The Instagram Shopping Guide For Small Businesses

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The Instagram Shopping Guide For Small Businesses

Instagram Shopping Guide: Let’s get started!

Following on from the rise and success of eCommerce, Instagram introduced the platforms ‘Shopping feature’ in June 2018. Here is an instagram shopping guide for small business.

This added function allowed brands to not only promote but sell their products on Instagram directly.

Since the initial release of Instagram Shopping, the platform’s popularity has experienced tremendous growth, with over 927.9 million predicted users logging on to the platform per month by 2021. 

Instagram is extremely user-focused, meaning its algorithm and general function is changing multiple times throughout the year. An example of these changes would be Instagram’s decision to ‘hide likes’ in late 2019.

Understandably, the way users engage and interact with content has changed. It can be overwhelming trying to grasp these new concepts and adapt the way you interact online, but don’t worry!

This article will demonstrate exactly how to get started with Instagram Shopping and how best to approach it in 2020.

The topics we will cover are:

  1. Getting Started
  2. The Advantages of Instagram Shopping
  3. Running Your First Campaign
  4. How To Measuring The Results

Getting Started

Before you start selling, your Instagram profile and product must meet all of the necessary requirements:

  • Your product must follow the Facebook Advertising Guidelines – Products which pose health issues such as tobacco are banned from being promoted. To check whether your product is recognised, Facebook has released a comprehensive list of items which should be avoided
  • Have an Instagram business account – Change your Instagram account from private to business (this will allow you to see page insights)
  • Primarily sell physical goods – before selling products on Instagram, your business must have previously sold items 
  • Have your business account connected to a Facebook Catalog – making this connection is going to let you run ads and use more of the platform’s functions

When all of this is done, you can submit your account for review. This is done by visiting the Settings > Business > Shopping page on your Instagram account.

If you require more detail, visit Instagrams Set Up Requirements for Shopping on Instagram page.

The Advantages of Instagram Shopping

Instagrams Shopping feature lets you tag a maximum of 5 products per image, meaning you can promote a whole outfit or 5 variations of a single product!

Shopping tags can be added to a feed or story post, creating an interactive piece of content. This style of content is in high demand, with 81% of marketers supporting its effectiveness over static content.

Convenience is another factor which consumers strive for in everyday life. Instagram Shopping is revolutionising online shopping and the level of convenience consumers will expect in the years to come.

Shopping tags take a minimalist approach, allowing the user to scan a story of feed post with ease, and the option to learn more about the product if necessary.

Running Your First Campaign

First, decide whether you are going to promote a product in an existing post, or create an entirely new one.

Once you have decided, its time to run the ad!

Just follow these simple steps Instagram has recommended:

  • Click Create
  • Select your objective (brand awareness, reach, post engagement, link click, conversions are available for shopping posts).
  • Select your audience
  • Select Edit Placements > Instagram Feed
  • Choose an existing post or create a new one
  • Select the Shopping Post you’d like to promote

Although it is easy to create a Shopping post, it doesn’t mean your sales are going to start rolling in.

A good Instagram Shopping ad follows the same principles as a successful Instagram post.

It must be:

  • High-Quality – A blurry image will look unprofessional and your product won’t be visible
  • Vibrant – A bright image which stands out in the feed is one that will be noticed and viewed for longer
  • Appropriate Language – Choosing the correct tone of voice to engage with your followers is essential when promoting your product and developing your businesses reputation
  • Ask Questions – Sparking a conversation in the comments is one of the best ways to receive engagement. The more engagement your post receives, the more people Instagram will show it to
  • Share Knowledge – Providing your followers and new visitors with educational content is what will make them revisit your page, allowing them to view more of your products in the long-term.

At the end of the day, building a sustainable Instagram audience is down to consistency.  

The more consistently you post and engage with your audience, the more chances you will sell products and attract new visitors.

There are plenty of techniques that can attract visitors to your Instagram Shopping post, however, a lot of them are unsustainable and will attract irrelevant visitors.

Following the steps above will give you the best start to your Instagram Shopping experience.

How To Measuring The Results

When you add a shopping tag to a post, you are able to view insights relating to its performance.

Product Views will allow you to see the total number of times your product tag has been viewed.

Product Button Clicks tells you the total number of times people have selected the purchase button on your product page

As mentioned earlier, changing your Instagram page into a business account is a key part of Instagram Shopping. What it will also do is show you how many page views you have received over the past 7 days. If this number starts to increase during your Shopping campaign, you’re doing well!

Although insights such as page views and product views can be seen in the short-term,  the impact of your campaigns is best reviewed in the long-term after consistently using Instagram.

Summary

Instagram Shopping is an easy feature to implement in your digital marketing campaign.

Creating a new and convenient way for your audience to shop online is in high demand and will give you a competitive advantage if utilised. Consumers are in need of interactive content, but the majority of small businesses can find it challenging to create, however, Instagram Shopping is readily accessible and therefore provides businesses with the opportunity to start creating.

It is important to measure your campaign results using the insight functions available. Instagram’s algorithm is constantly changing throughout the year, so the marketing techniques you are using now will not necessarily work in the future.

Although we hope that this Instagram Shopping guide gelped you to get up and running, building a successful and sustainable campaign takes time and expertise.

This isn’t the end of the world, we are here to help!