When used correctly, Instagram can be one of the greatest traffic sources for your growing online business. A recent study shows that Instagram provides online sites with 25% more traffic than any other social media platform.
Below are a few strategies that you can implement in order to grow a huge loyal following and generate thousands of visitors to your website or Etsy Shop every month using Instagram.
Hashtags
One way to utilize Instagram is by using current and relevant hashtags that will attract consumers to your photos and eventually, to your site.
Websta has come out with the top 20 current hashtags being used. Here are a few: #love, #instagood, #me, #tbt, #tagsforlikes, #happy.
These hashtags act as keywords to help the user get to your product and eCommerce business.
Now the hashtags listed may not encompass what your business is about at all, but there are others that do.
You’ll just need to find and use hashtags other Instagrammers are using by typing in keywords into the search bar and scrolling through other’s photos on Instagram.
Iconosqaure or Websta are free online programs that assist online businesses in finding relevant hashtags that suit them.
Photo Filters
Another important part of Instagram is choosing what filter(s) to use when taking your photographs.
Some of the top filters from Populagram are: Amaro, Lo-fi, hefe, Sierra, and no filter.
These filters serve the purpose of enhancing the product, which draws in the consumer and makes them more likely to buy.
Determining the right filter takes a lot of trial and error so be sure to test out a variety before settling on one.
Remember the filters used on the photos are what attract customers.
Posting at the Right Time
Along with considering the hashtags and filters used, you should also consider the time of day you post photos on Instagram, and when your followers will be most active.
If you visit the website Iconosquare, they will provide you with a detailed description and charts displaying the times you post vs. the amount of engagement from followers.
This is a helpful tool in determining if when you are posting is the right time or if you need to adjust in any way.
Posting at the right time is all about catching and engaging with your followers at the right moment, which is when they are online.
Find New Followers
One of the best ways to find new followers is by looking at the followers your closest competitors have since they are in the same industry as your business.
The way to get these followers following you is by engaging with them. The three various ways of doing this are by: following, liking, and commenting.
This will let that user know that you are interested in their business and taking an active approach in reaching out to potential consumers.
Also, it’s a great way to inform the users if they were unaware of your business.
Studies show that following a user gets a 14% return back on users following the store, while liking and commenting on a potential follower’s photos get up to a 22% – 34% return on followers.
Sponsored Posts and Product Reviews
This last tip is a very effective way to get tons of new followers, but you will have to spend a few bucks.
A lot of Instagrammers will post pictures and tag you in them for a price. T
his is a really powerful and effective way to get a lot of exposure for a great price.
Use the service called Websta in order to find blogs and users with followers of 20,000 or more that have contact info listed.
Make sure you find profiles that are going to have followers that are relevant to you.
For example, if you’re selling children’s clothes, then you would want to find accounts who have a lot of mothers following them.
An account like DailyMomIG would be perfect.
Reach out to these accounts using the contact info you find on Websta and ask them if they would post an image for you and tag you in it and if so what would they charge.
Most of the time this will cost between $10 – $50. These posts can be advertisements you made or product reviews from users or the blogger him/herself.
