In this day and age of social media and the pivotal role it plays in all spheres of our existence, no other platform supports businesses, from small-scale to large corporations, as seamlessly as Instagram does. By being one of the most used applications all over the world, Instagram already provides businesses with thousands and millions of potential customers. Add in the many features that make the platform business-friendly and it’s obvious why any serious business has to be on Instagram.
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INCREASING YOUR NUMBER OF FOLLOWERS
For any business to enjoy replicable success on Instagram, it has to attract as many followers from the massive number of users already on the platform. Doing this is no mean feat, but it is achievable nonetheless. Instagram users are drawn to colorful, informative, and creative content so be sure to deliver this on a daily basis. Getting followers by this means might take some time and considerable effort. It is understandable if you want to take the easier route and buy IG followers for your business account. What is most important is you consistently grow your follower base on a regular basis and work on making active patronizers out of them.
CONVERTING FOLLOWERS INTO CUSTOMERS
After doing the hard work of attracting followers to your Instagram business page comes the harder task of getting the majority of those people to part with their money in exchange for your products and services. It is a very challenging task many have failed at achieving; it is not uncommon to see accounts with thousands of followers and even more likes per post, yet low conversion of that high content consumer base into paying customers.
The businesses that have been able to defy that trend are those that have mastered two critical aspects of digital marketing: understanding of the patterns of human online interactions and knowledge of how to utilize the many features of Instagram to propel the necessary interactions for sales to go up. Any digital marketing strategy designed without an understanding of those two areas is bound to fail.
However, by following all of the tips and tricks listed below, you should experience an upsurge in actual, actively patronizing customers from your pool of existing and new followers. They include:
1. Engage Your Audience in Meaningful Conversation
The hallmark of a successful account, what differentiates a buzzing account from the polar opposite is the regularity with which they engage their followers in conversations. Understand that people want to talk and share their opinions and it is up to you to drive up interactions with your daily content. You would need to establish control and direction on the discussions though, ensure they are directly related to the products and services your business offers.
All of Instagram’s features are at your beck and call for the achievement of this purpose. You can end your regular photo and video posts with questions, run opinion polls and quizzes on your Stories, and initiate conversations through Q&A sessions on Live sessions and reels. Use this to better inform your audience about your business’ products and get customer feedback on their experiences using what your company offers. By doing so, you give them a sense of belonging, a sense they are an important part of the community your brand is building.
2. Offer Deals and Discounts
Buyers are always on the lookout for opportunities to save a few bucks so you are likely to win over customers if you offer deals and discounts. You can use any of the many features available to you to announce these offers to your followers. Making them time-limited creates a sense of urgency which will help gain the attention of users.
The key however is not to overdo them to the detriment of your profit or boring the audience by losing the sense of value. Time these deals and discounts to coincide with special holidays like Independence Day, Christmas and New Year, Thanksgiving, etc.
3. Connect with Your Followers Emotionally
A wise person once said, “branding is about making an emotional connection”. People will be committed to a brand that inspires emotions of happiness, joy, and satisfaction in them. With creative storytelling content, you can establish this emotional connection.
Ensure every single content you put out is able to inspire one emotion or the other in the consumers. Get them to smile, get them to laugh, get them to cry if you must. As long as you are stirring their emotions, you are creating personal connections with your followers and the chances they patronize you in the long and short term will increase.
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4. High-quality Photos and Videos
Today’s audience has been treated to such high-quality content that they are “spoiled rotten”. As such they will not settle for less and it is up to you to rise to their level by only uploading content of the highest quality possible. Find the best possible cameras to shoot your photos and videos and ensure they receive the best possible editing in order to attract users and increase engagement rate. Instagram users can spot poor photos and videos from a mile away and will not bother to interact with accounts posting such, never mind buying from them.
5. Personalize the Experience for Selected Followers
Humans greatly enjoy special treatment and a simple way to earn customer loyalty is by affording some followers this privilege. Reward the followers that regularly engage your account’s posts with personalized messages and appreciate the patronage of regular buyers with discount offers. Make these people feel seen and watch them put in the work of spreading the gospel of your brand’s excellence to their friends and families, thus earning you more customers. It’s basic human nature to become even more loyal when we feel deeply appreciated so take advantage of that by establishing direct, personal lines of communication with selected followers.
6. Captivate with Your Story
With more knowledge of who you are and what your business represents comes a deeper emotional connection, a point we have already mentioned works to your advantage. Be ever ready to inform the audience about the business you want them to buy products from and do this in a captivating and interactive manner.
Fill your reels and stories with short videos that detail your business’ history; how you started, the biggest motivations keeping you going, and the things that inform your dedication to continue providing the products and services that you do. Put faces to your brand by showcasing your members of staff and their individual stories on IG Live. Humor them with quick short behind-the-scene videos of bloopers. By sharing your story in these simple ways, you humanize your business and let them see you as a brand they can relate with on a personal level. When they think of your brand and mentally visualize a group of hardworking, humble people instead of a building, they become more comfortable with handing over their hard-earned money to you, in exchange for quality products of course.
7. Accord Your Followers Fast Responses
Many business accounts fail to respond to followers in the comments and those that do tend to be too late with these responses. While it may be improbable to reply to every comment, every time, answering comments asking important questions or giving critical feedback, and doing this in a timely manner, reflects positively on the brand image you are building.
It might be necessary to hire a social media manager(s) to achieve this instead of burdening your other team members with this added role. Whatever it takes to get the job done, do it. Fast responses help build the bond you need to convert your followers to customers.
8. Create Content for Your Target Audience
In the world of Instagram where millions of posts go up by the day, you have to maximize your posts by making sure they speak directly to the people who are most in need of your product. Take a business dealing in women’s wear for example. Such a business should be primarily concerned with women in the age range that these products are most appropriate for and secondarily targeting men that might want to purchase these products for women in their lives. Kids, for example, will not benefit from your products so it would be a strange move to create cartoon images and videos for promotion purposes.
Knowing your target audience and making sure your content is specific to their interests ensures sales go in the upward direction.
9. Prioritize Customer Relations and Services
Customers can quite simply make or break your business. One bad review from a dissatisfied customer can go a long way in reducing your total number of customers and you have to do the best you can to ensure every customer has only great things to say about you. This is where customer relations and services come in. The more customer-oriented your business is, the more lines of communications you open with customers, the more money you make from sales. Hence, it would be disastrous to neglect this vital area of business while working towards sustainable growth.
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10. Listen to and Act on Customer Feedback
A large percentage of people go through product reviews before making a purchase decision so you must be on top of any negative perception expressed in the comment section of your posts. If multiple customers express a certain flaw in your products – factual or perceived – swift action has to be taken to address the problem or correct the false impression. The level of attention you pay to customer feedback can and will determine if your customer base strengthens or weakens over time.
In conclusion, an active online presence on all of the major social media platforms is extremely beneficial to what you are trying to build but Instagram is without a doubt the most important one to be on. Following these ten proven and efficient tips will without a doubt start you on the path to increased profits and revenue as well as brand recognition and awareness that will have people feeling zero hesitation towards putting money down to get what your business advertises on the market.
The high-quality professional (University of Southern California. Certificate in Marketing) when it concerns the online business. Bradley knows exactly how to make the targeting tools to increase the results. He writes the articles and posts them on the different marketing informational sites. His main aim is to pump the skills daily and to improve his specialties (SEO, UX, targeting, CRM, Analytics, email marketing).
The high-quality professional (University of Southern California. Certificate in Marketing) when it concerns the online business. Bradley knows exactly how to make the targeting tools to increase the results. He writes the articles and posts them on the different marketing informational sites. His main aim is to pump the skills daily and to improve his specialties (SEO, UX, targeting, CRM, Analytics, email marketing).
