6 Brilliant Ways to Get More Customers Through Instagram

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Though Instagram is one of many social platforms available for e-commerce use, it’s arguably one of the best. The site is definitely the fastest growing: It’s far surpassed Twitter with its volume of daily active users.

It’s a pleasant outlet for consumers, but it’s terrific for businesses that use the platform to connect with their customers and generate leads. When employed effectively, it can be one of the most fruitful marketing solutions for your business.

How Instagram Brings More Customers

Lead generation is one of the most difficult tasks for marketers, but Instagram helps to close the knowledge gaps. It’s one of the best social tools for spreading brand awareness and enticing consumers to become customers.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Studies show that this hub of 500 million daily users is growing quickly, and other businesses are taking advantage of it.

Instagram Advertiser statistics indicate that 75 percent of Instagram users take action, such as visiting a website or making a purchase, when they view an advertising post. That’s a large group of people that offers a huge potential for conversions.

Six Ways to Gain Customers

The first step toward winning more conversions with Instagram is to gain more followers. The “science” of gathering a great Instagram following is primarily a process of trial and error.

You might try one thing and see some success for a while, but over time, that tactic may become less effective, and you’ll have to start again. Growing your startup through Instagram means getting more consumers, and then turning those consumers into customers.

If you’re not exactly sure how to do that, here are some tried and true tactics that work.

  1. Offer Exclusive Content: You probably have a Facebook and Twitter page as well as an Instagram page. You can create an extra incentive for your Instagram followers if you offer interesting and relatable content that can only be viewed on Instagram. You might also offer special discounts and deals to loyal followers of your Instagram page.
  2. Apply User-Generated Content: Instagram users love the attention a great photo can bring them. Include their content on your page to raise the authority of your business and cement customer relations. The best ways to get user-generated content is through the use of hashtags, photo contents, and a featured photo spot for your company page.
  3. Adopt Hashtags: Speaking of hashtags, they’re a great way to spread brand awareness and build a community of followers. Research from Simply Measured shows that 70 percent of the most used hashtags are branded, and posts that use hashtags receive 12.6 percent more engagement.
  4. Show Personality: Make your company profile one that people will want to get to know. Showing the fun atmosphere you work in and doing acts of kindness or charity will endear customers to you.
  5. Run Contests: This is by far one of the best ways to generate leads, and that of course progresses to customers. If you have awesome prizes, whether as a giveaway or a discount, you’ll spread the word about your brand far and wide. You’ll also experience greater engagement and a stronger following from your efforts.
  6. Build Communities: One of the many reasons customers spend so much time on social media is because they love feeling part of a community. As you network with other businesses in related industries and connect with customers who share their love of your products, you’ll have a much easier time attracting new people to your profile and your website for slam-dunk conversions.

Get a Competitive Advantage

Through the use of the above marketing tactics, you’ll gain a profoundly competitive advantage over your competitors. Less than 50 percent of brands are on Instagram right now, but that number is expected to rise quickly.

By the end of 2017, that rate or participation is expected to grow to more than 70 percent. If you start to use Instagram now for customer generation, you’ll be among the first to pioneer the social site and catch the attention of a rapidly growing customer base. 

Larry Alton
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Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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