Tired of watching your products gather dust on the virtual shelves of your online store instead of sales?
You are not alone. In fact, most Shopify owners face this. You may have created a great Shopify store, but that's only half the battle. In today's hyper-connected world, simply having an online store isn't enough.
To succeed, you need to be where your customers are, which means being on social media these days. Specifically, it means being on Instagram.
With over a billion monthly active users, it's time to put on your best filter, get your hashtag game on point, and start promoting your store like it's going out of style.
In this guide, we'll look at the most important things you need to know about Instagram and how it can help grow your Shopify business.
Let's get started!
Why your Shopify store must be on Instagram?
In comparison to Twitter and Facebook users, Instagram's audience is far more engaged. And since businesses can easily advertise their Shopify stores on Instagram using simple tools for brands, the platform has become a go-to social media destination for online retailers—not just clothing companies or selfie addicts.
In fact, 35% of Instagram users will purchase because they saw something on the platform. And this trend will increase because Instagram has reached over one million monthly active users.
Instagram marketing builds customer engagement and drives sales directly from the Shopify store. It offers various ways to create real-time product photos, videos with location tagging, and hashtags for enhanced posts that boost organic traffic. It is not only that, but Instagram also builds customer loyalty and engagement through its campaigns and offers.
And now it is your turn to find out why you aren't taking advantage of this opportunity.
Why is Instagram's marketing strategy important for Shopify stores?
In addition to the deep analytics you may already be aware of, here are some things that are likely new for you—and should help make Instagram a powerful tool for your Shopify store.
1. Wide reach.
With the introduction of reels, Instagram has become a powerhouse for marketing your products online. The platform has over 1 billion users, mostly active on mobile devices. This means you can reach out to your target audience easily without worrying about ad placement or the cost of buying impressions.
Here's an example of a D2C brand's reel that got around 45k engagements,
According to Statista, reels on Instagram had a much higher user reach than posts on the social media app. Accounts with up to 500 followers had an almost 900 percent reach; images saw 77 percent.
Yes, you read it right; it's a 900% boost.
Which is a whooping reach, and you can make use of this to your advantage. This is because, unlike posts that only appear on the user’s feed, reels are played automatically when users open their Instagram newsfeed. You can also use an AI voice generator to achieve better and wider reach.
2. Simple shopping experience.
With all those perfectly curated photos and eye-catching captions, people are hypnotized into hitting the "buy now" button. It's like magic, but with fewer rabbits and more trendy clothing.
Plus, Instagram makes it easy for Shopify owners to interact with their customers, which is great news for those who love a good chat. Instagram makes it easy for people to ask questions, give feedback, and even get a little love from their favorite brands (I see you, Glossier).
3. Build social trust.
When it comes to online shopping, the most problem that holds people back is the fear of making a bad purchase. It’s not uncommon to see people scouring reviews on Amazon and checking out customer feedback on Google before they buy anything. And that makes sense because no one wants to spend money on something that doesn’t deliver what it promises or breaks after just a few uses.
But when you have a verified profile on Instagram with good engagement and love from your users, people will love to purchase your products.
Here's the comment section of the brand Phool; this is acting just like a review section on your Shopify store but gives you free reach. 😉
After all, why wouldn’t they? It’s a win-win situation for everyone. Customers purchase something they know will work, and they can make some extra cash.
4. Boosts traffic to your site.
By posting photos and videos of your products on Instagram, you show off your wares to a new audience. And with the right hashtags, those people can find your posts and click on your Shopify site to learn more. It's like a game of virtual cat and mouse, except instead of mice, it's potential customers, and instead of cats, it's... well, I guess it could still be cats if that's your thing.
But the fun doesn't stop there! You can also use Instagram to share behind-the-scenes peeks at your business, customer reviews, and other juicy tidbits that will keep your followers returning for more. And the more they return, the more likely they are to visit your Shopify site and, dare we say it, make a purchase.
So, how do you use Instagram for business? It's pretty simple: You post relevant pictures and videos to your audience. If you're selling clothes, post pictures of clothing (or models wearing said clothing). If you're selling jewelry, then post photos of jewelry on real people or even just close-ups of the pieces themselves. The more you expose, the more you'll sell.
5. Improves your ranking.
The more visitors you have to your website, the more likely search engines will notice and reward you for having such a large audience.
But it’s a constant battle between social traffic and search engine ranking. To get clarity on how exactly social media helps you with search engine ranking, I asked Alvin Wei, the CMO and Head of Strategy at SEOAnt. According to him,
“Social media traffic can indirectly help with your site's ranking. E-commerce merchants with optimized social media pages or profiles can appear in the search results for branded queries. With a well-optimized social media profile/page, dominating page one of your brand's results is possible and will help improve visibility and overall rank.”
So why not have one? Imagine how much you can make when you get free publicity on social media while outranking your competitor with that free traffic. 💰
How to Get Started with Instagram for Your Shopify Store?
Isn't that tempting for you to start your Instagram journey? As you can see, there are many ways that Instagram can benefit your Shopify business. The only thing left to do is to get started!
Here is a step-by-step process that will help you get started with Instagram for your Shopify store:
Step 1: Create a Facebook channel in your Shopify store.
First, you must set up a Facebook Channel to add your Shopify products. This will make it possible to tag all the products added to that channel and then add them to Instagram feeds and stories.
Step 2: Set up your Instagram business profile.
Instagram allows you to create business profiles that are different from personal ones. The difference is that it gives you more features and controls to manage your store’s Instagram account better. If you want to switch your existing profile to a business page, you can do it with a single click on the settings menu.
If you are new to Instagram, simply fill out the signup form and tap “Switch to Business Profile” in Settings. But remember, you can't instantly start selling; you have to pass the review process. To become eligible to use Instagram Shopping, you must fulfill the following requirements:
- You need to have an Instagram Business account linked to your Facebook page and containing a product catalog.
- The Instagram Shopping feature must be available in your region, and you must sell only products (no services).
If your business meets all of these requirements, you may request a review.
- To sign up for Instagram Shopping, go to the Settings menu and click Business.
- Scroll down until you see “Sign Up for Instagram Shopping,” and follow all the necessary steps to complete your registration.
Instagram may take two to three days to approve your request for the Shopping section, but it will be visible in Settings once you get approval.
Step 3: Enable Instagram Shopify and set your products.
Once Instagram approves and activates your business profile, you will have to turn on the Shopping feature to tag images you post so that customers can begin placing orders.
- Click on Profile Settings, then select Shopping in the drop-down menu.
- Click Continue, and your Facebook Channel will be linked to your Instagram business profile—allowing you to start selling!
Step 3: Optimize your profile.
Once you can access the Shopping section, you can optimize your profile. This will give your business more visibility in Instagram’s search results and help increase sales. To optimize your profile, you should:
- Use a consistent brand identity across all of your social media accounts
- Make sure that the information in each profile is accurate and up to date (especially your business hours)
- Add a link to your website on Instagram so people can learn more about your products.
Step 4: Add products to your profile.
Once you’ve optimized your profile, the next step is to add some products. You can start by adding one product at a time and then gradually increasing the number of items that are available on your page. You can do this by uploading photos of your products or creating an Instagram story that shows off what your business has to offer.
Always tag your products to the appropriate Shopify links. Remember that you can only tag 5 different items in each image or video.
Make sure that the name of your Instagram profile is exactly the same as your Facebook page. Share images from both, and you'll have no trouble taking orders from people who follow you on one or both platforms.
Step 5: Leverage stories and reels.
Instagram stories are a great way to get people interested in your product. You can use these short videos or photos to show off how your product is made, how it works, and what it does. This will help you build stronger relationships with your audience and encourage them to purchase from you. If you’re on a budget, you can also explore the option of editing videos for free to make your Instagram stories even more engaging.
Don't forget to use the Reels to triple your reach, and use trending audios and high-quality videos to get better traction.
How to Promote Your store on Instagram?
Here comes the fun part, but to be honest the challenging part. Anyone can open an Instagram account and start promoting their product, but only a few will stay consistent and heap sales. But worry not, we are here to help you grow.
Here are some tips that actually work to help you promote your store:
1. Leverage influencer marketing.
Influencer marketing puts a spotlight on your brand as they are highly engaged in your niche and have a strong following. So, you can partner up with them and get them to promote your products.
A recommendation from a creator similar to your target audience can make all the difference for your campaign. Whereas brand content is rarely trusted, 63% of people trust recommendations from influencers they like—and that's why it's so important to get one.
Here's how Lavie uses influencer marketing to gain a competitive advantage.
But it's crucial to do it correctly, as most influencers have low engagement rates while having many followers. Here are some tips to reach the right one,
- Choose influencers who have the same target audience as you.
- Find influencers with a high engagement rate: The higher the engagement rate, the better your chances of getting noticed by that influencer's followers.
- Collaborate with micro-influencer, as the influencer marketing cost is
2. Conduct seasonal giveaways.
Seasonal giveaways are a great way to get new customers and encourage existing ones to shop more. You can use it to reach out to your current audience and expand your customer base by reaching out to new people.
Here's an example from Smoor,
And the best part, you can ask people to do a task to be eligible for the giveaway. This way, you can increase your engagement rate and get more people to enter. They will get a gift, and you will get good publicity. It's a win-win situation for both.
To make the most from your giveaway contests, try following these tips,
- Offer something valuable that people will use.
- Make it easy for people to enter the contest and tag/share it with friends or family.
- Ask people to follow your account.
- Use eye-catching graphics and visuals to promote your contest.
- Make it easy to enter and share the contest with others.
- Engage with your followers and build excitement around the contest.
- Follow up with your winners and share the results with your audience.
- Analyze the data and feedback to improve future giveaways.
- Don't forget to have fun and enjoy the process!
- Bonus tip: Partner with other brands or influencers to increase exposure and reach.
3. Use stories wisely.
Instagram Stories has become one of the most popular features on the platform, and for marketers, it's almost as essential as brushing your teeth in the morning. It's a great way to show your followers a behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in your business. It's also a good way to introduce new products, services, or campaigns.
Here's how Lavie uses stories to drive traffic to its website,
When done right, you can convert more followers into sales. And the best part is stories come with multiple features allowing you to engage with your audience. Here are some best practices to convert more,
- Use the product sticker function to tag products in your stories and drive traffic straight to the relevant product page.
- Encourage users to visit your feed by sharing feed content in your stories.
- Use the countdown timer to launch exciting products and generate buzz around your brand.
- Host live streams and Q&A sessions to engage your audience and showcase your brand.
- Use polls to ask questions and engage with your audience. Use the location sticker in your stories to promote an upcoming event or promotion. Create a custom sticker pack of branded emojis that users can add to their stories.
- Use the color filters function to showcase different styles of your products or highlight seasonal trends.
4. Use promotional codes to entice the audience.
Who else can refuse a decent deal? Promotional codes are an excellent way to entice your audience. You can use them to generate buzz around your brand, increase engagement and drive sales.
You can use that coupon code even on your bio and all the content you create. This will help them to keep coming back and stay connected with you.
5. Use shoppable posts.
Shoppable posts are a great way to engage your audience and drive sales. You can create a post that includes products from your store and then allow users to check them out and purchase them directly from their feed.
If your posts get more reach, they will likely get more engagement. You can use shoppable posts on Instagram Stories, and regular posts.
Other ways to perform Shopify marketing strategy
Why only Instagram? Don't we have any other platform to sell more?
If you are wondering the same, yes, we do have other platforms. You can also use Facebook and Pinterest to increase your sales. Let’s discuss the most effective ways to use Shopify marketing strategy that brings more sales.
1. Integrate WhatsApp with Instagram.
What if your customers have questions or need assistance with their purchases? WhatsApp is the fastest way to communicate with your customers in real time. You can use this platform to help them with their queries and complaints.
BiteSpeed allows you to automate product selection and assistance via WhatsApp, so your customers will never have to wait for answers. With this integration, you can also send mass WhatsApp messages about your products and sales.
And the best thing? The entire process is automated, so you can focus your energy more into your business strategies than on clearing the repeated questions from your users (yeah, we will handle that for you). The more you make shopping easy for your users, the more sales you make.
2. Use pop-ups to convert the traffic you gain from social media.
Ok, now you are driving traffic to your website. But what about the people who are landing on your page and leaving without purchasing anything?
They are just landing, browsing, and ghosting. Though multiple factors contribute to this, the main factor is the price point. How can you give a compelling deal at the right time?
This is where the role of exit intent pop-ups comes in! Exit intent pop-ups are designed to convert visitors that are leaving your website. You can use this tool to show them a discount code or an offer for free shipping, encouraging them to stay on your site and purchase something.
Here's how Ambrane does the same,
When you create an irresistible deal, you’ll find that your customers are more likely to stick around and make a purchase.
But how can you create better pop-ups and nurture them through WhatsApp? (As WhatsApp is the best way to get noticed and where competition is less😉).
Shake your hands with BiteSpeed. It helps you create eye-catching pop-ups and convert more visitors into customers. You can even use gamification like "Spin the wheel" to increase engagement and encourage your customers to take action.
Literally, me, making a purchase just to use that expiring coupon,
3. Click on WhatsApp ads.
Have you heard of click-to-WhatsApp ads? They are a highly effective way to drive traffic and conversions for your business. The concept is simple: you place a click-to-WhatsApp ad on your ad, and when someone clicks it, they are taken to a WhatsApp chatbot that allows them to interact with your brand.
Adding "Click to WhatsApp Ads" to your Facebook Ad campaigns allows you to implement one of the best Facebook Ads strategies for your Shopify store. This approach allows you to set up a conversation that leads users to your store. It is a powerful way of reaching customers directly, especially if they do not need another ad from your business.
Retargeting can help you target your ads to people who have already expressed interest in your business by visiting its website. Using BiteSpeed, you can segment, nurture, and convert them into loyal customers.
In addition, there are other options you can use to improve your results. For example, you can launch an upsell/cross-sell campaign to offer more products or services to your existing customers. You can also offer discounts or promotions to price-sensitive audiences to lower the price point. For less relevant audiences, you can retarget them with a festive season offer to pique their interest.
Investing in WhatsApp marketing can be a one-time investment that will bring in revenue in the long run. With the right strategy and tools, you can make the most out of your WhatsApp marketing campaigns and see an increase in your business's revenue.
4. Use YouTube marketing.
YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world, with more than one billion users. It is a powerful tool that can help you reach your target audience and convert them into customers. YouTube marketing can be used to promote your business by sharing videos about your products.
You can even use YouTube shorts. Just repurpose your reels and post that as YoutTube shorts. You can also create a series of videos that will offer valuable information to your target audience, such as how-to videos or even tutorials on your product. This way, you can build trust with potential customers and increase their brand loyalty.
Frequently Asked Questions.
1. What is Instagram marketing?
Instagram marketing is a marketing strategy involving using Instagram to promote your business. You can create an account on Instagram and use it as a platform for sharing photos, videos, and even ads. This can help you increase your brand awareness, increase traffic to your website and boost sales.
2. How do I promote my business on Instagram?
There are many ways to promote your business on Instagram. You can create an account and share photos, videos, and even sponsored posts. This will help you attract more followers who will see your content in their feeds.
3. What is the best way to use Instagram for marketing?
To use Instagram for marketing, create a business profile, share high-quality visuals, use relevant hashtags, post consistently, engage with your followers, collaborate with influencers, and use Instagram Stories and Reels to showcase your products, share behind-the-scenes content, and interact with your audience. Use the above tips to help you successfully market your business on Instagram.
4. How do I start Instagram marketing?
To start Instagram marketing, create a business account, add a bio, and fill out your profile information. You can also add links to your website and other social media profiles. Next, post high-quality visuals that showcase your brand. Use relevant hashtags when posting so people can find you more easily in their search feeds. Don’t overuse them, though! Post consistently so people can expect new content from you every day or two days at the very least.
Grow with the best strategies.
So there you have it - a complete guide to using Instagram to promote your Shopify store. With the right strategy, you can turn your followers into customers and your customers into loyal fans. Remember that branding is half the battle; the rest exists in converting the traffic into sales. And the best way to do that is BiteSpeed.
Browse abandonment is common when you have a large audience. You can’t be everywhere at once, so you need to ensure that when customers are ready to buy, they have the right offer and the information at their fingertips. That way, they don’t wander off looking for another solution or get frustrated and completely give up on your brand.
This is where BiteSpeed abandoned cart feature comes in. It automatically asks the reason for the abandonment and helps them convince them to come back with a relevant solution to their problem. The feature also allows you to see the abandoned carts from within your dashboard and follow up with customers who have left without making a purchase.
Hold on; we have more than you need. From pop-ups to collecting reviews, we will take care of most things preventing your customers from making a purchase. Want to know those strategies and boost your bottom line?
Schedule a free demo, and we will show you how to improve your customer experience, increase your conversion rate and boost your bottom line, deal?
