It’s only been a couple of years since Instagram finally graced us with the ability to display products and link them directly to online catalogs, but we can assure you this has changed the game for businesses wanting to promote their brands through social media marketing. Discover how to set up Instagram shoppable posts and just how good they’ll be for your business!
What are Instagram Shoppable Posts?
Let’s get the concept straight first. Instagram shoppable posts are regular or organic Instagram posts in which you can “tag” your products and make money by making them available for selling. Tagging products in a shoppable post is the perfect opportunity to add a link to drive your Instagram followers to your website in an organic way. You can spot a shoppable post when scrolling through your feed because these types of Instagram posts have a tiny shopping bag icon at the bottom left corner of the picture. Once you tap the picture (just like you would with user tags) the products tagged will pop up in little windows with more information; such as price and description.
What Type of Businesses can Use Them?
If you’re wondering if this is the right social media marketing strategy for you, we have good news: literally any kind of business that has physical products can benefit from Instagram posts! It doesn’t really matter what type of business you run, or how many Instagram followers you have, it’s a fact that products that can be clearly seen from the comfort of your phone are much more likely to be bought. So, if you have a furniture store, a high end bridal boutique, a cool gadget brand or even a toy store, being able to promote your products directly from your social media or by using hashtags will help you make money.
Related: How to Incorporate Email Marketing and Instagram for Your Brand
How to Set up a Shoppable Post
Even though Instagram tries to be as user-friendly as possible and keep things simple, it’s still important to do each step of the process right in order to set up shoppable posts on your account. Before you start, you have to double check that your business has an Instagram account (sounds obvious but not for some people), make sure you’re within one of the 46 countries where this Instagram feature is available and have the latest version of the app either for Android or iOS. But the most important part is that you make sure the products you sell comply with Instagram’s policies. Do a quick Instagram search for its rules just to make sure.
- Step 1: Turn your profile into a business account
Once you verified the information above, you must check the configuration of your Instagram profile. When anyone opens up an account it can be a personal account by default. Now, this is fine unless you want to start enjoying the benefits of having an Instagram business account. And what are those, you ask?
A business account allows you to do shoppable posts, check detailed reports on your audience and account’s engagement and even do promotions without leaving the app. To turn your Instagram into a business account, make sure you have it in “public” so you can have Instagram followers and non-followers see it, go to the “gear” icon or “settings” icon on your profile, you’ll find the option “Switch to business profile” and “continue”. Follow the steps and make sure to state correctly your business information.
- Step 2: Upload your catalog to Instagram
Now, in order to complete this step, you must do some stuff outside of Instagram. If you have a website platform such as WooCommerce, Shopify or BigCommerce, you can follow the steps provided to create a Facebook catalog. If your website is on a different platform from WooCommerce or the other 2, you can still link your catalog to your Facebook profile. And if you don’t have a website you can always create your catalog directly on Facebook using the “Shop” feature.
Whichever option you choose, make sure your products are uploaded correctly and display full name, price and stock so anyone can see them through a quick Instagram search. The next step is to go to the settings of your Instagram account and select “Shopping”. Once your catalog is approved by Facebook and Instagram, you’ll see it on the list and be able to pick it, thus making it available on your profile.
- Step 3: Post and tag
Now that your catalog is ready and running correctly it’s time to create your first shoppable post. Start out by following the steps you normally do to post a picture or series of pictures; and when you get to the Share screen (where you write some copy, include some hashtags, tag people and pick other platforms to share your Instagram posts) you’ll find a “Tag products” option. Tap on it and you’ll be able to tag anywhere on your photo were your product appears, then all you have to do is write the name of one of your products and it’ll appear on the screen. Click on “Share” and your first shoppable post is ready!
Related: 9 Easy Ways to Grow Your Instagram Followers
- Step 4: Check results
Another cool thing about a business account is that you can check results on each individual post, and this will also include your products once you start doing shoppable posts. Directly from a post, you can see data such as how many product page views has the post generated as well as the product button clicks. This is probably the most important part of the process because from this metrics you’ll realize which of your products are attracting more views and clear intentions of purchase (product button clicks) or which can make money easier. The products that haven’t been performing so well are a great opportunity to try to display them differently, add different hashtags or even put them on sale.
How can Instagram Shoppable Posts Improve My Business?
Over the past 2 years, brands who’ve added shoppable posts to their Instagram business profiles as a social media marketing strategy have seen a traffic boost from 25% to 50% and sales boost up to 15% in a matter of months. Asides from securing even more sales for your business, shoppable posts give you the opportunity to get people on your website without having to pay for publicity. A shoppable post is the organic way to let audiences take the next step in engaging with your brand. It’s one thing to like your pictures, but once they see the price and description of your products right from the post, potential clients can get an idea of what it’d be like to consume your brand.
Setting up Instagram shoppable posts is as easy as doing an Instagram search. With the number of users expected to keep growing exponentially in the next couple of years, Instagram is a place where your business needs to be present. Follow these simple steps and turn your Instagram followers into customers; you’ll see economic results in no time!
