Instagram for e-commerce: everything you need to know to sell more on the social network of the moment!

[bitheerani93]

Want to increase your sales using the most popular network of the moment? Then check out our special tips on Instagram for e-commerce!

Instagram is the social network of the moment! Purchased in 2012 by Facebook, the platform has over 1 billion active accounts and continues to grow. Companies, of course, are no strangers to this scenario. According to data from Digital In Brazil 2019 , a survey conducted in partnership between We Are Social and Hootsuite, investment in advertising on the network grows 6.2% per quarter.

One of the reasons behind this number is the receptiveness of Instagram's costa rica phone number list to content created by companies. According to data from the network itself, more than 200 million people visit one or more business profiles every day. This makes the platform an excellent showcase for your business! But after all, how can you use Instagram for e-commerce? That's exactly what we're going to tell you from now on. Enjoy reading!

Instagram for e-commerce: how to start selling on the network?
If you don't have an Instagram account yet, the first step is to download the app and sign up. Don't forget to connect your account to your online store 's Facebook page . This is essential for creating your ads. The second step is to turn your profile into a business account — something essential to enable Instagram Shopping, the now-famous shopping bag icon that allows you to make purchases on the social network.

Open your profile and tap the icon in the top right corner
Access the “Settings” option
Tap on the “Account” menu
Select the option “Switch to a professional account”
Choose a category for your business
If you haven't already connected your Instagram account to Facebook, the app will give you one more opportunity to do so.
Enabling Instagram Shopping
After activating your business account, you need to request that Instagram allow you to use the shopping feature , Instagram Shopping. To do this, go to “Settings -> Business -> Sign up for shopping” and follow the steps requested by the network. If Instagram approves your request, you will be able to add your products to a catalog and display the shopping bag icon on posts made on your profile.

Example of a post that uses the Instagram Shopping feature.
Example of a post that uses the Instagram Shopping feature.
Want to learn more about the shopping feature? Check out the step-by-step guide to setting up Instagram Shopping!

6 tips to gain followers on Instagram for e-commerce
As we’ve already mentioned, Instagram users’ behavior towards business profiles is quite positive. People are really interested in consuming content produced by brands. According to a survey by Opinion Box, 83% of users follow a company, meaning you have a good chance of gaining followers… Just follow a few simple tips!

1 – Use hashtags (in moderation)
Using hashtags can significantly increase the reach of your posts , targeting them specifically to people interested in your niche. But be careful: Instagram doesn't like people who abuse this feature. The limit of hashtags per post is 30 , but it is recommended not to use more than 5 to avoid being classified as a “spammer” by the network's algorithm.

Tip: Create a hashtag specifically for your company and encourage your followers to use it. Large retail chains adopt this practice; just search for hashtags like #magalu or #sublovers, for example.

2 – Like other users’ posts
This tip is based on an experiment conducted by digital marketing guru Neil Patel. He started liking photos of random users who didn't follow him yet and discovered the following: for every 100 likes he gave, 21 were received back, in addition to 6 new followers.

But there is a way to optimize this strategy: like posts from users who are already interested in products in your niche instead of distributing random likes! It's simple:

Go to the profile of a company in the same niche as yours
Open any post and see the users who liked it (Instagram for smartphones doesn't always show this information, but you can find it in the web version of the app)