44 Tips

If you are wondering “What can I sell on Instagram?” or are already selling, then these tips will come in handy. Each of them has a practical application, but before starting a little about the specifics of this social network.

When choosing a niche, remember that this is a visual social network. The main audience of the social network is women who follow their development and respect fashion trends.

Therefore, the best-selling products on Instagram are: cosmetics, jewelry, accessories, children's toys, clothing, novelty gadgets, handicrafts and things for a beautiful life.

That's it. In this article, I will not tell you how to sell on Instagram step by step, instead I will provide detailed instructions. So, happy reading.

1. Analyze competitors

Before you start selling goods or services on Instagram, I advise you to analyze your competitors. Study the strengths and weaknesses of stores selling a similar product (covering similar customer needs) and play on their shortcomings.

1.1 Find competitors by hashtags and keywords. The first accounts that the search returns are the most visited stores. They need to be studied more carefully. Also, try to understand what makes these stores so popular.

1. 2 Use special applications for competitor analysis. Internet services allow you to get extended statistics without spending a lot of time on it. These statistics sites include Livedune, Publer. Look at the number of likes, comments, reposts, views.

1.3 Find the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors. What goods or services do they sell quickly, and what do not sell at all? Pay attention to the most popular content. You don't need to copy it. But take ideas into service.

1.4 Study the competitive advantage. What they write about in their profile/posts. Highlight your unique selling proposition, which will be different from everyone else. For example, focus on same-day shipping and custom tailoring.

1.5 Analyze the target audience of competitors. Make a portrait of buyers using more details: how they communicate (slang, manner), favorite movies, basic values. Please keep this information in mind when creating an account.

2. Create an account

An attractive account design consists of a bright, eye-catching avatar and a selling profile description. Both components are equally important, so pay special attention to the design. The appearance of the profile will help you retain users and sell successfully.

2.1 Avatar. The correct avatar is a bright contrast image. Take a photo that reflects the positioning of the brand. To do this, use the colors of the brand, the logo or its attributes, as well as a photo that can be associated with the trademark.

2.2 Write contacts: viber, direct, phone. Make it convenient. If you are targeting an audience of several countries, then be sure to add the ability to order via direct or one of the messengers. And TapLink will help you with this (with the promo code “INSCALE” +7 days).

2.3 Enter a keyword in the store name. For example, if you sell cupcakes, name your profile "popkeksu". You need to do this, because users often find the product they need through keyword searches. Don't miss out on a free promotion.

2.4 Highlight key benefits. Describe them in the profile header. When compiling key benefits, think about whether they really matter to customers. For example, if you sell goods for children, it does not make sense to focus on their beauty or manufacturability.

2.5 Do not use template expressions. Write simply, concisely, brightly. For example: “We sell dresses made from natural fabrics. For the holiday, everyday bows, for an evening out. Individual tailoring. Avoid expressions: individual approach, best quality, advanced technology.

2.6 Use eternal stories. They are needed to tell customers important information. Structure them as conveniently as possible. For example, create such blocks: new items, assortment, reviews, life hacks. Thus, you will remove some of the burden from sales managers.

3. Make posts

Your task is to encourage people to buy with texts. Write useful posts that are not devoid of an advertising component, because it will help you start selling through this social network.

3.1 Alternate entertaining, useful, selling content. Cling with the first phrase, write lightly, optimistically. Stick to this conditional formula: a third of selling posts, a third of entertaining posts and a third of useful content. Read more here.

3.2 Write prices. Most people have a negative attitude towards the lack of price. Many note that they associate the absence of a price with the high cost of goods. Some are simply too lazy to specify the price and prefer to go to another store. Be extremely open.

3.3 Describe the key benefits of the product. Focus on benefits, unique differences. How will your product beautify or change the life of the buyer? What new will he bring? How is your product different from competitors?

3. 4 Tell us about new products. Be sure to inform buyers about the expansion of commodity items, I assure you, users will appreciate it. Tell people who might like your products. Give advice on how to use the product.

3.5 Tell stories . Through such texts it is easier to sell. Ask customers to share how buying from your store has changed their lives for the better. For example, you sold a suit to a woman, she went to an interview in it and got a position.

3.6 Show ready-made schemes for using the product. For example, you are selling a brooch. Use the carousel to show what other jewelry can be combined with it and what clothes will be appropriate for the brooch.

3.7 Do not write long texts. Try to limit yourself to 2000 characters. Instagram is a visual social network, so focus on your photos. Be concise. Write the text and then rewrite, removing information that can be easily dispensed with.

3.8 Post reviews. Thank the author for trusting the store, provide the text of the review and accompany it with a beautiful photo. Reviews are an important element of trust. Do not neglect them. Don't forget to share your review in stories and add it to a special section in eternal stories.

4. Use amplifiers

Hashtags, geolocation will help you attract the target audience, and will also be free advertising. And in order for them to work, you need to use them correctly.

4.1 Use popular hashtags. Rare will not help promote the post. You don't have to use something very specific. See what hashtags your competitors are using and write them too. The most important rule is that the hashtag should reflect the specifics of your activity.

4.2 Don't use too many hashtags. Five to seven will be enough. Many hashtags will not improve the position, but the post will look bulky and ugly. By the way, we have a whole article on this topic, I recommend reading it: “Hashtag on Instagram: instructions on how to get to the top.”

4.3 Use comments to post hashtags. Place hashtags in the first comment under the post. With this maneuver, users may be curious about who is the author of the comment, so the time spent in your post will increase.

4.4 Come up with a branded hashtag. It should be associated with your brand or Instagram name. Make it memorable, interesting, bright. Encourage followers to use this hashtag through contests and promotions.

4.5 Add geolocations. This advice is relevant for sellers who also have an offline business. Moreover, some users use geo instead of hashtags for search. Do not forget about stories, the service allows you to use stickers with geolocation.

5. Attract followers

Attract followers with free and paid promotion methods, because they will help increase the efficiency of sales on Instagram. Try different methods to see what works best for you.

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5.1 Tell about your account on social networks. This is how you get your first subscribers. Tell on personal pages, and also mention in the comments to other posts. Unobtrusively emphasize the uniqueness of your store.

5.2 Supplement mass following with mass liking. For example, this can be done through the Tooligram application (with the promo code “INSCALE” +7 days). People are viewing subscriptions less and less, so be creative. Try different schemes: subscription + 3 likes, subscription + 5 likes. Evaluate results and correct actions.

5.3 Buy ads from bloggers. Before starting cooperation, study how its target audience corresponds to buyers. For example, if you have a store of goods for extreme tourism, you should not advertise with a model blogger, the main point of which is doing nothing. By the way, the Getblogger service will help you find the right blogger (with the promo code “INSCALE” a 20% discount).

5.4 Barter advertising. Find a blogger that your potential buyers read and comment on. Invite him to talk about your product. You should contact a micro-influencer, because a blogger with an audience of over 10 thousand people is unlikely to agree to barter advertising.

5.5 Try different targeted ad formats. Pay great attention to the quality of the content. The success of the advertising campaign depends on it. Entrust the text to an experienced copywriter and take a great photo. If you don't, you'll be wasting your money.

5.6 Write comments. This is a great way to promote your store without investment. Find popular blogs on your topic. Leave smart comments. Attract attention with humor, knowledge of the subject, challenging popular patterns.

6.

Instagram engagement is very relevant, especially in 2019. Use interactive methods of involvement: contests, marathons. It is also important not to forget to make discounts, organize promotions.

6.1 If you organize a marathon, keep it short. Not all subscribers are ready to complete the task for a long time in a row, this is important to consider. Therefore, do a marathon for 3-5 days, this is the optimal length of a free marathon.

6.2 Limit the validity period of promotions. It is important to make fair discounts. The buyer today is distrustful and monitors prices for a long time before making a purchase. Tie promotions to holidays, thanks to pleasant associations, such discounts are more memorable.

6.3 Run contests. Play discounts, coupons, tell subscribers how to fulfill the conditions of the competition correctly. Before hosting a competition with other organizers, carefully check their reputation.

6.4 Create contests for the best reviews. Let buyers post reviews of purchased products, and you will give a discount or a small gift on the next purchase. Motivate people to mention your account as often as possible.

6.5 Make interesting live broadcasts. Show behind the scenes of your business, share useful assortment tips, announce promotions, other interesting events, answer burning questions. Reduce the distance between you and the store.

7. Place your orders

Be friendly, polite and attentive when placing an order. If you see the indecision of the buyer, help him. Read exactly what the client is waiting for.

7.1 Specify all order details. Find out the color, style, size. Send the client a dimensional grid, say the price, warn about the delivery time, make sure that you understand each other correctly. It is very important that the result meets the expectations of the buyer.

7.2 Make upsells. Offer related products. That is, try to offer a product that is as close as possible to his order. For example, if you sell glasses, offer to buy a beautiful case or cleaning cloth for them.

7.3 Offer to call back. If the buyer is in doubt, give him time, some buyers really need to ripen. When you talk again, offer the client a small bonus. For example, a discount on your next purchase.

7.4 Submit a live photo of the product. This must be done so that the client is not disappointed when receiving the order. The photo should reflect as much as possible how the product looks in reality. Also, this move will help increase audience loyalty.

8. Squeeze Customers

If a customer is in doubt about whether to make a purchase, use special techniques. It is important to do this in such a way that the client does not feel pressured. He must mature himself to buy with the help of your motivation.

8.1 Tell us about the limited duration of the promotion. When communicating with a client, set a date, just do not overdo it with the deadline, the most optimal is a few days. If the buyer is interested in buying, the limited duration of the promotion will motivate him to buy.

8.2 Answer all customer questions. If the client has doubts due to insufficient information, tell him in detail all the details and nuances. Focus on the benefits, practical application of the product. If you sell jewelry, tell us what it can be worn with.

8.3 Share other customers' positive buying experiences. Take information from reviews: how customers used your product. What changes have occurred in their lives after purchasing the product? Make your story sincere and emotional.

8.4 Inform about guarantees. For example: return period, warranty period. Don't forget about the store's reputation: online reviews, number of years on the market, legal documents. In addition, the client must know that if the product does not suit him, he can return it without any problems.

8.5 Tell us about the limited quantity of product . Be very specific: there are two dresses left in your size. Tell the truth, because if a customer is ready to buy in a month and managers tell him that the goods are still in stock, the credibility of your store will be undermined.

Briefly about the main

Apply these tips and the question “How to sell on Instagram?” you will not have. Just remember that you need to use the maximum number of tips, and not two or three from the article, and do not forget which products are the best-selling and analyze in detail the target audience of this social network.

By the way, if you are interested in the topic of Instagram, and you want to make money with a shovel from this social network, then I recommend reading other materials (by the way, the last article tells how to sell on Instagram step by step):

• Applications for Instagram: TOP 50 by category;
• Instagram secrets and tricks: 60 and all for you;
• How to make real money on Instagram: all the ways and instructions.

Source

How to connect Instagram Shopping | Instruction

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.

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.

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.

MySklad 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.

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.
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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

Who and what niches Instagram Shopping suits

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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:

• 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 shops. To show customers all the products that may be of interest to them.
• 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.

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.

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.”

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.

“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.

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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.

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: