Your Ultimate Guide to Social Selling via Instagram

Ensure you know how to use Instagram efficiently to achieve high brand awareness, but where do you start?

We're going to cover what social selling is, the benefits of implementing it, and give you some tips on how to use Instagram for social selling.

Social selling is a business strategy that uses social networks to generate leads, increase sales and improve brand awareness. It simply means using social media to generate revenue for your business.

Social selling has been around for a while now, as many companies have demonstrated through their online presence that they have one central goal: to sell their products and services. 

It often involves offers and promotions created by the brand's social media managers, promoting the products or services they believe will benefit consumers.

Social selling can be a hugely beneficial marketing strategy for many businesses. Here are just five of the benefits that make it such an effective marketing tool:

As already mentioned, social selling can increase brand visibility. It involves promoting your business on different social platforms to relevant audiences, who will become aware of your products and services. 

You can reach a wide variety of consumers who are more likely to purchase your products or services.

Social media platforms are great for promoting your blog, driving traffic to your website, and even informing potential shoppers about the latest sales and promotions. They can significantly benefit smaller businesses looking to get their first few sales. It helps them build a brand identity and generate profits.

Social selling is a great way to generate high-quality leads. You can also leverage natural conversations to learn more about your potential customers. 

Social selling will help build a strong bond and trust between you, which could lead to repeat business and long-term relationships. Customers appreciate it when they feel valued, and being part of the conversation gives them the sense that you genuinely care about their needs.

If you're looking to build an online presence and promote your business, you will need to use platforms where your target audience hangs out. Here are four of the most effective platforms for social selling:

Instagram offers a more personal way to promote your brand to users. It can also be a great way to share information about your business, emphasizing the visual. The platform offers several ways to create and share content (from Instagram stories to photos and reels) that can help you connect with your audience.

Twitter is a particular favorite of many businesses because it's a fast and straightforward way to convey their message to many. The platform has more than 76.9 million active American users. You can use Twitter for everything from informing customers about sales or giving away prizes for social media activity. 

Facebook is one of the largest social networks, boasting over 2.9 billion users. The platform offers several ways to promote your business, from Facebook pages and ads to events and groups. 

LinkedIn is the most popular business-oriented social network, and it's also one of the most important platforms for social selling. The platform is perfect for introducing your business to professionals through your LinkedIn page and connecting with other companies and brands.

Before you can begin to use Instagram for social selling, you must set up a business account. Follow these simple steps to create a business profile:

Once you've created an account, you can start using Instagram for social selling! Selling products and services on Instagram will benefit your business in several ways, including increased brand visibility, customer engagement, and a large following.

Here are six ways you can use Instagram to sell your products on the platform:

Businesses and shopping partners in the US can add shopping tags to posts on Instagram. You can tag up to 20 products per post on Instagram or through a third-party inventory management app. 

Shopping tags allow you to link your products directly to your photos and videos, adding a shopping cart to your posts. Users who click the link can view their product information and purchase from the app.

Users no longer need to swipe up on Instagram stories to see products. Brands and businesses can now add a shopping bag icon sticker to each product. If users tap on the sticker, they can see how much the product costs and learn more about the brand. 

You can add a swipe-up video link to your Instagram story to provide customers with more information about the products you sell. This feature allows users to view additional content without leaving the Instagram app. 

Instagram now includes a Shop tab on every post. Businesses can use Shop to promote themselves and their products on Instagram while selling their goods on the platform.

This tool allows businesses to sell physical goods online through the Instagram app. The service is available to all eligible companies in the US. Firms outside the US must commit to a long-term plan to get this feature. 

Every Instagram business profile now has a website link in its bio. Users can click the link to learn more about your brand, making it an effective way to promote your company and drive traffic to your website.

Adding your website link into your bio is a perfect replacement for US-only tools like "Shopping Tags" and "Instagram Checkout".

If you strive to get more out of placing a link in your Instagram bio, a solution to consider is using Taplink. Taplink is a landing page for Instagram, providing users with a link for their Instagram bio to aid in optimizing mobile traffic. This software allows users to create forms, receive requests and payments online, collect leads, and strategically place various calls to action. 

Instagram is a powerful tool for social selling, but it can also confuse businesses and brands. The platform is an excellent way for companies to grow and expand their audiences with the correct strategy. 

Here are seven tips to help you develop your social selling strategy on Instagram:

Influencer marketing is one of the most potent and effective ways to reach a new audience, expand your reach and grow your business. Influencers help you gain an audience interested in your product or service and give credibility to your brand. 

Partnering with influencers on Instagram can be one of the fastest ways for you to achieve these results. These influencers help increase engagement in your posts and build an audience interested in your products. They will also aid you in spreading awareness that can lead to increased sales.

As you become more established in the industry, start looking for influencers with high engagement rates. Using an influencer with a large following increases your chances of connecting with people who are already interested in your offer. 

Influencers can also help you build a loyal following that will encourage customers to become your advocates, which results in more sales. This approach has the potential to reach a larger audience and create genuine sales leads.

Good product photography is essential for a successful social selling campaign. It can be challenging to model your product well in a shot. The best way to do this is to use well-lit photographs. Your sales team should also know the best angles to model your products successfully.

You should also use high-resolution photos where possible. It's essential to create an empathetic connection with people through your photos, which will encourage them to buy.

Ask your marketing team to take various shots with different lighting to showcase the look and feel of your products. Use individual photographs of your product to highlight various features.

People like to see how the product will function and fit into their lives. Group photos also work well to showcase different offerings in the product line. Also, consider using detailed shots with a macro lens to show the finer details of your product. 

A key tip here is to make sure that your photographs fit the Instagram dimensions, otherwise, you’re going to lose quality when you post them.

Instagram introduced video reels to their platform in 2020, which made them a perfect fit for social selling. Social media is all about storytelling and moving people emotionally. 

Reels are a great way to showcase different angles of your products and create that empathetic connection with customers. Your reels should include a background image to give your customers a sense of place and story. Using clever hashtags to describe your product also helps build credibility.

Utilize high-resolution, original footage to create a compelling story. Your reels should also include close-ups with great lighting that move the viewer's eyes around the product in detail. 

Consider featuring items of clothing, accessories, and lifestyle products in your reels. Use a light, quirky, and futuristic arrangement to work well.

Add interesting background music to your reels, which can help to heighten the emotion and engage the viewer with your product. Creating an engaging reel will also help people become interested in your products and prompt them to purchase more. 

Reels are also easier to share on other platforms like Facebook and Tik Tok, which increases brand awareness and customer engagement.

User-generated content (UGC) refers to original content created by your brand's consumers. UGC could include images of products, comments, hashtags, and Instagram story reposts related to your brand. 

The content you receive from customers via Instagram can be a great way to engage with your audience and inspire them to engage in your brand. UGC can help build credibility for your business and allow you to engage with people more personally. 

Use promotions, challenges, and creative hashtags to encourage people to create UGC. Consider making a contest with real prizes, encouraging people to engage with your brand and share their stories. 

A great way to get your hands on user-generated content is to start a loyalty program or an affiliate marketing program that encourages customers to share images, reviews, and any other content surrounding your brand.

Instagram offers a targeted ad option where your brand can pay a small fee to appear on a specific audience's timeline. These ads are pretty affordable and provide an excellent platform to see who your audience is. 

If you do choose to pay for targeted ads, it's vital that you only run them on specific posts or hashtags that relate to your business. The more relevant the ad, the better the chance of being seen by potential customers.

Use Instagram's analytics tools to monitor your results. You can see how many people engage with your posts and gain insight into what works for you.

You will also be able to see how many sales you made as a result of your campaign. If this number is significantly higher than the corresponding period, the campaign was successful, and you should consider promoting it on other platforms.

Engaging with customers is a crucial part of your social selling strategy. It helps you build empathy with them and encourage them to engage more with you, which makes them more likely to buy from you. 

You should also create some unique content on Instagram related to your followers. This content can include guides, tips on fashion, beauty, or lifestyle, and mini sessions for fun. Ask questions to get feedback on your product and encourage people to share their stories with you.

Using Instagram to promote your business can be a great way to engage with potential customers and inspire them to buy your products. Instagram has changed how brands advertise, allowing you to build relationships with your customers through storytelling.

With social selling on this powerful advertising platform, you can share limited-time offers and promotions focusing on brand awareness and customer service.