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Instagram Marketing For eCommerce: The Complete Guide

Helen Golubeva
Helen Golubeva Author

Want to take advantage of this decade’s fastest-growing social media platform? 

You’re not alone, 71% of marketers are looking to find out how to market on Instagram like a boss.

And they’re spending crazy money on advertising and influencer marketing.

If you’re running an eCommerce website and want to boost your social media presence and sell on Instagram, this guide will walk you through everything step by step. We included only the most valuable Instagram marketing tips, that we tested thoroughly before sharing them with you. The good news is, you won’t have to give Facebook tons of money in the process.

Not convinced you need to market on Instagram yet? Take a look at the infographic below:

Instagram is growing like Wildfire, but it’s not too late to take advantage of this amazing eCommerce marketing opportunity. This guide is organized into easy-to-digest chapters and full of actionable tips to get your Instagram revenue stream flowing in no time.

Chapter I. How to Create an Instagram Business Account

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Registering an account on Instagram is the very first – and easiest – step. Tap-type-swipe-swipe and you’re welcomed aboard. But it doesn’t mean you’re all set . To harness the full power of Instagram, you should know a couple of top-secret buttons to press 😉 You’ll learn:
    – Whether you should create a personal or business instagram account and why.
    – How to create an Instagram account for business, step by step.
    – We will also give you Instagram profile power tips to attract more followers right off the bat

Chapter II. How to Get More Followers on Instagram

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If you post 100 photos to 0 followers will anyone see it? Of course not! We will show you how to get legit followers on Instagram so you can start boosting engagement and making sales. You’ll learn:
    – How hashtags can boost your following.
    – How most popular brands on Instagram attract new followers.
    – What Instagram marketing strategy is right for your brand.

Chapter III. How to Get More Likes on Instagram

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Let’s face it – It’s all about likes. A ton of Instagram posts with no likes or comments just looks sad. We’ve got proven tactics to earn real fans that engage with your content. You’ll learn:
    – Why you should share either engaging content or not post at all.
    – How every like contributes into your success.
    – What you can do to promote engagement of your audience.

Chapter IV. Instagram Influencer Marketing

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Influencer marketing is one of the fastest growing advertising industries. For a good reason. It works! You don’t have to get Kim Kardashian hashtagging your brand for it to work. The biggest opportunity is finding the niche influencers. You’ll learn:
    – How to find the right influencers to outreach.
    – How much these people charge. Why this Instagram marketing strategy is so effective.
    – How to avoid fake influencers.

Chapter V. How to Advertise On Instagram

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You’d be silly to completely ignore Facebook’s huge advertising reach. Advertising on Instagram is a slam dunk when it comes to eCommerce site monetezation. You’ll learn:
    – Why you need a Facebook page to advertise in instagram.
    – If Facebook pixel will be of any use for Instagram advertisers.
    – What types of ads are supported and how to choose the most efficient visual ad for your campaign.

Chapter VI. How to Sell on Instagram

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Here’s where the rubber meets the road. In this business if you are spending time and money on anything, you better be making money too. And more of it. You’ll learn:
    – What eCommerce solutions you can use today to get Instagram users buying.
    – How you can share the link to your product with the users in Instagram.
    – If the link in bio is the only place to do it. (Spoiler: it is not!)

Chapter VII. Instagram Analytics

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Running an Instagram account for business without analytics is like driving a muscle car with a bucket on your head. The power of hundreds of horses under the hood is uncontrollable and you hardly enjoy the ride. Collecting the statistics in Instagram and ability to read it is a game change. You’ll learn:
    – What built-in tools your account has to study Instagram insights.
    – What external Instagram Analytics apps are useful for social media marketers.
    – How to measure the user engagement and how to find out what to improve in your strategy.

Chapter VIII. Instagram Tools

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Edit the image? Find an influencer? Schedule the post? Remove fake followers and bots in your Instagram account? This is a daily routine of an Instagram marketer. As long as you have right Instagram tools within a reach of your hand, they are easy peasy lemon squeezy. You’ll learn:
    – What apps to use to Regram on Instagram.
    – How you can schedule a post or find an influencer with the help Iconosquare.
    – What other apps are must-have for an Instagram marketer.

Chapter IX. Instagram Shopping

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We all know that 72% of Instagram users are ready to buy. To help you accept and fill orders pouring from Instagram, we’ve created the best resource list of do’s and don’ts that are easy to skim, understand, and act on right away. Let’s dive in now. You’ll learn how to:
    – create an Instagram business account;
    – use shoppable Instagram tags;
    – use photos with a clear Instagram shop call to action;
    – treat this store of yours as a second home;
    – avoid (by all means!) things that you should not do.

Chapter X. Instagram Stories

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I’ve got no idea why, but Instagram Stories is one of the most underutilized features by businesses. And how wrong they are! 60% of people say they discover new products there. Isn’t it the right time to dig deeper into this option and give it try? You’ll learn:
    – why you should start using Instagram stories;
    – how to get the ball rolling;
    – some of the most popular features, like polls, countdowns, and location marks;
    – how to optimize stories for eCommerce — add shoppable tags, for example, or use Instagram checkout;

Not Just Another “How To Market On Instagram” Guide

Here your doubts come out. Remember reading another guide written to make you a super-duper guru or everything eCommerce? You’re agreeing with a smart author and nodding your head with respect. They created smart-arse a/b tests, optimized everything and reported 1000% growth in every respect.

But as soon as you start thinking about how to apply THEIR success story to your business processes, you realize that all that great stuff is NOT that great for your particular case.

Yeah, I know that feeling.

“All that Instagram rush is great but not for me”, your inner voice whispers.

“I can not create eye-candy images”, it continues

“Instagram rocks for the fashion industry, jewelry business, fitness goods and all those stuff with great product photos, but my products are boring looking.”, it adds to finish you off.

Think again.

There are tons of examples of highly successful brands on Instagram from the other industries, that post engaging content and crush it with campaigns all day long.

  • @teslamotors (2.4 mln followers), @uber (592K followers) or @bankofamerica (42K followers) prove that even a financial organization, a transportation service provider or a car-maker has something to share with picture-lovers.
  • A widget-spinners store @spinner_toy_shop (37,8K followers) and a pointe-shoes manufacturer @gaynorminden (65K followers) have managed to build a huge Instagram community around a very niche product they sell.

Instagram is a must-be to show off your products and build brand awareness. Even without direct Instagram selling (you may do that via your eCommerce platform, anyway).

  • @Nike (almost 75 mln Instagram followers) does not accept orders in Instagram, but this social network remains a part of their solid marketing strategy.
  • @starbucks (15.2 mln followers) chose a simple yet powerful mission of “inspiring and nurturing the human spirit”. You will never order your #icedcoconutmilkmochamacchiato via an Instagram direct message (yet). But seeing an eye-catching image and vibrant caption you immediately feel an overpowering desire to give away your soul for a cup of coffee. You may resist, but in a couple of days, you discover yourself going to the nearest Starbucks kiosk.

Instagram’s buying power is huge and keeps skyrocketing. Take advantage of its active and engaged users to reach your target audience and generate sales.

Otherwise, your competitors will.

Your eCommerce website can only get you so far. You need a powerful marketing presence to sell online. Our proven Instagram marketing tips will drive more traffic to your website and more users hitting your shopping cart page.

Do you still believe that marketing on Instagram is tad overwhelming? Hope not.

Infographic Sources:

Go to Chapter 1

Chapters

Helen Golubeva
Helen Golubeva Freelance SEO and Content Marketing Specialist

Helen is an SEO and Content Marketing Specialist. She has been creating and planning content for over 10 years, with 5+ years specializing in eCommerce.

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