How can you market your E-Commerce firm using Instagram?

Instagram is a popular and powerful form of social media. But what is the best way to market an E-Commerce firm with it?

Like most forms of social media, the use of Instagram varies widely. Many accounts are of individuals posting their selfies or telling their own personal story, while the site is perhaps best known for the propensity of many to post pictures of food.

However, there are many business-related accounts using Instagram and it is clear that the primarily visual nature of the site has some very strong commercial elements.

What opportunities exist for promoting your firm on Instagram?

These might be expressed in three ways:

•          A company can showcase its own wares and use the site to tell its own story through content accompanies by visual images

•          Those endorsing a product could show it on their personal sites, or sites set up for them as individuals to showcase a product

•          Instagram influencers can recommend a particular product

With over 500 million users, there are clearly plenty of consumers out there to whom marketing can be directed. It is worth noting, however, that the demographics are skewed somewhat towards a younger and more female audience.  

This makes it most useful for E-Commerce firms that specialise in areas such as women’s fashion, but the demographic imbalance is not so great that it cannot be used in a wide range of enterprises.

How can you get started with Instagram?

To get started, there are several steps to take:

•          Set up a business profile on Instagram

•          If you already have a presence on other social media platforms, promote them across these

•          Create interactive hashtags to help engage with your followers

Why should you get creative with your images?

The key to an interesting Instagram account is variety. Those travelling a lot or promoting tourism will always have lots of different images of tourist attractions, beaches and so on, but in other trades it can be easy to slip into the trap of simply posting straightforward pictures of products on display, such as items of clothing.

 

 

Indeed, that is where the use of influencers or models can be useful, as images of them using or wearing your product against various backdrops (a street scene, out in the country, on the beach, in the office) can offer the variety and attractive images you need.

Why should you repurpose other posts?

As mentioned above, you can draw attention to your Instagram site by promoting your posts across platforms. But you can also go further by repurposing another Instagram post.

This involves tagging in a post produced by someone else, which may be relevant to what you do. It is very important, however, that you credit the original source by tagging them, or you will be in trouble for plagiarism.

What can influencers do for you?

E-Commerce influencers can be a very useful way of promoting your firm and its products on Instagram.

•          Because they have a lot of followers, your brand will very quickly be brought to the attention of a significant number of people.

•          The influencer you choose should be associated with your sector, however, otherwise you may end up pitching to the wrong market.

•          For instance, if you trade in sports equipment but the influencer is promoting women’s fashion, there will be very limited cross-over.

How can BeUniqueness help you?

BeUniqueness can help you devise a social media strategy that works best for you and your firm. This may include having an Instagram account as well as using other social media platforms. The aim will be to produce a strategy that is tailored specifically to the needs of your firm.

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