pins typically have a longer shelf-life than more ephemeral social media content such as tweets or Instagram stories.
Use Pinterest boards to share themed collections of Pins, including your own content and other content that may interest your ideal customer. For example, a Board can feature helpful resources like local hiking trails, the best vintage shopping, or unique attractions in your community.
Keep the following ideas in mind while planning your Pinterest content:
Offer fresh ideas catering to creating a unique experience.
Create helpful content and share practical tips.
Curate recommendations for other activities, re-pin content featuring other local activities, recommendations, and attractions.
Be creative with your board themes. This is the ideal opportunity to create resources for travelers with particular niche interests. For example, you may create a guide for vegetarians visiting your city or a board featuring the ideal “Sunday Funday.”
Consider creating high-value lifestyle content exclusively for your Pinterest audience. For example, a B&B may share easy brunch recipes or packing tips in the form of an infographic.
Check out Pinterest’s business resources, including “Pinterest Trends” for ideas and inspiration you can adapt to create engaging content promoting your own brand.
Content Ideas for Instagram
Instagram is a great platform to share photographs, infographics, memes, and videos. While the platform is visually oriented, don’t overlook the value of engaging copy to offer context.
Consider making use of content options beyond a post. For example, Instagram Guides offer the opportunity to feature places, products, or existing Instagram posts in a curated guide. The guides are an attractive way to share local recommendations, itineraries, tips, fun facts, and ideas.
Other content options include Stories and IGTV for longer-form videos. Have fun while experimenting with the content that best engages your clientele.
Finally, remember to use hashtags and location tags to make it easier for users to find your posts. When you mention local influencers, brands, restaurants, or attractions, be sure to tag them as well. Tagging other accounts may help increase your reach, engagement, and following.
Take a moment to brainstorm ideas for your Instagram content. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Attractive photos of your hotel or venue along with a witty or upbeat description. You may use one image or multiple images.
Photos of yourself or your team members along with a mini-feature of each person.
Fun photos of your guests enjoying their time with you, along with a short story about their experience.
Videos and demonstrations. For example, if you run a B&B, your chef may demonstrate how to poach an egg, or a member of your housekeeping team may demonstrate how to fluff a pillow.
Share positive reviews from prior guests.
Recipes, tips, trivia, and life hacks in the form of a video, infographic, or “photo slide show.”
Anything else that may entertain, inspire, inform or attract your future guests.
Creating an Efficient Workflow
This may sound overwhelming since you are busy running your business. Keep in mind that you don’t need to incorporate every idea or rock every platform. You may also recruit help from your team, your guests, local influencers or hire a freelance social media manager.
Use a social media scheduling tool like Tailwind to bulk schedule your posts. You or your social media manager can create and schedule a week or even a month’s worth of content in a single afternoon. These tools also offer their own analytics to help optimize your publishing schedule and to help efficiently repurpose content.
Finally, don’t forget to be social! Many influencers and thought leaders build their Instagram following through a combination of publishing great content and engaging with other users.
Follow complementary accounts and take a few minutes a day to scroll your feed and like or make meaningful comments on other people or brand’s posts. Avoid spamming, simply engage. This may attract new followers who are interested in what you have to offer.
Finally, take a moment to respond when a follower sends you a message, asks a question, or makes a comment. You never know when that follower will turn into a prospect and eventually a guest.
The days when Instagram was just an app for sharing photos with your nearest and dearest friends are over. Nowadays, the platform is a powerful tool for small businesses hoping to sell products on Instagram!
83% of users say Instagram helps them discover brand new products and services
81% say they research products or services on Instagram
80% ultimately decide whether to buy a product or service with Instagram’s help
Not only do these stats highlight how important Instagram is for buying products, but also the importance of figuring out how to use it to sell your products!
And make no mistake, these users are taking action. After seeing a product on Instagram, users took the following steps:
79% searched for more information
65% visited the brand’s website or app
46% made a purchase online or offline
37% visited a retail store
31% followed the brands account online
29% talked to someone about it
So whether you’re brand new to selling on Instagram or are just looking for tips, tricks, and tools to fine-tune your strategy, the following five steps will help!
Ready to stop puzzling and start profiting? Let’s get to it!
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5 Steps for Selling Your Products on Instagram
Ready to fine-tune your selling strategy and make sales on Instagram?
It’s easier than you think. Before we dive into the five steps behind how to sell products on Instagram, there are some things you need to do before you begin!
Set-up Step: Convert to an Instagram Business Account
And if you use an Instagram planning tool like Tailwind, you can enable Auto-Posting on your Instagram feed! Plan days, weeks, and months’ worth of Instagram content and publish at the best possible times for your audience to see it.
Think more hustle, less time! Curious to try it out? Get a [sc name=’free-trial-of-tailwind-for-instagram’] today!
Attach Your Instagram Business Account to a Facebook Business Page
This will give you access to important tools and features, like Facebook + Instagram Ads Manager!
Now that we’ve taken care of those important to-do’s, it’s time to get to the strategy you’ve been waiting for. You’ll be figuring out how to sell stuff on Instagram in no time with these five tips!
1. Use Hashtags to Improve Product Visibility on Instagram
When used correctly, hashtags put your Instagram posts (and products) on Explore pages where people are looking for them!
When you pick relevant hashtags for your product posts and Stories, you have a chance to appear to brand new Instagram accounts who follow that hashtag, use it, or simply search for it often!
Plus, if your post or Story lands in a coveted top spot for a hashtag, it’s likely to be seen by even more Instagram users who could easily become customers.
You’ll need to sift through all the available hashtagged keywords that relate to your product or service.
You’ll also want to look for hashtags that relate to people and interests that might go with your product and note how popular they are (and how much traffic they get in search).
Sound like a lot of work? It can be, unless you have an amazing hashtag planning tool like Tailwind!
Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder tool allows Instagram users to save time on the drudgework of hashtag research and get back to doing what they love – connecting with people on Instagram!
Just upload your photo and begin typing your caption.
Suggested hashtags based on your text will appear next to your caption, color-coded by their competitive level!
You can select up to 30 hashtags and even save them in labeled Hashtag Lists to use again on a similar post!
Want to try Hashtag Finder, Hashtag Lists, AND our Hashtags In First Comment Feature for yourself?
Get a [sc name=”free trial of Tailwind for Instagram”] – no credit card required!
2. Highlight Product Details in Posts and Stories
We now know that 79% of Instagram users who see a product on Instagram go to find more information about it.
You can boost the likelihood of closing a sale if you leave that handy information about your product within easy reach!
Instagram Stories and post captions are a great place to start. Here are some ways to use them to educate your followers on your products!
Use Stories to Highlight Your Product
Instagram Stories is the perfect place for quick, easy-to-digest content featuring your products, building brand awareness, and driving sales. Here are some ideas on how to use Stories for increasing sales on Instagram:
Film yourself talking about product benefits. Keep in mind that Instagram will divide your video into 10-second segments, and you’ll cap out at 1 minute – so keep it short, sweet, and actionable!
Repost user-generated content like product reviews, pictures with your product, and content that your previous customers have posted.
Post a frame-by-frame explanation of key benefits – Check out the example below from Biossance! They introduce their product, explain key ingredients, use, and how it works.
Show a Behind-the-Scenes Look Into Your Brand and Products
When highlighting your products on Instagram, give your followers a behind-the-scenes look into all the time and love that goes into creating your products. When creating posts and stories, here are some ideas for showing off your products in a unique way (without giving too much away!):
Give your followers a sneak peek into new products
Tell your brand’s story and why you started your business
Show how your products are made
Invite your followers to vote on new products, designs, and patterns
Use Instagram Captions to Highlight Products
Having a good Instagram caption is just as important as having a great image when selling on Instagram. Plus, you have plenty of space to highlight important product information like:
Key benefits
Product uses and instructions
What’s included
Pricing information
The perfect caption supports your efforts to sell products on Instagram by artfully explaining exactly why they should purchase your product.
More importantly – it should explain how they can purchase your product!
Sell Your Products on Instagram with a Call-To-Action (CTA)
A whopping 87% of users said they took action after seeing product or service information on Instagram. That’s amazing, right? To keep that momentum going, help users take the next steps.
When they finish reading your caption, do they know what to do next? Make it really simple by adding a quick CTA! Examples of straightforward and effective CTAs are:
“click the link in our bio”
“watch our Instagram story for more details”
“swipe up”
“leave a comment below”
“double tap if you agree!”
You can use a CTA to get more engagement or direct your users to where they can find more information or buy the product. Usually, that’s your website and product pages!
3. Be Strategic About Product Links
As of now, Instagram does not allow links in captions. That means to figure out how to sell things on Instagram, you need to find another way to direct your audiences to checkout!
You have several options, like Link in Stories. However, the most customization and ability to link to multiple products and resources is your link in bio!
Include a Link in Your Instagram Bio
Adding a link to your Instagram profile bio is an easy way to get people clicking over to your sales page!
One link rarely cuts it, which is why a link in bio tool to house multiple URLs is so handy!
Smart.bio is a free, easy-to-use dynamic landing page for all your featured products. You can also include links you want to feature for a long time (like your website, email lists signup, and blog posts).
When you set up your smart.bio, you can create a branded URL with your company name or website. It looks like smart.bio/yourusernamehere!
If you’ve ever seen or used another link in bio tool before, you know that you usually have to choose static button links OR Instagram post images to link all your content. With Smart.bio, you can choose both!
“This is simply PHENOMENAL. You guys have truly outdone yourselves. I’m convinced this is the best bio tool out there.
It combines the best features of all the ones I’ve seen, and the setup was effortless. Easiest and best thing I’ve done for my social media marketing so far. ❤️”
@shavonnemorrison, Wellness Blogger
Your static links will appear at the top of your landing page, while you can link individual product pages in the posts that talk about them. When you add a link to your Instagram post, it’ll automatically appear on your smart.bio landing page!
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Your link in bio tool makes all the difference in driving traffic from your Instagram posts to your website.
4. Sell Products Directly On Instagram with Shoppable Posts and Stickers
Shopping on Instagram is now global, and it’s easier than ever to set up product tags on Instagram posts so your customers can complete their buying journey in-app!
To nab this feature for yourself, you do need to meet some eligibility requirements:
1. You must be in one of the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or Australia
2. You need an Instagram business account
3. You must be on the latest version of the Instagram app
5. Your business profile must be connected to a Facebook catalog. This is managed on your business’s Page on Facebook, or through an approved third party!
If you are selling products through BigCommerce and or Shopify, you can set up product tags simply via their Instagram integrations.
5. Build Engagement on Instagram with Potential Customers
Growing your following will help you in selling your products on Instagram. Simply put, with more followers, you’re increasing the number of potential customers on Instagram who are regularly viewing your products!
In order to do that, you need to increase follower engagement as much as possible – in other words, the likes and comments you receive!
The key to unlocking engagement lies in developing a deep understanding of your audience, what they like to see and what is going to make them slow their scroll when they see your latest post in their feed!
Review Your Past Content To See What Resonates Most
You can start getting some valuable clues about what your followers are already responding to by visiting Tailwind’s Post Inspector in your dashboard.
Post Inspector allows you to view and sort your past posts by the number of comments, likes, type of image and even the filter you used!
Using these insights, you can determine what type of content your followers like the most and the types they’re scrolling past. That’ll help you make a strategy around producing content that your followers will engage with – and help you sell your products on Instagram!
Feature Reviews, Testimonials, and UGC from Customers
If customers are raving about your products on Instagram, make sure to feature them on your profile as a way to say thank you and to promote your products! Reposting your customers’ posts and stories is a great way to engage with your audience while also increasing social proof for your products.
By featuring your customers’ honest options on your products, you can increase your brand’s credibility on Instagram. This can help increase sales — especially for your most loved products. Here are some ideas for engaging with your customers on Instagram:
Repost stories and posts from customers featuring your products
Comment on posts reviewing your products
Encourage your followers to tag your brand in Instagram stories and posts
Use Attractive Images to Entice Your Followers to Engage
According to AdEspresso, there are several types of Instagram images that are performing well on Instagram, and the trend is likely to extend into 2021. These 9 types of images are:
User-generated content
Behind-the-scenes photos
DIY and how-to content
Artfully composed images
Content from Instagram influencers
Motivational pictures and quotes
Contest and giveaway promotions
Seasonal or on-trend images
You have a lot of flexibility and room to get creative – it’s simply important to note that grainy, poorly lit, or low-quality images won’t elicit as much engagement as high quality or artfully composed shots will!
one dominant color/hue (blues and cold shades often fare better!)
low saturation
texture (such as shadows or ridges)
increased brightness
Try experimenting with different styles of imagery to create excellent product photos, to see what appeals to your audience and receives higher engagement!
When creating posts for your brand accounts, you can use social media templates to easily create beautiful, eye-catching posts. By automating content creation and scheduling, you can save time and help grow your brand’s social presence.
Selling your products on Instagram can take your business to a new level. By expanding your reach, it’s you can gain new customers and grow your business!
You might want to know how to get approved for shopping on Instagram for the first time or are appealing a rejected app.
How to Get Approved for Instagram Shopping: What You Need
If you’ve been wondering how to get approved for Instagram shopping, this is a great place to start. To get accepted your Instagram business profile must meet Instagram’s criteria.
Products available to direct purchase from your website or Instagram Checkout. If you’re selling from your website, you’ll need to provide it to Instagram – and you may be asked to verify your domain.
Location in a country where Instagram Shopping is available
Demonstrate trustworthiness – your Instagram account must have an authentic, established presence. This also includes maintaining a base follower account (although the exact number hasn’t been clarified.)
Provide accurate information and follow best practices – Your products should not have misleading pricing or availability information. Refund and return policies must be clearly displayed and easily accessible on either your website or on Instagram.
Signing Up For Instagram Shopping Step-by-Step
After you have navigated how to get Instagram approved and you have the green light to sell, it’s time to set up shop. Follow this short list of steps to sign up for Instagram shopping.
Open Instagram app on your phone and navigate to your profile.
Tap the menu in the right-hand corner.
Tap ‘Settings’.
Tap ‘Business’.
Tap ‘Sign Up for Shopping‘.
Follow the prompts.
How Long Does It Take For Instagram to Approve Shopping?
Since time is money, many users wonder how long does it take for Instagram to approve shopping.
Overall, it takes between 1 day to 2 weeks for Instagram to give shopping approval. The good news is that the average is somewhere in between this time bracket, which means that you might not need to wait two weeks.
In the best-case scenario, you can get approved even by the next day!
How Do I Know If I’ve Been Approved For Instagram Shopping?
If you’ve been pursuing how to approve shopping on Instagram for a while, the minutes can feel like hours!
In the latest update to the Instagram Shopping application, you’ll receive a notification as soon as you’re approved. You’ll see a banner on top of your business profile that prompts you to “Start Tagging Now“.
If you aren’t approved, the new Instagram Shopping update will now give you a clear reason so that you can correct the issue.
Your Account Was Not Approved For Instagram Shopping (What to Do Next)
If your account was not approved for Instagram shopping, don’t give up. There are a few steps you can take to develop a new strategy and create a better application! After fixing your account, you can apply again.
Step One: Review Instagram’s Policies
Most accounts that are not approved for Instagram shopping go against Instagram commerce policies.
Knowing the rules gives you an edge in your next application.
Review these major points from the commerce policies and see if your account complies with these regulations. Note that this list covers the basics and you’ll need to read both thecommunity standards and commerce policies thoroughly to be fully informed!
Your account doesn’t abide by community standards: Instagram’s vision is to remain “an authentic and safe place for inspiration and expression”. Anything in your account that goes against these values can be a reason for rejection. Therefore, make sure your store is overall legal, useful, safe, and respectful to others.
Your inventory contains prohibited products: If your inventory contains prohibited items, then your business will not be approved. Prohibited products include any commerce listings that violate community standards, such as adult products, knockoffs, alcohol, animals, digital media and electronic devices, legal documents, hazardous substances, and more. Facebook’s commerce policies flesh out the full details of each prohibited item.
You don’t sell physical goods: If your inventory is empty, your account will not be approved. Your Instagram merchant account must have physical goods for sale.
There’s discrimination in your store: If there’s evidence of discrimination anywhere in your listings, your business can be rejected for Instagram shopping. Make sure your products don’t discriminate against anyone’s “race, ethnicity, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, family status, marital status, disability, or medical or genetic condition”
Step Two: Make Sure Your Facebook Business Page and Catalog Are Set Up Correctly
Sometimes an issue with your Facebook business page and catalog manager can trigger the message “Instagram shopping account not approved“. Here are a few things you should check to make sure that these pages are set up correctly for Instagram Shopping:
Connect Accounts: Check to see if your Facebook Business Manager account is attached to your Instagram profile. If these accounts are not connected, Instagram can’t see the connection between your product listings and Instagram account.
Make sure you’re using the Facebook Business Page Shopping Template: Without this Facebook page setting, Instagram will not recognize your business as selling goods.
Add physical products and descriptions to your catalog: If your store is empty or has no descriptions for products, Instagram can deny your approval. Give as much information as possible to make the best case to be approved.
Make sure all your products abide by community guidelines: A product may look good to you, but it can violate some rules. Double-check the commerce policies and comb through your listings. Remove anything questionable.
Step Three: Appeal Instagram’s Decision to Not Approve Your Instagram Shopping Account
If your application was denied, don’t give up. A good number of users who asked themselves “how to appeal Instagram shopping if I wasn’t approved” have tried again and succeeded.
After you check your Instagram account and Facebook Business Page for all the possible reasons for rejection, fix the problems, and request verification again.
Prior to the update, the process for appeals wasn’t clear on Instagram and didn’t follow the same process as Facebook.
Therefore, users used several channels to make successful appeals. Those who have had success used Facebook support tickets, Ad review request forms, or marketplace item request forms. Some have also contacted Instagram support with good results.
Thankfully, Instagram is streamlining the appeals process in the new Instagram Shopping update!
Check your Business Manager page and catalog to ensure that all the necessary details are included before you resubmit. Taking these steps will decrease the chances of you being not approved for Instagram shopping appeal!
If you’re already selling products, or if your retail business has been severely impacted by COVID-19, you’re going to want to pay attention to this FREE feature.
Facebook Shops and Instagram Shops are seamlessly integrated with each other, so you can use your shiny new storefront on your Instagram page AND sell on Facebook at the same time!
I’m talking about how to use Instagram Shop, who has access right now, and everything we know about the features being added over the next few months.
“With Shops, we’re adding a new way for businesses to sell directly.”
Mark Zuckerberg
What Is the New Shopping Feature on Instagram?
“Shops” is a FREE feature for Instagram (and Facebook) that allows retailers to build digital storefronts right on their social networks.
Indulge your Insta followers in a full shopping experience without ever leaving the app!
The new feature is brought in partnership with ecommerce platforms like Shopify, BigCommerce, Woo, Channel Advisor and more.
“Facebook Shops allows Shopify merchants to get control over customization and merchandising for their storefronts inside Facebook and Instagram, while managing their products, inventory, orders, and fulfillment directly from within Shopify.”
Shopify
This means that Instagram e-commerce accounts will be able to use their preferred platform to manage Shops and Shop ads.
“The basic idea here is that any small business can easily start a shop across our apps to sell things directly.
If you visit someone’s shop, you’re going to be able to see that small businesses story, you’re going to see their featured products and even check out and buy their items right there.”
Mark Zuckerberg
Who Can Use the New Shops Feature on Instagram?
Access to Shops is rolling out in waves – so you may not be able to see them just yet!
Shops rolled out to the U.S. first, with more countries being added in the coming weeks.
Over 1 million business accounts are currently involved in testing online stores, including:
Facebook Business Pages who have Facebook Shopping set up
Have one or both already set up? Keep your eyes peeled for an email from Facebook telling you that your Instagram Shop is ready!
#TailwindTip: Get a Facebook Page Shop or Approved for Shopping on Instagram ASAP
Since e-commerce businesses already using these features are getting first dibs at the Shops rollout, chances are adding them to your profile will speed up the process!
Shopping on the Instagram app just got a whole lot easier, for everyone involved! Here’s how it all comes together.
First, let’s talk about what Instagram app users experience when visiting an Instagram shop.
Once you’ve set up your Shop, uploaded products, cover photos, and added the “View Shop” button to your Instagram profile, the magic begins!
Instagram accounts will be able to visit your Shops storefront, learn more about your business, and even browse curated shop sections.
When they see a product image that catches their eye, they have a few options from the product description page:
Add to Bag: This adds the item to their shopping bag. They can continue to browse or check out!
Save to Wishlist: Potential customers may not pull the trigger on a purchase right away. Clicking the Save icon will add your product to their wish list.
You’ve still got a great chance to make a sale when this happens.
The item will be saved to a Shoppable wish list in Saved posts. Just visit this folder anytime, click on the item, and be taken back to the “Add to Bag” option!
Second, Instagram will also nudge users with empty shopping bags to add their Wish List items!
The “Wish List” saved folder is shoppable
Instagram keeps Wish List items top of mind.
Now, let’s talk about promoting your products from Instagram Shops. There are tools to get your products in full view on all Instagram channels!
Tag Products in Instagram Posts and Stories
Like Shoppable posts on Instagram, you’ll be able to tag products directly in your Instagram social media posts.
Here’s how to use those Product publishing tools on Stories:
Select a photo or video to upload to your Story
Open the Sticker menu and select ” Product“
Select a product from your catalog
Presto! A sticker with the name of your product that you can place anywhere on your Story.
Viewers tapping this sticker are taken to the product listing in your Shop.
You can also create a shopping post on Instagram with product tags!
Just select the photo or video you’ve chosen for your posts and pen your best Instagram caption.
Then, tag the products in the photo. Type the product names of the in the search box, and select!
It’s as easy as that – your shoppable Instagram post is ready to share.
What’s Next For Instagram Shops?
I can barely get over my excitement over the possibilities with Shops – but the good news isn’t over yet! Here’s everything we know about Facebook is planning over the next few months:
Loyalty Programs
Facebook is testing ways to connect loyalty programs to your account. You’ll earn rewards with your favorite brands from Instagram by shopping in-app!
The Instagram Shop Experience
Instagram is slating another feature launch this summer, which allows users to browse products directly from the Explore page!
The next phase of this will be shopping possibilities right from Instagram app’s main navigation tab.
Live Sales on Instagram
Soon, you’ll be able to link and start selling specific products from your Facebook Shop during Live videos!
This opens up a ton of possibilities for special sales and events for your most loyal followers.
Extended DM and Chat Support
The Instagram shopping experience isn’t complete without being able to ask for help! With Shops, users will be able to ask questions, track deliveries, and get support in DMs.
Further down the line, users will be able to see an Instagram Shop and make purchases via DM!
I can’t wait for all these features to roll out on Instagram. How about you – which feature are you most excited to check out?
Got tickets for an upcoming event to sell? There’s a button for that: the buy tickets button on Instagram!
Instagram business buttons partner with popular platforms to provide easy calls to action – right on your profile!
The Get Tickets button on Instagram comes from a partnership with Eventbrite. (Head to their partner website to learn more!)
If you set your event up for sales on the site, you can add this Instagram action button to make it even easier for your audience to join in!
Below, we’re covering how to add the Buy Tickets button on Instagram and how it all works to help boost your sales.
How to Sell Tickets on Instagram in 3 Simple Steps
Let’s take some time to cover partners before we get further.
Eventbrite is the only ticket-selling partner Instagram has at this time. Instagram will continue to expand the partner list over time, but right now you have one option!
So, if you’re wondering how to sell tickets on Instagram, you’ll need to set up an Eventbrite account and create your event on the platform!
Let’s tackle the set-up first.
Step One: Set Up Your Event on Eventbrite
First, you’ll need to head over to Eventbrite and create your event. If you don’t have an account, we recommend you sign up with your Facebook business profile.
Why? You’ll need your Facebook Business profile connected to Eventbrite, and your Instagram Business account connected to that Facebook page for the get tickets button on Instagram to work!
Step Two: Add the Get Tickets Button to Your Instagram Profile
Once you have your Eventbrite event all set up, published, and synced to your Facebook business profile (linked to your existing account on Instagram) you can now display the Get Tickets button.
Remember, you need to have an Instagram business account to add this action button to your business profile!
Here’s how to set it up:
Navigate to your Instagram profile and tap Edit Profile
Tap Contact Options, then Add an Action Button
Scroll the list of partners to select Eventbrite
Copy and paste your event link
Select Done
Step Three: Promote Your Event on Instagram
Now that you have the “Get Tickets” button live on your Instagram profile, it’s time to spread the word!
Here are some ideas to help you promote your new event on social media with the purchase tickets button:
Post to your Instagram feed about your event and include a call to action for your followers to click the ‘Get Tickets’ Button.
Make an Instagram Stories post about your event! If you have over 10K followers or are verified on Instagram, include a swipe-up link to your event. If you don’t have the Swipe Up feature in yet, here’s a handy Instagram Stories trick: tag yourself in your IG Story! When people click the tag, they’ll be taken to your profile where they can buy tickets on Instagram. This creates a makeshift call to action button!
Tap co-hosts, loyal followers, and influencers in your niche to share your Story or post and put the word out!
Create a giveaway or Instagram contest to promote your event and grab more attention!
Instagram just released a new feature to make it easier for small businesses to weather closures and stay-at-home restrictions – food delivery & gift card stickers!
Whether you’re a small business looking for ways to keep income steady right now, or just want to promote a business you love on social media (it tastes good AND feels good!), these Instagram Stories stickers could be your answer.
Below, we’re explaining each sticker and how to use them.
Plus we’ve sprinkled in helpful tips to get the most out of food delivery & gift card stickers on Instagram!
Who Can Use Instagram Food Delivery & Gift Card Stickers?
Instagram Business accounts and Creator accounts in the US and Canada can access this Instagram feature. A global rollout is planned in the next few weeks, so just hang tight if you don’t see it quite yet!
How to Use the Instagram Food Delivery Sticker
Setting up and using the Instagram delivery sticker is simple – it works just like the other Instagram custom stickers! When your followers tap it, they’ll be taken to a website to complete their order.
Here’s what to do:
Choose an appetizing food pic from your camera roll
Upload your photo to Instagram Stories
Tap the Sticker icon and select ” Food Orders”
Choose your delivery partner site (common choices are Postmates, UberEats, and DoorDash)
Publish your Story!
Tailwind Tip: Instagram and Food Delivery Work Best with the Right Delivery Service!
An important thing to keep in mind when setting up your delivery sticker is choosing the right delivery service for your area. For the most opportunity, take a quick spin through the available delivery service options and double-check which deliver in the widest range around your business or zip code!
This is especially true in rural areas and small towns (for example, food and drink delivery is only available during certain days and times in my town when Postmates are in the area. DoorDash isn’t available, and UberEats – forget about it!)
Here’s what you should do:
Do some recon on which services most restaurants in your area partner with
Look into the key times and days that delivery services are most busy in your area – this could influence when you post stickers in Stories!
How to Use the Instagram Gift Card Sticker
Setting up the Instagram gift card system takes a little legwork on the back end, but once you have it live, it’s easy to operate and add with Instagram stickers! Here’s how:
Open Your Stories and select your backdrop photo or video
Tap the Sticker button to add stickers and select “Gift Cards”
Select your gift card partner and enter your partner link
Publish your Story!
Tailwind Tip: Ask Your Followers to Share the Instagram Card Sticker
For more reach and sales of business gift cards, shares and shoutouts are crucial to spread the word! You may have to share your partner link with them so they can figure out how to send a gift card on Instagram to their Stories or ask them to direct those who are curious to your Instagram profile.
Some ideas to get engagement and more Instagram card shares:
Ask other business owners and influencers in your niche to cross-promote
Ask your followers to share gift cards and shout outs
Check with local Chambers of Commerce and visitors boards to find out if they’d be willing to share
Host a gift card giveaway or Instagram contestto get more eyes on your Instagram card opportunity!
Add Delivery, Gift Cards, and Fundraiser Buttons to Your Instagram Profile
You can also add food delivery & gift card Action buttons directly to your Instagram profile.
Like call, email and booking action buttons, you can add an Action button that appears right under your Instagram bio. By tapping it, your followers are taken to the linked website to buy a gift card, order food for delivery.. or they can donate to a fundraiser!
Have you used any of these stickers yet? Let us know how it’s gone in the comments below, or if you have any lingering questions!
With more than 1 billion active monthly users and counting, every blogger and business owner wants to drive traffic from Instagram to their website.
But despite regular posts and collecting likes and comments like crazy, the fact remains: getting people to click away from Instagram is hard.
Don’t lose hope just yet. Driving website traffic from Instagram is possible – it just takes a little strategy, some know-how, and the right tools to convert your Instagram followers into website traffic!
Thankfully, Tailwind for Instagram has all of the above – and we’re sharing them with you in this definitive guide.
After reading this article, you’ll know every option for driving traffic from Instagram, as well as having the blueprint you need to do it!
Ready to stop stressing and start building that web traffic in 2020? Let’s get started! ♀️
[sc name=”smartbio web traffic”]
Why Driving Traffic From Instagram is Such a Struggle
If you’re a blogger or a business owner with a website, you’ve probably noticed how challenging driving traffic really is. To understand why, you should first understand the mental heavy lifting a user has to do in order to make it to your website.
Here are the key traffic roadblocks that prevent a steady flow of traffic to your website from Instagram:
Traffic Roadblock #1: You can’t link directly from an Instagram post
As of now, Instagram posts don’t allow direct links from either the post or the caption. Even if you copy and paste a URL to your product or blog post in the caption, it won’t appear as a clickable hyperlink – making it virtually useless the user journey. ☹️
Traffic Roadblock #2: Every additional step your user must take to access your website is another chance to lose them
Unfortunately, you’re not only combatting against the inability to link directly from Instagram posts. You’re also racing the clock against user attention span!
When you do include a link in your caption or even the comments below it, users have to remember the link, open a browser tab and type it in themselves. For even the most loyal follower, all those extra steps are a stretch.
Basically, every additional step in between the post that first caught their attention and the end result is a chance for them to shrug, give up and keep scrolling.
Thankfully, you can include a clickable hyperlink to your website in three prominent spots, including your Instagram bio!
How to Link a Website On Instagram
Although you can’t include a clickable link in your Instagram posts, the platform provides you three spots where you can include them to help you drive traffic from Instagram. These are:
your Instagram bio
Instagram Stories (if you have over 10,000 followers),
and in your IGTV video descriptions!
Let’s take a look in detail.
How to Add a Link to Your Instagram Bio
Instagram includes one clickable hyperlink in plain sight for all your followers – just below your Instagram bio! Anytime someone visits your feed they will see that link right below your description, and consider clicking it!
Here’s how to add it:
Open the Instagram app and visit your profile
Select “Edit Profile”
Navigate to the third dialogue box titled “Website”
Copy and paste your link
To save your new link, tap “Done” in the top right corner.
Adding Your Website to Instagram Bio
Let’s take a minute to talk about the kind of link you should be putting in this dialogue box. Your first instinct might be to just copy and paste your website URL so that curious followers can be taken to your homepage when they click.
However, we don’t suggest just adding your website to your Instagram bio and calling it a day. Why?
If you simply add your regular website link to your Instagram bio, you’re not giving yourself a way to accurately track the traffic coming from Instagram
If you don’t provide specific links to the content you’re promoting, you’re adding some pesky steps to your followers’ journey. – They may get lost or give up before finding the specific post or product that caught their eye.
Tracking traffic is an important part of driving traffic from Instagram. Knowing what kind of content your followers clicked on, viewed and how many times will inform you what your followers are interested in. This helps you tailor your approach to CTAs, topics, and images to get the most traffic possible!
How to Track Traffic From Instagram to Your Website
Thankfully, adding your website to your bio with trackable analytics is incredibly simple – especially with tools like Bitly
Bit.ly not only cuts down your character count with a cute custom link, it has built-in measurement tools so you can see how many people clicked through your link total and by day!
Keep in mind – wherever you link your followers, it needs to be responsive. In particular, the landing page needs to be mobile-friendly because close to 100% of the traffic will be on a mobile device! Nobody enjoys landing on a slow outdated website on their phone.
The short answer is no, you can’t add multiple links to your Instagram bio, but you can add a link in bio tool to feature multiple links. Only the Website field will transform into a clickable link in your Instagram bio, and it won’t allow for multiple websites to be entered.
That’s why a link in bio tool like Smart.bio by Tailwind is so handy! A link in bio tool is any kind of Instagram landing page that allows you to feature multiple links for your followers when they click on the main link in your bio.
Shavonne Morrison uses Smart.bio to add multiple links for her Instagram followers!
How to Use Your FREE Link In Bio from Tailwind To Drive Traffic From Instagram
Smart.bio is our new, easy-to-use dynamic landing page for all your featured products and links – and it’s FREE!
When you set up your smart.bio, you can create a branded URL with your company name or website, so your followers are never confused about where they’re going.
Smart.bio also allows you to:
Choose between static links in your custom brand colors and post image links from your feed
Add a custom CTA under your image links to help you drive traffic from Instagram
Features evergreen links that help you convert prominently at the top of your landing page
Automatically updates your page with new post links as soon as they go live on Instagram (when you schedule posts with a [sc name=”free trial of Tailwind for Instagram”])!
Shows real-time analytics on clicks to your links, visitors to your page AND your average click-through-rate (CTR!)
Saves you money because it is FREE – now and forever!
Smart.bio is the most advanced link in bio tool on the market, and it is absolutely FREE! After all, we built this tool to help our members answer one of their biggest pain points- converting loyal followers into traffic for their blogs and websites.
That’s why you’re reading this guide and probably trying a million other tactics to increase those numbers, right? Save some time and money, and take Smart.bio for a spin!
One of our newest users Shailaja is head over heels with her new smart.bio tool.
After installing the tool, she saw her clickthrough rate JUMP!
As we know, Instagram Stories only last for 24 hours. Talk about real-time marketing! Plus, Instagram Stories features one of the most coveted linking opportunities to drive traffic from Instagram.
How to Build Creative Calls to Action on Instagram
So now we know where all the linking opportunities on Instagram are located. It’s time to figure out exactly how to direct traffic to them!
The main location you can use to your advantage is your Instagram feed posts. Since nobody can see your bio link from one of your individual posts, you need to invite followers to go to the profile link in the post’s description.
Short calls to action (CTA) like “To see more click our profile link,” or “For more insights, check out the link in our bio,” do the trick. The better you are able to tie in your CTA to the visuals and description in the post itself, the better you will be able to entice viewers to click through.
Examples of well constructed Instagram post description CTAs:
Next explore ways to use the real estate in the photo itself to tease the CTA, as in this clever example from online arts supply store Tombow.
If you’re promoting a product, it can be as easy as curating the perfect photo of… your product!
An easy, but somewhat less elegant option is to dedicate an entire photo to your campaign with a text overlay. You can do all this directly from your phone with apps. Mashable recommends six different apps for this exact purpose. You might even consider upgrading to a monthly service like Stencil.
We’ve observed anecdotally that promotional photos with a large text overlay tend to not get as much engagement as the more visually pleasing alternatives above.
While promotional posts can be effective, you’ll need to strike a balance between them and regular posts. Strive to follow the 80/20 rule. Overloading on promotional grams will drive hard-earned followers away.
For a consistent way to include your link (and brand), consider adding it as a watermark at the bottom of your grams, as in this example from The Social Media Hat, but be aware that it’s possible that may drive down engagement with individual posts.
Keep your CTAs Simple
When building a call to action it needs to be both easy to understand and easy to implement. Let’s all agree to refrain from a four-step call to action (comment on our post, @mention a friend, click the link in our bio, and fill out the form to enter our competition). That gets confusing. While we are at it, let’s solemnly swear to only use one call to action per post or video. Having too many choices is just as bad as too many steps.
Using Cliffhangers to Drive Traffic From Instagram
If you want to drive traffic to Instagram, why not try building a cliffhanger that leaves your audience wanting – and looking – for more?
Cliffhangers are a classic marketing tactic that’s also referred to as an open loop. Basically, you start a story, giving your followers just enough information to capture their interest… and then leave them hanging! ♀️
As humans, we’re hard-wired for stories and when you leave us hanging on a topic we’re curious about, we’ll naturally try to close that loop! In this case, the loop leads to your website. ↪
Here’s how you can use the open loop tactic on your Instagram:
Share a single photo with an intriguing description about the entire photo series
Entice your audience with part one of a video
Tease just enough of your blog content in a caption
Suggest shocking or awe-inspiring information (look below for an example!)
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3xn2kfhJht/
You can create an open loop out of any of your content on Instagram, as long as the only way for your audience to close it is by visiting your website.
Let’s take a look at an effective cliffhanger in action, courtesy of @theellenshow.
The goal of this post is to encourage curious viewers to watch more of the episode.
The cliffhanger concerns a segment of the show called “Two Lies and a Truth”, and teases a shocking revelation about the guests based on their answers.
I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to know more!
Vice is another account that frequently uses cliffhangers on their Instagram posts to drive curious followers to their website. Take a look:
https://www.instagram.com/p/B32P2w_ACEj/
First, they provide an engaging hook in the form of a question.
Next, they provide just enough context to clue the reader in to what the article is about.
They use strong word choice (depraved, anyone?) to pique curiosity about what exactly this writer had to do.
They end with a simple call to action – telling their followers where to go to close the loop and get the answers to their questions.
You aren’t working to send just anyone to your website. You want each unique visitor to be a potential customer, or represent your ideal follower. This means carefully selecting the hashtags that make your posts discoverable on Instagram.
You want to choose hashtags that aren’t just popular, but are popular with the kind of people who will not only love your gram, but also be motivated enough to take the steps to visit your blog or website.
Quick Hashtag Research
Hashtag research takes a lot of time and so many marketers don’t devote enough attention to it. That’s a real shame as it’s one of the most effective levers of organic growth on Instagram.
Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder in action
We’ve made hashtag research into a joy with Tailwind for Instagram’s Hashtag Finder and Hashtag Lists tools which suggests the best hashtags for your post based on the hashtags you’re already using. The intuitive color-coding makes choosing between different hashtags easier than ever before. Once you’ve created a list of hashtags you like you can save it as a hashtag list for future use.
How to Choose Hashtags
Choose the hashtags where your ideal customer hangs out. If you have a vintage-inspired store, then tags like #vintagelove, #vintagewedding or #oldhollywood may hit home with your crowd. Just because Target is using #ManCrushMonday doesn’t mean that it makes sense for your particular niche audience. That’s all part of a successful Instagram hashtag strategy.
Hashtags need to be relevant to your story and directed toward your audience.
Choose tags that aren’t too busy that you will get lost in the sea of other grams. A good range to shoot for is for hashtags with 200,000-800,000 posts. Once you stray too far about 1 million, your post quickly vanishes. Tailwind’s Hashtag Finder will steer you towards choosing “Best” and “Good” hashtags with our intuitive color-coding, whilst alerting you to “Niche” and “Competitive” tags.
Tailwind Tip: Make sure your call to action doesn’t get lost in the sea of hashtags. If you add in your hashtags in the comment section, you can remove the clutter from your post without sacrificing your targeting efforts. However, we’ve heard from more than one user that they believe they get more reach by putting their hashtags in their post descriptions.
Perhaps the ultimate traffic-generating technique is Instagram advertising. It represents the only gram with clickable links. More importantly, ads drive highly targeted and engaged users directly to your website.
It’s one of the best forms of traffic you can get! But it costs. We’ve noticed it seems to be especially effective for advertising app installs.
Not sold yet? With Instagram advertising, you can control the user experience, use a tailored landing page and dramatically increase your reach. Add in the fact that you can measure your results, and this could be a game-changer. It works best for businesses with a mobile funnel in place.
Use Shoppable Posts and Stickers on Instagram
Shopping on Instagram is here, and it’s easier than ever to set up shoppable posts on Instagram so your customers can complete their buying journey without ever leaving the app.
You do need to meet some eligibility requirements:
1. You must be in one of the United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or Australia
2. You need an Instagram business account
3. You must be on the latest version of the Instagram app
5. Your business profile must be connected to a Facebook catalog. This can be created and managed on Business Manager, directly on your business’s Page on Facebook, or through Shopify or BigCommerce.
Setting up a Facebook store allows you to sell directly from your business’s Facebook page. If you don’t have a website but still have products you’d like to sell, this may be a viable option for you.
Once you set up your Facebook Store, you’ll click “Get Started” next to Instagram. This pushes your account to Instagram for review, which may take a few days.
You can also add a link to your Facebook shop in your Smart.bio, to add another way for users to access your available products!
How to Track Your Results
You know that we are analytics junkies at Tailwind. Anything we can measure, we do. That includes your Instagram traffic.
If you decide to invest the energy into increasing your website traffic with Instagram, you need to measure what works best for your audience. Ultimately, every audience base is different. Perhaps yours will love it when you share a certain type of product or post and quickly follow your call to actions there. Other groups will flock to your bio link. The only way to know is to track it.
Here’s a snapshot of the growth we’re seeing on our Instagram profile via the Tailwind dashboard. I annotated the screenshot with some changes we’ve made over the past two and a half months that have really ramped up our follower growth.
As you can see from our numbers, getting intentional about posting regularly can really help increase your follower count, and the more followers you have, the more audience you can potentially send towards links to your website. For us, setting a regular Instagram positing schedule in Tailwind and sticking to it has really helped us up our game.
Leverage Instagram as Part of a Whole Social Media Strategy
Viola! The complete guide to driving website traffic with Instagram. Once you’ve deployed a few of these tactics you should start to see an uptick in website traffic from Instagram.
Just remember that Instagram fits into an overall marketing strategy. Each social media platform should play a different role in your marketing. Instagram falls into the brand building and engagement category. Yes, you can drive some traffic to your website, and you should. That being said, it shouldn’t be your only goal. If you focus too heavily on promotion or driving traffic, you run the risk of losing hard-earned followers. Never encourage users to go to your site and you lose out on high-quality website traffic.
It’s all about balance.
The good news is that Tailwind has launched an entire suite to help you maximize your Instagram account growth, including Instagram Scheduling and Analytics.
There’s no doubt about it – Instagram is the place to be if you want to drive ecommerce and capture sales. There are over 1 billion active accounts on the platform, and 800 MILLION of these accounts follow at least one business on Instagram. That’s a HUGE potential audience, making ecommerce sales on Instagram a powerful tool for retail businesses.
In fact, Instagram drives one of the highest average order values among social media networks, according to a study from ecommerce platform Nosto.
Nearly seventy percent of US marketers use Instagram for marketing purposes – and many use it to promote an ecommerce store. To make Instagram ecommerce even easier, the platform has regularly added features like shoppable posts and is testing out Instagram checkout.
To help you maximize your existing Instagram sales strategy, or even provide a jumping-off point if you’re looking to break into ecommerce on Instagram, here are four proven, powerful strategies to know.
[sc name=”CTA – Text – Grow Instagram Followers Checklist”]
1. Make Your Instagram Posts Shoppable
Prior to launching Shoppable posts, Instagram retailers had to rely on a strong CTA in their caption to drive shoppers to the link in their bio and eventually, their website.
An example is this post from Madewell…
https://www.instagram.com/p/BwPKmuLl9fl/
As you can see, they included the call to action ‘shop the new collection-link in bio’. This means that people need to go to the profile and search for the post in question (which, by the time they see it could be pretty far down in the list), click on the URL in the bio to view the product. The extra steps can discourage some people from following through on a purchase . ☹️
If you’re simply changing your profile URL to promote another product, it then makes it difficult for people who are just now seeing your old post to find that product on your site. Frustrating!
Now with shoppable posts, you can tag products right in your Instagram post. People can click on the tagged product, learn more about it, and go to the direct page on your website.
When you see their posts in the feed, a bag sign will appear in the bottom left corner of the post indicating that products have been tagged in the post.
Their followers just tap on the photo once to see all the tagged products.
They can click on the tags to learn more about the products. And they can click on the ‘View on Website’ button to go to the product’s landing page.
How do I Set Up Shoppable Posts on Instagram?
Magnolia Boutique were able to set up shoppable posts as their site runs on BigCommerce. You can also take advantage of this feature by setting up your ecommerce store with BigCommerce and or Shopify. Once you get it set up, tagging products is simple. You can tag products in both photos and videos… and even in your Instagram Stories!
The best way ecommerce stores can make use of shoppable Stories is by promoting offers. As Stories last for 24 hours only, they can work very well for limited time offers.
So, take a top quality photo or video of your product in action, upload it as a Story to Instagram and then tag products in the photo by using the product sticker. For this sticker/shoppable Story option to be available, you should have already set up your store and online catalogue using a platform such as BigCommerce.
You can also add a countdown sticker along with the product sticker to make your Story more engaging. People can subscribe to the countdown timer and it will notify them when the time is up. So, you could set the timer to end 1 hour before the offer ends. That’s scarcity in action!
3. Nurture Followers with Blog and Email Content
Only a small percentage of your Instagram followers will purchase from you as soon as they discover your account. Most will want to buy from you later. This could either be because they don’t need the product immediately or because they don’t trust you or your brand enough to close the deal just yet.
Creating long-term loyalty will make capturing sales much easier. One way you can do this is by nurturing an ongoing relationship with your followers through email and blog readership.
You can convert some of the traffic you receive into email subscribers and nurture them even more. And eventually convert them into customers. When you nurture people through blog content, email, and Instagram together, you will gain their trust more quickly than if you utilize only one. A company that does this well is Cape Clasp.
https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw7XSB4AQXd/
Cape Clasp is an online store that sells jewelery like bracelets and necklaces with sea creature pendants. They also donate a percentage of their profits for marine conservation. Hence, they publish posts related to sea creatures and the dangers they face on their blog. And then publish photos like the above one and ask people to visit their blog to read the post.
On their blog they have optin forms like this one, which helps convert site traffic into email subscribers.
You should optimize your blogs for email conversion, then publish posts like these on your blog and promote them on Instagram. Make sure you use a top-quality photo in your Instagram post to generate maximum attention. You can easily purchase one for from a site like Depositphotos.
When you publish the post on Instagram, don’t forget to update link in your bio and add a call to action that asks people to click on it to read the post.
4. Invest in Influencer Marketing Instead of Ads
When businesses want quick results from social media, they usually turn to ads. But a more affordable (and effective!) option could be influencer marketing. Working with an influencer generates $6.50 for every $1 spent, where as ads only generate $2.65 for every $1.
The best part is, you don’t have to spend a lot of money or work with the biggest influencers to see results. Micro influencers, or influencers with 2,000 to 50,000 followers, can generate 30% better ROI than macro influencers (social media personalities with 50,000 to 300,000 followers.
Youfoodz has built a ton of success using micro-influencer marketing. They teamed with several Instagram micro influencers to publish 167 pieces of content on Instagram. Here’s one from thedailymark!
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV0TGD3FZeH/
This resulted in 69,938 direct engagements, 507,909 impressions and a social reach of 1,457,142.
To find affordable Instagram influencers to work with, you can use Shoutcart. You simply sign up for an account and select options like category, post type, and demographics and it will display thousands of relevant influencers.
Metrics such as the success rate and engagement score of the influencer are displayed right on their profiles to make it easy for you to find legit influencers.
Now Use These Strategies to Get More Ecommerce Sales on Instagram
That’s it! If you’re feeling a little unsure as to where to begin, here’s a roadmap for implementing these four strategies in your own ecommerce strategy on Instagram:
Set up your Shoppable posts
Set up your Shoppable Stories
Optimize your blog and email content to build customer relationships,
And begin connecting with influencers for a solid marketing strategy!
Presto! By implementing these tricks, you’ll be well on your way to boosting your ecommerce sales on Instagram.
Do you use Instagram to promote your ecommerce store? Which strategies have worked best for you? Please leave your comments below.
If you want to get more sales from social media, Instagram is the best social network you can use. With the average order value from Instagram sitting at $65, this visual social media channel is THE place to be.
Not only does it rank second highest for average order value among the top social networks (beating out sites like Pinterest, Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, and more), but the conversion rate of an Instagram visit is a mind-blowing 1.08%!
Bottom line: if you want to make the most of Instagram sales potential, you need to include video that gets a whopping 21.2% more interactions than images.
Sure, creating videos might require more time than images, but the trade off is well worth it.
Only 16.7% of all posts are video on Instagram. That’s a huge opportunity to stand out from the competition and win more engagement.
Whether you run an ecommerce store, a blog, or a brick and mortar business, you CAN absolutely create a variety of videos to sell on Instagram.
Below, I share the best ways to use video on Instagram to sell more of your products or service.
Let’s dive in!
1. Create Engaging Video Content (Without Being Salesy)
You might wonder why I’m asking you to create videos that don’t sell when I just wrote in detail about creating videos that sell? It’s simple.
If you want to get more sales out of Instagram, you need to educate and entertain people with fun, free content before you sell.
It’s akin to marketing with any other medium. You always spend an ample of amount of time educating and nurturing your subscribers with free content through lead magnets and email newsletter sequences to gain their trust.
You only start promoting your products when trust is at an all time high down the road.
You do the same thing when you market with Instagram. You create and share highly engaging content first and build up trust. As they begin to trust you more, you can create Instagram posts that promote products.
The best part about following this strategy is that it favors the Instagram algorithm.
When you share more quality content, more of your followers will engage with it.
This will ensure more people see your content in the future since Instagram likes to show your content to people who have interacted with it in the past.
So, when you boost engagement with content and later share posts that promote products, more people will see them. This in turn will get you more sales.
As I mentioned, video drives the highest engagement on Instagram. Therefore, if you create and share helpful video content, you can boost your engagement to much higher levels.
Don’t worry if you have no idea how to create videos as you can use a tool like Crello. It comes with templates and an easy to use video editor that simplify the process of creating Instagram videos.
All you need to do is visit the Dashboard and choose whether you want to create an ‘Animated Post’ for your Instagram feed or an ‘Instagram Video Story’.
After that you can choose a design and edit it or add new elements like extra animations, overlay text and more.
For ideas on how to create engaging videos you should checkout Joe Wick’s, The Body Coach, Instagram page. He shares a lot of helpful video content in the form of recipe videos and exercising techniques.
An example is the above video where he’s showing you how to make banana and blueberry oat breakfast muffins. Your video content should be helpful like this.
Videos like these won’t get you sales directly, but they’ll work indirectly by driving up engagement and build up trust.
So, when you share more promotional videos later they’ll reach more of your followers who will want to work with you or buy your products.
2. Create Video Content That Entertains, Educates, and Sells
Believe it or not, you can create video content that educates and sells at the same time. This is where you use your products in your video, but instead of just focusing on selling them, you use them to demonstrate something useful.
For example, if you sell edible groceries, you show people how to use them while cooking or if you sell clothing, you show people how to dress better.
For a clear idea, check out this video from Birchbox where they show you how to style your hair.
And while they do that, they show a couple of the products they are using while styling it.
They sell these products on their website. So, it is a great way for them to not only educate their followers, but also sell at the same time.
You should also be creating videos like these that both educate and sell. This is because videos that are very promotional will not drive the same engagement levels as educational or entertaining content.
When you mix the two, you’ll ensure that more people engage with your videos and learn about your products.
It will also help you maintain your high edgerank and reach more people with future posts.
3. Create Video Content That Only Focuses on Selling
Along with creating videos that are both educational and promotional, you should also create promotional videos that only focus on selling.
These videos might not drive as much engagement as the above videos, but they can have a stronger impact on sales.
Experiment by creating videos of both types on a regular basis and track sales of your products to see which one has a better impact. This way you can create more of the videos that bring you the best results.
For an example of promotional video ideas for your business, check out Chobani’s Instagram page. They regularly create videos like the one below thats sole focus is on selling.
As you can see, it’s a very good video. But there is nothing educational there. All it does is promote a product called Chobani Savor in a very attractive manner.
4. Create Content By Teaming Up With Influencers
Once you generate some revenue by creating video content for your own account, you should team up with influencers to create sponsored videos about your products.
The type of video you create for this (just promotional or mix) should depend on what works for you and what works for the influencer and the companies they have worked with in the past.
To find these influencers you can use a tool like Ninja Outreach.
Go to their ‘Instagram Influencers’ tab under ‘Search’. Then type in your niche name and search.
Ninja Outreach will then show the top influencers in that niche and their engagement rates.
For an example of how to use video to sell by teaming up with influencers, check out Lucy Bee.
They regularly team up with the influencer I mentioned above, The Body Coach. He uses their coconut oil in his cooking recipes.
Like in this one on how to make Carrot Cake Energy Balls.
They make sure that the product is clearly displayed in the video and their Instagram handle is tagged in the description. This makes it easy for people to find the products.
If possible, you should also get the influencer to temporarily change the URL in their Instagram bio to the landing page of your product. This can get you even more sales.
Ready to Get Started?
This is the process to use when you want to sell with video on Instagram. But don’t just follow one or two of the tips above. You should follow all of them.
Start off by creating engaging and educational video content.
Once the free video content builds up trust and increases your Instagram engagement, move onto sharing videos that both educate and sell.
Finally, after you generate some revenue from these free methods, you can move onto paid methods like Instagram Ads.
Do you use videos to sell on Instagram? Which techniques have worked best for you? Please leave your comments below.
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