As one of the fastest growing platforms, Instagram is a perfect place to reach your target audience online. Moreover, there are five tactics to turn Instagram followers into customers, and therefore grow revenue.

With the growth of modern technologies and ecommerce, companies work in a hyper-competitive environment, and it increases the demand for alternative ways to reach potential customers and nurturing relationships with them. As a result, social media marketing is one of the best ways to interact with your audience without annoying them.

Instagram Marketing is on Its Rise

Since the launch in 2010, Instagram community has grown to 800 million active users. As a result, more and more brands set foot in Instagram marketing, and there are 25 billion business accounts on the network. Thus, Instagram has transformed from a selfie-sharing platform into a powerful marketing tool. Moreover, Instagram rolls out features that help businesses show off their products, engage followers in conversations, and boost sales without leaving the app.

Running Instagram business accounts is attractive for business owners who want to bring their marketing communication to the next level. However, it isn’t enough to achieve company goals. To make the most out of your Instagram presence, you need to understand how to convert your followers into customers.

If you’ve decided that Instagram is the right platform for your business, pay attention to the list of tactics that can help to turn Instagram followers into customers:

1. Deliver your Brand Message

Your Instagram profile is your visit card that allows visitors to understand who you are and whether they may find your content useful. Thus, it’s important to make it easy for Instagrammers to understand who you are, what is your product, and how it can help them solve their problems.

First and foremost, you need to fulfill your bio. Although Instagram allows users to post 150 characters to tell about the brand, you can add contact options and website link to help interested visitors learn more about you. Be sure to make your short bio cohesive and clear, and stick to your brand strategy when publishing posts. All in all, delivering your brand message is a key to hooking target audience.

2. Engage Followers

As people are spoiled with the amount of information they receive daily, you have just several seconds to interest them. And once your profile shows you are, you need to ensure that your content is engaging to keep your visitors interested.

From creating call-to-action posts to going live, there are many opportunities for brands to engage with their followers. People use Instagram to entertain and find useful information, so think about potential problems your visitors may have, and create posts and stories that can provide them with an actionable solution.

By the way, using ephemeral content is another great way to beat Instagram algorithm and boost organic reach. As it disappears within a limited period, customers want to watch it in order not to miss something important. Thus, it helps your brand increase engagement.

3. Make the Purchase Process Easier

Instagram is a perfect place to sell your product if you know how to do it the right way. Modern customers value their time and comfort, so the easier the purchase process is, the more chances you have to boost sales.

There are several ways to sell your product within the app:

• Call-to-action ads. Add a CTA button to your ad to make it easier for customers to find out more about the product within a few clicks.
• Shoppable tags. When you publish your product and list its benefits, don’t forget to make this post shoppable. Adding information about the products and including the prices help customers to make the purchase decision fast.
• Stories links. If you’re lucky to have 10k+ following, add clickable links to your stories. It’s a perfect way to drive website traffic and provide Instagrammers with further information.
• Stories highlights. As they appear under the bio, it’s something like crème de la crème of your content: customers can get a fast access to everything they may find useful without scrolling the feed.

Instagram rolls out features that help businesses sell on the platform, and one thing marketers should do is to keep an eye on these trends in order to enter the market faster than other competitors. For example, starting from June 2018, brands can add shoppable tags in Stories.

4. Show Off your Product

If you want to sell your product, there’s no need to tell about it to every customer. Instead of showing off its benefits, explain your followers how they can benefit with your brand. For example, you can prove your expertise in the niche by posting how-tos or tutorials.

Also, it’s a great way to host giveaways as they help to boost engagement, build brand loyalty and convert followers into customers. If you send branded freebies, you attract people who are interested in your product. After using your product, they can make the final decision faster.

Do you want to reach more people? Rely on influencers who match your brand idea. It’s a perfect way to enter an already-established community and deliver your brand message in a genuine way.

5. Maintain Relationships with Followers

Your followers are real humans who crave for attention, and if you can give it to them, they will never forget you. Instead of focusing on your goal to sell more, keep a focus on maintaining relationships as it can lead to the growth of the customer retention.

How to do it? Here are several tips:

• appreciate their efforts (like and comment their posts)
• help your followers feel valued (create polls and involve them into product creation)
• deal with negative comments (track brand mentions and try to find solutions)

If you can maintain long-term relationships with your followers, it’s more likely you will be able to gain their trust, and therefore this positive customer experience can affect them while making purchase decisions.

In a Word

Instagram is a perfect place to reach your target audience, build brand awareness, gain brand trust, and boost sales. If you want to turn your followers into customers, put them and their needs first.