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How do you sell products on instagram


How to Set Up Instagram Shopping to Sell More Products

Forget the mall: these days, Instagram is the place to shop til you drop.

Sure, there’s no Orange Julius for a mid-spree snack sesh, but Instagram Shopping brings the retail experience to social media to reach an audience of more than 1 billion monthly users.

Rather than directing customers from your Instagram account to your website, Instagram Shopping allows them to select and purchase products easily from the app.

More than 130 million users tap on an Instagram Shopping post each month — foot traffic a brick-and-mortar shop owner could only dream of. So if you have products to sell, it’s time to set up your virtual storefront. Let’s get started.

First, watch this video to find out how to set up your Instagram Shop:

What is Instagram shopping?

How to get approved for Instagram shopping

How to set up Instagram shopping

How to create Instagram shopping posts

How to create Instagram Shopping Stories

How to create Instagram Shopping ads

How to create an Instagram live shopping stream

How to create Instagram Shopping Guides

12 tips for selling more products with Instagram shopping

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

What is Instagram shopping?

Instagram Shopping is a feature that allows eCommerce brands to create a digital, shareable catalog of their products right on Instagram.

Users can learn more about products right in the app, and either purchase directly on Instagram (with Checkout) or click through to finish the transaction on the brand’s eCommerce site.

Sharing products or promoting sales on Instagram is nothing new. According to Instagram, 87% of users say influencers have inspired them to make a purchase, and 70% of avid shoppers turn to the platform to discover new products.

In the past, the only option for e-tail brands to directly drive sales traffic from a ‘gram was either through their bio link, or via clickable Instagram Stories.

With these new Instagram Shopping features, the whole process is streamlined. See it, like it, buy it, in a few clicks: the full Ariana Grande cycle.

Here are a few key details and terms that every Instagram retailer should know before they get started:

An Instagram Shop is a brand’s customizable digital storefront, which allows customers to shop right from your Instagram profile. Think of it as a landing page where users can discover or browse all your products.


Source: Instagram

Product Detail Pages display all of the key product information, from the item description to the price to photography. The product detail page will also pull in any product-tagged images on Instagram.


Source: Instagram

Collections are a way that Shops can present products in a curated group — basically, it’s like merchandising your digital front window. Think: “Cute Spring Outfits,” “Handmade Pottery,” or “Nike x Elmo Collab.”

Source: Instagram

Use a Shopping Tag to tag products from your catalog in your Stories, Reels, or Instagram posts, so your audience can click through to learn more or buy. U.S. businesses who use Instagram’s limited Checkout feature can also tag products in post captions and bios. (You can also use Shopping Tags in ads! Yowza!)


Source: Instagram

With Checkout (currently only available in select regions), customers can purchase products directly in Instagram, without leaving the app. (For brands without Checkout functionality, customers will be directed to a checkout page on the brand’s own ecommerce site.)


Source: Instagram

The new Shop discovery tab on the Instagram app provides a discovery tool for non-followers, too. Scroll through goods from brands big and small, all around the world: it’s window-shopping 2.0.


Source: Instagram

How to get approved for Instagram shopping

Before you can set up Instagram Shopping, you need to ensure your business checks a few boxes for eligibility.

  • Your business is located in a supported market where Instagram Shopping is available. Check the list to confirm.
  • You sell a physical, eligible product.
  • Your business complies with Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies.
  • Your business owns your eCommerce website.
  • You have a business profile on Instagram. If your account is set up as a personal profile, don’t worry — it’s easy to change your settings to business.

How to set up Instagram shopping

Step 1: Convert to a Business or Creator Account

If you don’t already have a Business (or Creator) account on Instagram, it’s time to take the plunge.

Besides qualifying you for Instagram Shopping features, Business accounts also have access to all sorts of exciting analytics… and can use Hootsuite’s scheduling dashboard for posts, too.

Plus, it’s free. Get on it! Here’s our step-by-step guide to switching your personal account over (and 10 reasons why you should!).

Step 2: Use Commerce Manager to set up a shop

1. Use Commerce Manager or a supported platform to set up a shop.

2. To choose a checkout method, select where you want customers to complete their purchases.

Hot tip: Checkout on Instagram is recommended for businesses based in the US because it enables people to buy your products directly on Instagram. Get more information on setting up your Checkout functionality here!

3. To choose sales channels, select the Instagram business account you want to be associated with your shop.

4. If you have a Facebook Page, check the box next to your account to have a shop on both Facebook and Instagram.

Step 3: Connect To a Facebook Page

If you have a Facebook Page, you’ll want to connect it to your Instagram Shop to make things flow smoothly. You’re no longer required to have a Facebook Page to set up an Instagram Shop, but if you want to, here’s how to set one up in seven easy steps. I’ll wait.

Now, time to link the two!

1. On Instagram, go to Edit Profile.

2. Under Public Business Information, select Page.

3. Choose your Facebook Business Page to connect.

4. Ta-da!

Step 4: Upload your product catalog

Okay, this is the part where you actually upload all of your products. You’ve got a couple of different options here. You can either input every product manually into Commerce Manager, or integrate a pre-existing product database from a certified eCommerce platform (like Shopify or BigCommerce.)

Hot tip: Hootsuite has a Shopify integration now, so it’s super simple to manage your catalog right from your dashboard!

Let’s walk through each catalog creation option step-by-step.

Option A: Commerce Manager

1. Log into Commerce Manager.

2. Click on Catalog.

3. Click on Add Products.

4. Select Add Manually.

5. Add a product image, name, and description.

6. If you have an SKU or unique identifier for your product, add it within the Content ID section.

7. Add a link to the website where people can buy your product.

8. Add the price of your product that is shown on your website.

9. Select the availability of your product.

10. Add categorization details about the product, like its condition, brand, and tax category.

11. Add shipping options and return policy information.

12. Add options for any variants, like colors or sizes.

13. Once you’re done, click Add Product.

Option B: Integrate an Ecommerce Database

1. Go to Commerce Manager.

2. Open the Catalog tab and go to Data Sources.

3. Select Add Items, then Use a Partner Platform, then hit next.

4. Select your platform of choice: Shopify, BigCommerce, ChannelAdvisor, CommerceHub, Feedonomics, CedCommerce, adMixt, DataCaciques, Quipt or Zentail.

5. Follow the link to the partner platform website and follow the steps there to connect your account with Facebook.

Hot tip: Remember to keep catalog maintenance top of mind. Once your catalog is set up, it’s important to maintain it. Always keep product photos updated and hide unavailable items.

Step 5: Submit your account for review

At this point, you’ll need to submit your account for review. These reviews usually take a couple of days, but sometimes it might run longer.

1. Go to your Instagram profile settings.

2. Tap Sign Up for Instagram Shopping.

3. Follow the steps to submit your account for review.

4. Check the status of your application by visiting Shopping in your Settings.

Step 6: Turn on Instagram Shopping

Once you’ve passed the account review process, it’s time to connect your product catalog with your Instagram Shop.

1. Go to your Instagram profile settings.

2. Tap Business, then Shopping.

3. Select the product catalog you’d like to connect with.

4. Tap Done.

How to create Instagram shopping posts

Your digital shop is shined up and gleaming. Your product inventory is bursting at the seams. You’re ready to start making that money — all you need is a customer or two.

Watch this video to find out how to tag your products in your Instagram posts, Reels, and Stories directly on Instagram:

 

You can also create and schedule or auto-publish shoppable Instagram photos, videos, and carousel posts alongside all your other social media content using Hootsuite.

To tag a product in an Instagram post in Hootsuite, follow these steps:

1. Open your Hootsuite dashboard and go to Composer.

2. Under Publish to, select an Instagram Business profile. 

3. Upload your media (up to 10 images or videos) and type out your caption. 

4. In the preview on the right, select Tag products. The tagging process is slightly different for videos and images:

  • Images: Select a spot in the image, and then search for and select an item in your product catalog. Repeat for up to 5 tags in the same image. Select Done when you’re finished tagging.
  • Videos: A catalog search appears right away. Search for and select all the products you want to tag in the video.

5. Select Post now or Schedule for later. If you decide to schedule your post, you will see suggestions for the best times to publish your content for maximum engagement.

And that’s it! Your shoppable post will show up in the Hootsuite Planner, alongside all of your other scheduled content.

You can also boost your existing shoppable posts directly from Hootsuite to help more people discover your products.

Note: You’ll need an Instagram Business account and an Instagram shop to take advantage of product tagging in Hootsuite.

Shoppable Instagram posts will feature a shopping bag icon in the bottom left corner. All the products your account has tagged will appear on your profile under the Shopping tab.

How to create Instagram Shopping Stories

Use the Stickers function to tag a product in your Instagram Story.

Upload or create your content for your story as usual, then hit the sticker icon in the top-right corner. Find the Product sticker, and from there, choose the applicable product from your catalog.

(Hot tip: You can customize your product sticker to match the colors of your Story.)

How to create Instagram Shopping ads

Either boost a Shoppable post that you’ve already created, or build an ad from scratch in Ads Manager using the Instagram Product tags. Easy!

Ads with product tags can either drive to your eCommerce site or open up Instagram Checkout if you have that functionality.

Check out our guide to Instagram advertising here for more information on Ads Manager.


Source: Instagram

How to create an Instagram live shopping stream

In many parts of the world, live stream shopping is a regular part of eCommerce culture. With the introduction of Instagram Live Shopping, businesses in the US can now use Checkout on Instagram during Live broadcasts.

Basically, Instagram Live Shopping allows creators and brands to connect with shoppers live, host product demos and encourage purchases in real-time.

It’s a powerful tool, so it deserves its own in-depth blog post. Luckily, we wrote one. Get the 4-1-1- on Live Shopping on Instagram here.


Source: Instagram

How to create Instagram Shopping Guides

One of the latest features on the app, Instagram Guides are like mini blogs that live right on the platform.

For users with an Instagram Shop, this can be a great way to promote products with a bit of an editorial angle: think gift guides or trend reports.

1. From your profile, click the plus symbol in the upper right corner.

2. Select Guide.

3. Tap Products.

4. Search by account for the product listing you’d like to include. If you’ve saved the product to your wishlist, you can find it there also.

5. Select the product you’d like to add and tap Next. You can choose to include multiple posts for a single entry if available. They will be displayed like a carousel.

6. Add your guide title and description. If you would like to use a different cover photo, tap Change Cover Photo.

7. Double check the pre-populated place name, and edit as needed. If you wish, add a description.

8. Tap Add Products and repeat steps 4–8 until your guide is complete.

9. Tap Next in the upper right corner.

10. Tap Share.

12 tips for selling more products with Instagram shopping

Now that your virtual shelves are stocked, it’s time to catch a potential buyer’s eye.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

Get the free guide right now!

Here are some best practices for encouraging users to shop ‘til they drop. (Or should that be “‘Gram til they… blam?” Hmmm, still workshopping that one.)

1. Use striking visuals

Instagram is a visual medium, so your products better be looking good out there in the grid! Prioritize high-quality photos and videos to keep your wares looking professional and appealing.

Just take a look at the playful way fashion brand Lisa Says Gah displays its tote bags: dangling from an arm that’s holding a bottle of wine.

Make sure you’re up-to-date with the most recent image and video specs (Instagram sometimes changes things up), and that photos and videos are high-resolution whenever possible.

If you can, give your product shots an exciting, editorial vibe, showcasing your goods in action or in a real-world setting. Sharing beautiful details shots can be an eye-catching option too. For more Instagram post inspiration, watch this episode of Fridge-worthy, where our two social media experts break down why, exactly, this one furniture store is SO GOOD at selling us rugs:

Pro Tip: Get experimental with these photo editing tools to really stand out from the crowd.

2. Add hashtags

Using relevant Instagram hashtags is a smart strategy for all posts, including shopping content.

They’ll increase the likelihood that you’ll be discovered by someone new, opening up a whole new opportunity for potential engagement.

Searching the #shoplocal tag, for instance, brings up a plethora of small businesses — like epoxy artist Dar Rossetti — that I can buy from right on the spot.

Using the right hashtags can also help you land on the Explore page, which has a special “Shop” tab and is visited by more than 50% of Instagram users each month (that’s more than half a billion people).

3. Share a sale or promotional code

Everyone loves a good deal, and running a promotional campaign is a surefire way to drive sales.

Leisurewear brand Paper Label is promoting a sale on its essentials in the caption. Interested users can just click through to take advantage of the deal, and be decked out in spandex in no time.

When you promote the code directly in your shoppable Instagram posts, it’s even easier for customers to act.

4. Show your product in action

The most popular type of video content on Instagram is the tutorial or how-to video. And this format is ideal for shopping posts because it offers viewers product education and proof-of-concept.

Here, Woodlot shows one of its essential oil-based soaps in action, lathered right up to transport you right to bathtime.

5. Be authentic

The principles of social media engagement all apply to product posts, too… and that includes the golden rule of authenticity.

There’s no need to stick to product copy. Your personality and voice should shine through here! Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with your audience with a thoughtful caption that offers surprising insight or an emotional connection. What inspired the piece? How was it made? Storytelling is a sales tool as old as time.

Postpartum care company One Tough Mother backs up all of its product posts with empathetic, often funny insights about new motherhood.

6. Play with color

Color is always eye-catching, so don’t be afraid to embrace a vibrant hue as a background for your product shot.

Artist Jackie Lee shares her graphic prints on a neon-colored background for maximum impact.

If you’re noticing a particular color palette trending among influencers, swerve to something that contrasts to stop scrollers in their tracks.

7. Establish a signature style

Having a consistent aesthetic on Instagram will help you improve your brand recognition and establish your identity.

It also helps customers scrolling through their feed or browsing the Explore tab to recognize your posts at a glance.

Did you know? There are a striking 37% more sales on average made by businesses who tag products in their feed posts.

Sebastian Sochan makes hand-tufted rugs in London, and shoots all of his pieces in displayed in unique ways throughout his studio. The color palette and lighting remain the same in every scene.

Your signature style on Instagram should be consistent with your brand visuals elsewhere. Your website, ads, and product packaging should all fit together, with complementary images.

8. Be inclusive

If you want your brand to reach a wide audience, you need to ensure your images are meaningfully representative.

With over a billion users, it’s safe to say that Instagram users are a diverse group.

But too often, the people in Instagram promotions and images look the same: white, able-bodied, slim. Embrace all your potential customers with models who showcase all the different body types that are out there.

Period-product brand Aisle uses models of all genders, sizes, and races in the promotion of its products.

Another inclusivity tip: Caption your images descriptively so that visually impaired users can still learn all about your amazing product.

9. Share user-generated content

User-generated content (UGM) refers to any posts or Stories from Instagram users that feature your products.

Not only do these posts provide new, real images of your photos in action, but they also boost your credibility. That’s because posts from real users are considered more authentic, and that authenticity translates to higher trust. They’re like visual testimonials.

Mother Funk boutique in Toronto regularly re-posts photos of locals wearing their clothing.

10. Create a captivating carousel

Show off your range with a carousel that showcases a variety of products. It’s a quick way for users to get a broader look at your latest collection, without having to tap allll the wayyyy to your Instagram Shop.

11. Collaborate with tastemakers

Team up with a tastemaker to help spread your product posts further. Invite an influencer or person you admire to curate a special Collection of their favorite goods from your catalog.

One example: Linens brand Droplet teamed up with Canadian influencer Jillian Harris to create a special line of products. The cross-promotion helped expose its products to a whole new set of eyes.

You’ll tag them in all of your posts; they’ll share with their own audience (and get a warm fuzzy feeling that you admire their sense of style). Win-win!

12. Craft compelling CTAs

Nothing pairs better with a beautiful photo than a compelling call to action. A call to action is an instructive phrase that pushes the reader to take action — whether that’s “Buy now!” or “Share with a friend!” or “Get it before it’s gone!”

Eyewear brand Warby Parker, for example, gives followers the exact instruction they need to shop right away: “Tap the [shopping bag icon] to get yours!”

Brush up on your CTAs over here on the blog, and wield your new power responsibly.

Shopping on Instagram is only going to grow in popularity, and it’s just a matter of time until features like Instagram Checkout is global. So there’s no time like the present to dive in and find out how much it can benefit your business, as part of your overall social media strategy. Let the digital shopping sprees begin!

Save time managing your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can integrate your social networks with your Shopify store, add products to any social media post, respond to comments with product suggestions. Try it free today.

Try Hootsuite for free

With files from Michelle Cyca.

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How to Sell Your Products on Instagram

(Update on November 14, 2021 at 9:00AM PT: This blog post was published in 2019. For up-to-date information, please visit our Instagram Shopping page.)

With Instagram Shopping, people can buy your products directly from your photos and videos. Learn more about how you can inspire people to purchase your offerings.

Feature your products on Instagram with these 9 tips

In a survey commissioned by Facebook, Inc. , 81% of respondents said Instagram helps them research products and services1. Here are 9 tips on how you can feature your product consistently in your posts so people can learn about your products on Instagram.

Build a habit of posting about your products.

Create posts about your products at a regular cadence, like a certain day of the week, so your community members build a habit of looking at your products regularly.

Reveal the process behind creating your products.

Take your community behind-the-scenes using stories to see the hard work that goes into making your products.

Show all variations of your products.

Display all your product options, so your customers can have a selection of different colors, sizes, and types of material to choose from.

Create Story Highlights for different products.

Stories may disappear after 24 hours, but you can highlight specific stories that showcase certain products on your profile. Learn how to add Story Highlights to your profile here.

Use a backdrop.

Think about what colors and textures will help your products pop, like a white or patterned wall. You can just use a piece of fabric as your backdrop.

Feature multiple products with a flat lay.

A flat lay is a picture taken from above of items laid out on a flat surface. For instance, look at this flat lay @tattly created of their tin boxes.

Share photos and videos your customers have posted with your products.

When customers tag your product in photos and videos, ask their permission to share it on your Business Account.

Create tutorials on the different ways people can use your product.

Use stories to create a step-by-step guide or share longer videos on IGTV. (Update on October 5, 2021 at 10:00AM PT: IGTV and feed videos have been combined into one format, Instagram Video.)

Encourage interaction to build confidence.

Use the question sticker in your stories to open it up to questions on your products. This way, people can learn more about your products and feel confident making a purchase.

Sell your products using Instagram Shopping with these 4 tips

In a survey commissioned by Facebook, Inc., 83% of respondents surveyed said Instagram, a visual-first platform, helps them discover new products and services1. It’s why Brooklyn-based temporary tattoo company Tattly has always focused on showcasing their best tattoo designs on their Instagram. Instagram’s product tags helps them to do just this, while still increasing their sales.

Instagram Shopping has been really great at driving people from our Instagram feed to our website to buy the products that they’re actually seeing in the posts,” Tattly’s creative director Cristina Gomez said. “Having the shopping feature allows us to focus on the fun part of Tattly and not the sales-y part of Tattly.

To help people buy your products, add product tags to your photos or videos in your feed and stories using Instagram Shopping. People can view the name of the product and the price of the item when they tap on the product.

See if you are eligible to use Instagram Shopping and find a step-by-step guide to set it up for your Business Account here.

Tell your customers that they can shop directly on your Business Account.

For example, create a story telling your community they can now shop the products they see on Instagram.

Tag more than one product in a post.

Make an impression and drive consideration by displaying multiple eye-catching products.

Experiment with different post formats using Instagram Shopping.

You can tag your photos, videos or multiple images or videos in a carousel post in your feed. You can also tag your stories with product stickers.

Make sure each tag touches the correct product.

This helps make it clear for shoppers so they know exactly what product the tag is referring to. Take a look at how @tattly tagged their sunflower tattoo product.

Create buzz for new products with these 5 tips

Planning to launch a new product soon? Create buzz within your community on Instagram with these 5 tips.

Tease products ahead of the launch.

Show glimpses of your product without fully revealing it, like shooting different angles of it without showing the full thing.

Use the countdown sticker on your stories.

Announce the date of your product launch using the countdown sticker, which you can find by tapping

when editing your stories. Prompt your followers to tap Remind Me so they know when the day finally comes, or to Share Countdown in their own story.

Make products available for sale on launch day.

Don’t forget to remind your customers they can immediately purchase with a simple call-to-action like "Tap to shop" in the caption of the post. For instance, @tattly shared this photo to announce a new series of tattoos they had launched.

Go live to take questions.

Use the Live feature in your story to show your followers the moment you’ve made your new product available for them, and answer customer questions about your new product in real time. Learn more about going Live here.

Create a hashtag for your product launch.

It can be as simple as #yourproductname. Encourage your followers to use the hashtag when ordering the product on launch day, so you can share it on your Business Account later.

5 tips to drive people to buy your products on Instagram

In a survey commissioned by Facebook, Inc., 80% of respondents surveyed said they use Instagram to decide whether or not to make a purchase1. Try these 5 tips to drive people to buy your products.

Create multiple posts for your most popular products.

Check Insights and see metrics like product views to learn which products your community has engaged with the most. Consider creating more posts for that product to build confidence towards purchase, both in feed and stories.

Include a call-to-action in your caption.

Adding a call-to-action that prompts people to act, like "Tap to Shop" in your captions, effectively reminds your community to purchase.

Create an exclusive sale or promotion.

With a limited time, Instagram-only promotion, you can create a sense of urgency and prompt people to shop. Take a look at the photo @tattly shared during their Pride promotion.

Regularly feature your products.

Shoppers may take some time to decide to make a purchase, so regularly feature your products in your posts to keep them top of mind.

Highlight a Creator using your product.

From public figures to artists to entrepreneurs, Creators are the cornerstone of Instagram communities. Seeing Creators use specific products can spark their followers’ interest in these items, so make sure to highlight that in your photos and videos by tagging the Creator.

9 tips for proper profile design from OdesSeo agency

How to create a business account on Instagram. Transformation on the example of the BarakaOil case.

Content [show]

So you've decided to promote your business on social networks and the exciting moment comes when you need to create a page and fill it with content. You come up with texts and you like them, you take photos for the visual that you like, you call your page the original name in English, because it's fashionable. Chances are you're carefully watermarking every photo and dreaming of launching ads soon, anticipating floods of traffic and conversions. Friends, if you really think so, and at least one of the above makes up your overall picture of the design of a business page on Instagram, then I suggest urgently restoring such a picture. This article is just for you. nine0003

The concept of Instagram has successfully fit into that period of time when the text is inferior to the picture and video content. And if you decide to promote your business on this particular social network, then the priority should always be on the side of visual design, these are the rules of the game of the omnipotent social platform.

Using the BarakaOil case as an example, I will tell and show through the prism of what you need to create content for a selling page on a social network and how it should look.

But before we start, a little before and after magic:

Love your product and think like a person who needs this product.

This is a fundamental rule, and it must intersect with any action you take when designing the page. If you delegated the creation of an SMM page to a specialist, then he must be imbued with your product, understand the pains of the target audience and create content with the thought of whether potential customers need it? Not you should like it, not the SMM manager - your target audience should like it. nine0003

I will name the page after you. The username and page profile name.

It would seem that a very insignificant column, just a formality for identification. Meanwhile, manicure and eyelash masters proudly write “Nails”, “Lashes” in the “profile name”, thinking that such a name adds +100 to the level of services and will strike potential customers on the spot. Cosmetics stores come up with fanciful names bordering on fantasy to stand out from the rest. And the rule remains simple: the username, like the profile name, is indexed when searching. The username and profile name should at a glance answer the question of who you are and display you in the search for the requested word. nine0003

The username should be concise and easy to remember, since it is in Latin, there is no need to complicate it. And the name of the profile should describe, in the most accessible language for people, in the one that they are fluent in, what goods and services you want to provide. Just imagine that your target audience wants to find the coconut oil that you sell through the search, what will they write: "coconut oil" or "coconut paradise"? Obviously the first. So be obvious.

People are greeted by clothes or profile photo. nine0015

Along with the name of the profile is his photo, the picture should be informative, but within the framework of minimalism. If your product or service has a logo - great, if not - then choose an image that will logically broadcast along with the profile name the answer to the question: who are you and what do you sell. Do not add a lot of text, which will still be poorly viewed. Use your corporate font, if available. The image must be square, approximately 180 x 180 pixels, in png format, so as not to lose quality. You can use Over, Crello, Canva for cropping. These applications will also be most useful for those who do not use Photoshop, but want to create unique visual designs. nine0003

150 characters to convince. Profile description.

Use the language of your target audience in your profile description. Less pathos, gentlemen, many still do not know English and your "Beauty and Health" in the profile header will not give the desired results. Here you should briefly state the positioning, explain why you are better than your competitors and call the audience to action (“buy here”, “write to Direct”, “apply on the website in the profile header”).

Important! Instagram does not display all 150 characters, so make sure that the call to action is displayed on the main page without an additional click. nine0003

Find me if you can. Communication methods.

Do not ignore the communication buttons. Think about how comfortable it will be for your potential client to contact you and place an order. People don't like challenges, certainly not on social media, so make sure the information appears consistently on the page. Instagram has created convenient buttons in the description of the profile of business accounts - "Write", "Contacts", so make sure that they lead the audience to the current source. Don't turn your clients into detectives looking for a way to contact you, and they probably don't want to. nine0003

Relevant must be relevant to your audience. Those circles are Highlights.

Kudos to the developers who came up with the Relevant section. He, in turn, quickly acquired the function of a guide, product catalog and price list for business accounts. Just ask yourself: what questions might your potential customer face when viewing your page? The buyer is interested in your range of products, price, delivery terms, payment methods, guarantees, how customers respond to you. You individually decide what should be the number of sections, the main task is the logical and structured placement of answers to frequently asked questions. Your client does not need to frantically wait for feedback in Direct, he can get an answer to his question at 2 a.m., and all thanks to the right circles on your page. Predict your target audience, you know it, based on our first point. The main thing is that the information corresponds to reality and is relevant. nine0003

Please note that the name of the highlights section should be concise: 10 characters will be optimal, which will be completely displayed under the circle, otherwise the word will not be read completely.

Choosing the right sections of highlights and their names is only half the battle, the choice of the cover remains an important point. This is where your profile color scheme comes into play — a complementary series of elements, from the profile cover to the page feed. Recommended image resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels, in png format. You can use icons of the same color and style, or you can make them multi-colored, the main thing is that they intuitively combine all the graphic elements of the page and do not stand out from the graphic style.

Examples for inspiration can be found on pinterest.com by doing something similar in Photoshop, but if you don't have enough skills, you can safely look for templates in photo stocks like shutterstock.com, pixabay.com.

Three comrades: image, text and master content plan.

The final element of a holistic image of the page design is the visual picture of publications, it is she who occupies most of the page and catches the eye. In order to get a beautiful combination of colors in images, use the theory of complementary or complementary colors, and for the right composition, make sure that adjacent pictures do not create sharp boundaries between themselves. Of course, it's more practical to discuss with the photographer or designer that all images should be color-corrected, which will make things a lot easier for you. I hope there is no need to focus on how important it is for the photographer to do his job with high quality and be able to fulfill the technical requirements. nine0003

Applications such as UNUM, Preview can be used to create a successful page color scheme. Using these tools, you can see how your photos will look in the selected order, you can compose images that will automatically adapt to the size of publications. In this way, you will be able to create the perfect color matrix for your profile.

Please refrain from watermarking each photo. Believe me, you won’t retain the authorship of the photos anyway, since removing such an inscription is a matter of minutes for a competitor’s designer. But your page will reek of cheapness and lose integrity due to inscriptions. nine0003

Unlike blogger pages that don't try to follow an image-to-text logic, it's preferable for a business profile to complement a particular image with appropriate text. The text of the publication should reveal the message and idea of ​​the image, talk about the product in the photo. For this, a content plan will be useful, with which you can plan the order of publications and select the right text for each image. This is a handy thing, even the most creative person can be curbed by Mr. Content Plan. nine0003

According to my observation, no matter what product or service you advertise on a social network, photos where a person interacts with a product always have a greater response. There is nothing revolutionary here, it's just that photographs affect us much more strongly, where we can put ourselves in the place of a model, see the product in interaction. Purely subject photos can seem boring and will not inspire you to read the text under the publication, so it is always better to mix subject layouts and photos with people. Of course, this is not a universal formula, but it works in most cases. nine0003

Page design ideas can always be found on the Internet, nowadays everyone is stolen like artists, otherwise creativity would be driven into a corner. If you are tired of trivial accounts, then I advise you to be inspired by the Telegram channel, where atypical Instagram profiles are shared every day - oneday_insta (Insta account for every day).

And some boring numbers and analytics.

After designing the BarakaOil page and publishing 9 posts, we got a complete picture of the business profile, which is ready for promotion. Already a month after the launch of targeted advertising, the Reach rate of the account increased and became 10% higher than that of pages in this category, the Engagement Rate of Reach also increased by 5%. nine0003

The number of quality audiences increased by 30% with the prospect of rapid growth in the future. Interactions with advertising publications increased, publications began to be bookmarked more often.

We've seen firsthand how the look of a page can affect reach, especially on Instagram. This is only the first step on the path to successful promotion, but this step is fundamental.

Parting word or small call to action;)

While VR technologies have not yet captured the content component of popular social sales platforms, and video content is slowly stealing popularity from images, marketers and business owners should seize the moment, cultivate aesthetes in themselves and create a selling design for business pages. There is no time for bad taste, illogicality and subjectivity.

If you respect your business or you are a self-respecting SMM specialist, then rather start loving your product and think like a person who needs this product. nine0003

All beautiful profiles and large coverage. And for a pinch of inspiration and a portion of new knowledge, subscribe to Odesseo on social networks and follow the news of our blog.

How to connect Instagram Shopping | Manual

Since March 2022, Instagram has been banned in Russia. In other countries, all its features are still available.

Instagram Shopping allows users to buy directly from a photo or video in any section of the social network. At the same time, there are different opportunities in different countries. About all the nuances - in this article. nine0003

Instagram Shopping Features

When creating a store, you can choose a sales scheme. On the website, on Facebook, on Instagram or through private messages. There are limitations here.

Somewhere you can’t sell inside the application - only show tags, information about the product in the card, and then go to the site, from where you can already place an order.

In the US and a number of other countries, full functionality is available - placing an order directly in the application. It works on the basis of the Facebook Pay service. Companies decide for themselves whether to connect the checkout feature on Instagram or not. nine0003

If they decide not to connect, they will be able to transfer the user to the site, and use Instagram solely as a showcase. The company and bank account must be registered in the United States.

If you're temporarily in a country where Instagram Shopping isn't available (for example, while traveling), you may lose the ability to tag products. Restoring access takes up to 2 weeks.

How to connect Instagram Shopping

Consider a variant with limited functionality when sales go through the site. The feature is available on business accounts that are connected to a Facebook page.

My Warehouse already has integration with Instagram Shopping and Facebook — you can automatically upload products, current balances and prices to social networks, and add product links directly to posts.

Create a catalog on your page on the social network, and unload the goods, their modifications, photos, prices and balances from My Warehouse. The data is synchronized automatically - you can set the interval or start the update yourself at a convenient time. nine0003

A link to the main online store is attached to each product - the buyer follows it and places an order. Integration is available free of charge on all tariffs of MoegoSklad. You can set it up if your business account on the social network has the Instagram Shopping feature. See video instructions for more details.

How to set up Instagram Shopping

  1. Create and link a directory. Can be done using the Commerce Manager tool, a desktop platform for managing sales on Facebook and Instagram. The service helps to create a new catalog or connect an existing one, process orders, etc. To use product tags and stickers, select an e-commerce catalog. nine0110
  2. Connect Instagram Shopping in your profile settings and submit your account for verification. It usually takes several days. The verification status can be found at any time in the "Purchases" section in the settings. As soon as the account is approved, a notification will be sent from Instagram.

After that, you can create a post with a shopping feature. Up to five products can be added to a post with one image, and up to 20 products can be added to a post with multiple photos or videos. You can only add one product sticker per post in Stories. nine0003

Thus, you use Instagram Shopping as a storefront - a buyer on the social network will examine the product, but will go to the site to purchase.

Instagram Shopping Tags and other opportunities to promote

Instagram Shopping has a set of tools that make trading easier.

Collections of goods. You can collect products into groups by topic. At the same time, it is not necessary to make collections that are familiar to everyone, for example, “New Products” or “Hits of Sales”. Categories can be any and convenient for customers. You can create "10 Gifts for Grandma" or "All for the Holidays". nine0003

Product tags. Instagram Shopping Tags are special tags. The user clicks on them and gets to the page with information about the product. From there, he can go to the site and make a purchase. Thus, the number of clicks decreases, and the client does not postpone the purchase.

Advertising. You can set up ads with product tags. You can promote already existing publications with tagged products in the feed or popular, or create new ads in Ads Manager. nine0003

You can also create custom audiences for advertising: select groups of users who have performed a specific action. For example, those who viewed or saved the product. How to set up ads - we tell below.

You can attract new customers by creating new custom audiences or expanding old ones. Create a user group from both Facebook and Instagram. You can include more sources if you choose audience expansion. nine0003

For example, you can create a shopping custom audience that includes people from both Facebook and Instagram. You can also create a shopping custom audience based on multiple events. For example, based on the Add to Cart and View Product Details events.

For whom and for what niches Instagram Shopping is suitable

To understand which product is easier to promote on Instagram, you need to look at the portrait of the platform's audience. It's more of a female audience. Age category from 18 to 34 years. nine0003

Hence the assumption of which products will sell well on Instagram:

  • Things that reflect the lifestyle - clothes, jewelry, shoes, accessories, cosmetics, perfumes, sporting goods.
  • Trendy products that reflect the spirit of the times. It can be anything from a case for wireless headphones to masks and sanitizers.
  • Visually appealing products whose purchases are dictated by emotions. For example, decorative interior items or handmade. nine0110

The list can be supplemented with household appliances, car parts and pet products. We will talk about limitations in the next section.

The US was among the first to gain access to Instagram Shopping in 2018. And there, entrepreneurs can already draw conclusions about its effectiveness.

Magnolia Boutique women's clothing store owner Susan DelPriore told Big Commerce that after publishing 117 tagged posts, traffic from Instagram increased by 4% and revenue from the social network increased by 20%. She advised telling subscribers about the new feature in the feed and stories, as well as doing cross-promotion in other social networks. In addition, it is important to give instructions on how to place an order correctly. nine0003

John Lott, director of children's clothing store SpearmintLOVE, said that after 208 posts on Instagram Shopping, traffic from the social network increased by 12.61%, and revenue from Instagram increased by 8%. He also noted that it was important to tell subscribers about the new feature - the store published instructions in stories for two weeks.

Do not forget that in the USA the option of ordering and paying directly from the social network works.

What not to sell on Instagram

Instagram is owned by Facebook and is part of its advertising network. The same rules apply for paid publications of both sites.

For example, you cannot advertise and sell tobacco and tobacco products, as well as prescription drugs, drugs, and wiretapping devices.

We have put together in a table a list of all products that cannot be advertised on Instagram. Download and study it.

Fragment of table

Download Facebook and Instagram trading rules

How to manage the range of products in Instagram Shopping

On Instagram, just like on Facebook, you need to upload the products you are going to sell to a catalog. There are two ways to link a catalog to your social network account:

  • Through Commerce Manager. This is a do-it-yourself tool available in Facebook Business Manager.
  • Through a partner e-commerce platform. For example, Shopify or Big Commerce. nine0110

By the way, if you have a store on Shopify, you can connect it to the MyStorage service. This is how you add data on orders and counterparties from the platform for launching an online store to a single accounting system, where there is everything for online trading.

In My Warehouse, you can always see information about the balances that will be automatically uploaded to Shopify.

Try MySklad

With the catalog you can: nine0003

  • Add and manage product details. You can upload an image, write a description, set a price, change color or size. And also - add several positions at once and a link to the store's website.
  • Group ads. This is useful if you need to combine different posts with a common theme. For example, information about discounts and promotions.
  • Create selections for stores. To show customers all the products that may be of interest to them. nine0110
  • Assign permissions. Then other people or partner companies will be able to work with your catalog.
  • Download country and language information. This way, buyers will automatically see the correct information and prices for items in the ad or in the store.

Read also: 7 problems that prevent trading on the Internet

It is not necessary to create multiple directories. All product data can be stored in one. You can change information about a product in the catalog at any time. But it is important that it always contains accurate data on prices and availability of each item. nine0003

Also, the rules for returning goods and funds should be written either on your website or in the store's Instagram account: for example, in current stories or in a separate post.

Sometimes sellers do not indicate the cost of goods and call it only in private messages. But not everyone does this. For example, the NeBabushka yarn store does not hide prices, says its owner Natalya Maltseva. The ability to put a price tag directly on a photo in a post is convenient for her. nine0003

We have never closed prices. The price in the label in the post will not scare anyone away. And if this happens, then this is not a representative of our target audience.

Natalia Maltseva

shop owner "NeBabushka"

See also: How to tie big money: the success story of the Nebabushka yarn store

According to Natalia Maltseva, Instagram Shopping tools will help meet spontaneous demand: “Now it’s traditional for us — follow the link in the profile description. And the person is forced to either leave the post and follow this link, or enter the name of the site in the browser.” nine0003

But for some sellers, the main disadvantage of Instagram Shopping is precisely that live communication with the client is lost. Sellers say that sometimes with the “answered price in PM” format, a dialogue is started with the client, which ultimately leads to a sale. Indeed, in a live conversation, the seller can always offer an alternative or resell something else.

Firstly, you can use visual content to attract potential customers, and secondly, you can immediately get feedback. nine0003

“If you break Instagram down into elements, then there will be no unique tools for promotion in the social network,” says Ekaterina Pyankova, a target specialist at MoegoSklad.

Hashtags, targeting, bloggers, smart feed - all this is also available in other social networks. Taken together, the social network continues to be one of the best for business. There are probably almost no brands left that do not have an Instagram account.

Ekaterina Pyankova

targetologist of My Warehouse

The owner of the NeBabushka store believes that the secret of Instagram's effectiveness is that communities of people with the same interests are quickly formed there.

People come to see what's going on in the store. And through Instagram, we convey the atmosphere that residents of other cities and countries cannot feel when they come to the store. For them, this is a kind of window.

Sales in social networks are suitable for those who want to receive orders online and at the same time do not invest in the creation and promotion of an online store. Watch our tutorial to learn where your products will sell best, how to process orders, and how you can save money. nine0003

Get master class record

Targeted advertising

There are three main ways to promote your store on Instagram:

  • targeted advertising,
  • advertising with bloggers,
  • advertising in thematic communities.

Ekaterina Pyankova considers target to be the most effective of them. This is an advertisement that is shown to an audience according to predetermined parameters: user behavior on the network, their age, interests and field of activity. nine0003

It is easier for those who use it to increase sales, because in this way the publication is most likely to be seen by those who are interested in buying. To run targeted advertising, all you need is a business account.

There are no fixed numbers on Instagram. Sometimes it's expensive and good, sometimes it's cheap and bad, sometimes it's expensive and bad, sometimes it's cheap and good. Any result is useful information for further work.

To run targeted ads, you need to set up a campaign in your Ads Manager dashboard. Through it, for example, you can run ads on: nine0003

  • people who "similar" to your customers in terms of age, occupation and hobbies;
  • all visitors to your page or site;
  • regular customers;
  • visitors who added items to their cart but did not purchase them.

Most stores stop at targeting or working with bloggers.

We review our products and engage bloggers to talk about our products. We didn’t work with targeting for a while, but now we have changed a specialist, and we will launch this type of advertising again. nine0003

Shopping ads and posts tagged with Instagram Shopping Tags

Instagram Shopping tools complement existing types of advertising. For example, you can promote posts with tagged products or create ads from scratch in Ads Manager.

Product tagged ad For a business that has been promoting their products on Instagram for a long time, the button to go to the site under the publication is a chance to increase sales even more.

The ability to place a link to buy under the post will significantly increase the conversion. nine0003

What hinders the promotion of goods

Since 2016, Instagram has had an algorithmic feed, so the time of publication of advertising posts does not affect their effectiveness in any way. But the cheating of subscribers, which is still sometimes used by both business and bloggers, will not lead to anything good. In the worst case, you can lose your account.

There are other difficulties that a business may face.

If you don’t have a constant influx of new subscribers, the number of outreaches decreases. Our task now is to ensure a constant influx of fresh subscribers. nine0003

“The audience has high requirements for brands. The account must comply with trends and actively adapt to new ones. And at the same time, there are high requirements for sincerity and openness,” explains Ekaterina Pyankova.

The influence of Instagram is based on visual imagery and on conveying emotions through text and video. If a person did not immediately respond to your offer, it is likely that in a second he will be distracted and fly away somewhere else. nine0003

For example, it’s not enough for a clothing brand to simply post a photo. The audience expects videos from production, promotions, contests, high-quality videos, user-generated content.

The audience of the social network is spoiled, any “respite” threatens with replies and loss of interest. You need to constantly post new exciting content and communicate with subscribers.

How to increase user engagement on Instagram:

  • Post real photos: anything that looks too photoshopped or perfect will be off-putting.
  • Encourage user generated content. Ask customers to take a photo or video of your product and then post it to your feed or stories.
  • Collaborate with others. You can expand your audience by partnering with different complementary brands. For example, if you sell sunglasses, caps or hats would be an addition. nine0110

Can Instagram disapprove ads?

Yes, if it violates Facebook's ad trading rules. For example, you cannot advertise illegal products and 18+ products. And there should be no hints of discrimination and violence in advertising.

They may not miss it by mistake - due to a failure in automatic moderation. In this case, you can challenge the decision, and the ad will be re-checked by a person.

Learn more