How to sell on Instagram: 10 tips to smash it (2)

If there is a network whose possibilities of influencer marketing stand out, that is Instagram without a doubt. 

This is largely due to the fact that the lifestyle is very clear in the photos, videos and Stories that are uploaded. The followers of these prescribers get to connect in a very direct way with them. They feel appealed by a lifestyle and they want to aspire to, so their recommendations are followed almost as peer-to-peer advice and not as ads. 

So, you may think: what should I think about to hire an influencer? Well, the first thing you have to do is know the types of influencers that exist and assess what the pros and cons are. 

If you do not have a big budget to reach the star of the moment, or just want to test the possibilities of this strategy, we recommend that you start by searching for micro influencers who are important to your niche, even if they are not global celebrities. 

This is much more important than you might think and it is not always done the right way.

A hashtag is, after all, a label that provides context to the post. What happens is that, when clickable, it also allows the Instagram user to see all the photos and videos that use this hashtag and even follow it directly. 

The recommendation is that you always use two or three different hashtags (do not oversue them, as is not good), that are related to what is shown in your post, your brand values or what you want to communicate. And, before you choose, try a couple of different alternatives for each one: the app itself will tell you the potential reach each one. 

It is said that “a picture is worth a thousand words”. The thing is, in this case, the words go with the image, so they are enhancing and complementing the post. 

If you want to sell on Instagram, you will need to do a good persuasive writing exercise by applying the principles of copywriting to attract and convince potential customers. 

A good text for Instagram should:

The pre-sale step on Instagram is to get a good level of engagement with your audience or, what is the same, achieve a lot of interactions: likes, comments, video views, posts saved in collections… 

Nothing encourages participation more than quizzes, whether with or without a prize. Sometimes, it is simply enough to demonstrate the user's knowledge of a certain topic or reinforce their ego. 

Anyway, let's not kid ourselves: when you can get something, participation always goes up. The more appealing the prize is, the higher the number of participants and their activity level will be. 

You can base the mechanics of the contest on following you and tagging others, commenting, getting more likes to community posts... although I recommend that you not be overly ambitious with the number of requirements. Complicated mechanics end up discouraging users or, directly, they do not understand them and participate without meeting the rules. 

Although it is progressing, we must recognize that Instagram is not the most marketing-friendly platform. It does not give us all the possibilities that we would expect from it, considering that there are many brands that use it professionally every day. 

The good thing is that it can be completed with other third-party software and tools, so we can add valuable resources to Instagram. 

Do you want some examples? Do not mention it:

Images | Unsplash, Instagram, Hootsuite.