You must have heard of celebrities winning massive endorsement deals for including certain product placements or mentions in their Instagram posts. It sure sounds like an excellent way to earn millions for wearing trendy clothes and trying out the latest tech devices. But you don’t have to be a celebrity to make money with Instagram.
Even a small e-commerce fashion business can make the most out of their business plan. Instagram is growing at a phenomenal rate and has over 700 million monthly users – a number that is even more than that of Twitter!
It’s an excellent way to show your brand and products to more people and engage with customers who can relate to your product while getting paid at the same time! Yes, Instagram can help you achieve all this and more.
In September 2017, Instagram announced that their business community reached a staggering figure of two million advertisers as compared to one million advertisers back in March.
This statistic shows how businesses, irrespective of their size and location, are driving proven results with the help of Instagram. Another report highlighted the fact that 75 percent of Instagram users take action, like visiting a website or making a purchase, after seeing an Instagram post they like.
So, if you haven’t started optimizing your Instagram account for sales yet, then you may be missing out on a huge chunk of customers. This blog is a starter guide for fashion entrepreneurs who want to increase customer engagement and ultimately drive more sales.
We’ll share our best-kept secrets and study some fashion brand case studies that will help you create highly engaging posts and evaluate your progress too. So let’s get started.
#1- Optimize your Instagram profile
Most entrepreneurs know how to create an Instagram profile. All you need to do is fill out your contact information, enter a description (make sure it has lots of relevant keywords), add a display picture, and you’re good to go.
But creating a business profile is not enough to attract customers. Instagram has rolled out several changes, and you can’t reach your ideal customer profile until you take the following steps:
Use clickable hashtags
Did you know that you can add clickable hashtags in your profile description too? Focus on relevant hashtags according to your business. Use a service like #TagsForLikes that generates a list of the most popular hashtags related to your business.
Remember, if you don’t use hashtags wisely, you’re most probably missing out on a lot of potential customers and other people who may be interested in your business niche.
Clickable profile links
Add a clickable link to other profiles in your bio. It’s a great way to promote your sister company (if you have one) or for times when you’re holding a contest with another company.
Story highlights
This is a relatively new feature and lets you add ‘expired’ stories to various featured categories, all of which are listed above your feed on the top of your profile. It’s a great way to showcase posts that highlight your brand’s story.
Here’s an example from Fashion Nova. It’s a perfectly well-optimized profile and shows the combination of all the three tips we mentioned above.
#2- Create compelling Instagram posts
You must have heard the phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words. According to research, our brains store 90% of the information through visuals. Learning to harness the power of visuals is the secret behind a successful Instagram profile.
Read Also: How To Pick A Great Brand Name
According to a report, 38% of online customers say a brand’s social media images influence them. So, be creative with your product photos and create compelling Instagram posts. Here are some tips that will help you understand Instagram’s social culture and attract more followers:
Take professional photographs
Photos are the only way through which you can convince online shoppers to choose your products. What’s more, Instagram is a platform that takes the power of visuals to the next level. According to a survey, 67% of consumers consider product images before hitting the ‘buy now’ button.
So, don’t keep a skimpy budget for product pictures. Instead of simple product shots and a run-of-the-mill description, try to add elements of fun.
Share photos that are creative, unique and full of personality. DSW is a great example of how color coordination can be used to spice up product photographs.
Another study from Curalate shares are some bonus tips about taking pictures that perform best on Instagram:
- Lighter images grab more attention as compared to darker ones
- Keep ample background or white space around the product
- Images with blue as a dominant color perform better than those that are dominated by red. Images in a single dominant color do better than those with multiple colors.
- Images with contrasting textures tend to generate more likes
#3- Use Instagram stories
As we discussed earlier, using Instagram Stories strategically can drive a lot of business your way. Share user-generated content which is a sure-fire way to attract new followers.
Everyone loves to see that a brand that cares enough about them and publishes their content on their official Instagram profile. It also saves the hassle of creating new content every time and acts as proof that your fashion brand is well loved.
Instagram stories are also a great way to share some exciting behind-the-scenes snippets. Whether it is an upcoming fashion shoot or a campaign for showcasing your latest collection of leather jackets online – you can create the hype for your audience and show them what they’re missing out on.
What’s more, Instagram Stories also allows you to broadcast live from your phone. Hold a real-time Q&A session with your followers, talk about the latest fashion trends or interview a celebrity guest.
Read this blog about how to use Instagram stories for marketing to understand what Instagram Stories help you achieve.
Conclusion:
There are tons of other ways in which you can use Instagram to drive sales towards your fashion brand. Hold a contest, post regularly and last but not the least – don’t forget to use Instagram Analytics to track your progress.
Instagram is a comprehensive platform that every e-commerce business should try their hands on. We hope these tips help you out in posting different types of content and engaging successfully with your audience.
Do you have any other ideas for boosting sales and making more money by using Instagram? If yes, share some ideas with us in the comments below:
