One of the most popular platforms for social media marketing is Instagram. It is known for its ability to connect with potential customers. According to eMarketer, in 2021, there are over a billion people on the platform. The good news is that 80% of them follow at least one brand.

With shoppable posts, brands can easily sell their products directly from users’ feeds. Instagram users are drawn to the platform due to its ease of use and visual content. This feature allows brands to create beautiful images that show how their products are used in real life.

Therefore, if you are looking to increase your brand’s reach and sales, connect your product library to Instagram to make it shoppable.

Why you should get started with Instagram Shoppable Posts

Through Instagram shoppable posts, users can easily follow the entire buyer journey from discovery to purchase. These include product launch reminders, shopping stickers, and the product wishlist.

Despite the hype, Instagram’s new integrations are becoming big revenue generators.

A 2019 study revealed that almost 55% of the people surveyed purchased products or services after seeing them on Instagram.

Aside from direct-to-consumer brands, Instagram’s shopping features can also be utilized by B2B companies looking to expand their reach. According to a report by HootSuite, almost 40% of B2B decision-makers use the platform to source new products and services.

Instagram shoppable posts feature a shopping bag icon that displays product information and a call-to-action.

This feature makes it easy for users to find and purchase products without being overwhelmed by the amount of promotional content.

Get Started with Shoppable Posts

Getting started with Instagram is relatively easy, but there are a few steps that need to be taken before you can start creating shoppable posts:

1- You must have a business account to use Instagram. You can change your personal account in the app settings.

2- You must be in an area where Instagram Shopping is available.

3- You will need also to connect to Facebook’s Business Extension. This will allow you to create a catalog of products and upload them to Instagram. 

Your product catalog is a file that contains information about the products that you want to sell. There are two ways to upload it.

You can manually add products to the Facebook Business Manager by going to the settings page and selecting the items you want to include. You can also connect to an ecommerce platform to sell through such as Shopify. 

4- Before you can start using Instagram Shopping, you must have an approved Instagram account. You can request a review in the final setup step: 

Once you’ve added your product catalog to Instagram, you can submit it for approval.

How?

Go to your professional dashboard and click “Set Up Instagram Shopping.” Then click on “Get Started” so you can choose your catalog. When done, review all the details and click “Submit”.

It usually takes a couple of days for your product to be approved. You may also need to provide additional details such as your domain verification.

You must have a website that can be published and has at least one product that’s available in your store. 

How to add Products with shoppable posts

To start, create a new standard Instagram post or an existing one. This feature allows you to tag up to five products in an image or video, and up to 20 products in multi-image posts. However, keep in mind that too many tags can cause confusion, and overdoing it can make it harder for a potential buyer to identify a product.

Instagram users can now identify a post as shoppable by clicking on the shopping bag icon. Once they click through to the product page, they can then buy it directly from the post. You can then add a Shop feed to your profile to allow customers to shop from your store.

How to sell products with shoppable posts

After setting up your Instagram account, focus on making sales. However, be selective about which posts you tag. This will help build strong relationships with potential customers and avoid getting bombarded with advertisements.

Furthermore, when a potential customer browses through your profile page, make sure that the posts are consistent with the brand and the aesthetic of the other posts you share. While filters can enhance images, make sure that the products are displayed properly. Instagram is a visual platform, so make sure that your posts are authentic.

Next, consider user-generated content (UGC). It can also help boost your social media marketing efforts. For instance, by adding tags to photos that customers have already shared, you can make them shoppable.

According to Adweek, consumers are more likely to trust user-generated content than branded advertisements.

You can also get an influencer to promote your products because it can help boost sales. Having them talk about your brand and products can help build strong relationships with potential customers.

Moreover, a good rule of thumb is to use hashtags on every post. This will help boost engagement and allow potential customers to easily find your business.

According to Sprout Social, having at least one hashtag on every post can boost engagement by 12.6%. Also, by including a brand-specific hashtag to all of your posts, you can help potential customers find your business. 

How to measure the results of your shoppable posts

Instagram business accounts can also collect data about how many people viewed your product information and how they interacted with your product page. This helps them identify areas of potential buyer interest.

Additionally, performance data is also important to understand how your social media marketing efforts are performing. It can help inform future posts.

Because through analytics, you can gain a deeper understanding of your audience’s wants and needs. It can also help improve your content and drive more sales.

Instagram is a unique platform that allows you to reach out to all of your potential customers in one place. So make the best out of it.