How Can Instagram Help your Magento eCommerce Business?

Instagram is a powerful social network. There are over 300 million active users, and 59% of US adults use Instagram daily. It’s much more complex than pictures of your friend’s lunch and selfies. If used correctly, it’s actually a huge marketing opportunity for your eCommerce site. Instagram wasn’t designed for businesses, but there are ways […]

By Jill Govier

Instagram is a powerful social network. There are over 300 million active users, and 59% of US adults use Instagram daily. It’s much more complex than pictures of your friend’s lunch and selfies. If used correctly, it’s actually a huge marketing opportunity for your eCommerce site. Instagram wasn’t designed for businesses, but there are ways to boost traffic and sales on your site just by using this app. It’s all about engaging with your customers on a personal level.

Nike / Instagram
nike-communicate

Communicate Your Brand Through Images

Instagram is about sharing moments in real time with your followers. They want to have a personal connection with your brand. On instagram you can focus on telling your story and communicating the lifestyle you want your brand to represent.

Crate and Barrel / Instagram
crateandbarrel-communicate

Show ‘Real’ People Using Your product

What I meant by ‘real’ people, I mean ordinary people who are using your products and showcasing them on instagram. Consumers are drawn to authentic and honest uses of the product. For example, if a fashion blogger posts a photo of herself in a floral dress you’re selling, your customers will feel more comfortable making the purchase if they see a ‘real’ person actually using the product.

ModCloth / Instagram
modcloth-realpeople

Go Behind The Scenes

Let your followers experience what it’s like behind the scenes. Post raw images of events happening at your store that day, parties at the office, or what it takes to get ready for a fashion show. This ties into what kind of lifestyle you want to represent, and it gives your customers a sneak peek behind your brand.

TopShop / Instagram
topshop-behindscenes

Promote Products and Sales

Instagram is great to use when you want to promote products or sales. It makes marketing your products easy since you all need to do is add a photo, description, and some hashtags. Just keep in mind that you cannot add links to your products or to any other site in the image description. If you need to refer to a link, paste the link under your about me on your Instagram profile.

TopShop / Instagram
marcjacob-newproduct

The Importance of Hashtags

Hashtags are words or phrases with the ‘#’ symbol in front. They link out to other images that have the same hashtag associated with them. Hashtags are ideal to use when you want more followers and likes. You can create memorable hashtags that can be identified with your brand. Using already existing popular hashtags can also bring more attention to your Instagram.

Just a few words of caution: read the words you’re combining carefully and make sure they don’t form any other words that could be potentially inappropriate or embarrassing. Also, check if your hashtag already exists. Some other brands might have used the same hashtag, or there might be some undesirable content you don’t want associated with your brand.

H&M / Instagram
hm-hashtag

Launch a Campaign or Contest

Get your follows to participate in photo campaigns or contests. Offer some sort of discount or item, and ask your follows to post a photo that best represents your campaign or contest. Followers can use hashtags that only pertain your brand. This way you get more followers, and new potential customers recognizing your company. It’s an easy way to have your followers market your brand for you.

Starbucks / Instagram
starbucks-campaign

Connect Instagram to your eCommerce store

Display your Instagram feed on your eCommerce store. Instagram feeds are typically seen on the homepage, near the footer, on the product page, or in a sidebar. When a customer visits your site, they can look through your Instagram photos, and go directly to your Instagram account. It’s great to have Instagram photos on your product pages that display that specific item. Therefore, customers can see first hand how the product looks or functions.

Graphic Designer