Millions of brands flocked to social media applications, such as Instagram and Facebook, to expand their brand awareness to millennials and Gen Z generations. Instagram marketing proved as a smart tactic to attract customers owing to its considerably large user base. However, while Instagram provides an excellent marketspace for businesses, it has not always turned out on a positive note to all companies.
The free tools that Instagram provides the businesses to make high sales are as follows:
Instagram Checkout
The in-app checkout experience that Instagram Checkout offers possesses several benefits to the brands and ease of access to the users. Some brands owning only a few products to sell on the social media application can use this tactic. When brands do not have time to create an online catalog or open a Facebook business page, one can opt for an Instagram checkout alternative. Such a strategy links the user to Instagram shoppable posts, providing a great experience.
Shoppable posts previously highlighted the product’s image and permitted the users to tap on the content to view it as a catalog outside the platform. However, with the launch of Instagram Checkout, it became easy for the users to purchase items directly in the app. The users only have to add their billing information, name, and shipping address, and place the order directly on Instagram. This strategy solely focuses on retaining the users on the platform when they get inspired to purchase an item.
For brands, marketers can leverage this whole ecosystem of the shopping features on this option, building awareness and transactions simultaneously in one platform. The app’s founders mentioned that the businesses would not have to pay selling fees for using the checkout feature until initial 2021. The waiving was majorly due to the economic breakdown in many countries, and Instagram checkout an option to reduce the cost of doing business.
Is Instagram Checkout Similar to Facebook Shops?
Facebook shops and Instagram checkout permit the users to make purchases directly. Nevertheless, the Facebook shop is a mini online store that constitutes several products listed by a brand. On the contrary, the checkout feature allows the users to buy a product that they see on a shoppable post on their feed or the brand’s profile page. To use both the elements, the requirements are the same.
A Facebook shop enables the brands to develop online stores that link to the Instagram, Facebook, messenger, and WhatsApp accounts of the brand. The free shop concept permits businesses to upload individual and bulk product listing, along with the price, descriptions, and photos. You could also change the button text and colors to make it appealing to the viewers. This feature allows the visitors to either purchase directly or through the combination of the eCommerce websites they already use. This option is indeed great for medium and small-sized enterprises interested in eCommerce but lacks bandwidth or time to promote their brands’ eCommerce site.
Instagram checkout is an excellent alternative for a brand when the marketers want to dabble in internet sales but do not want to monitor the sales of multiple products in a vast online store. The checkout feature enables the businesses to sell one or two products with the help of a few posts, monitoring the content for sales metrics, analytics, and customer engagements. However, one needs to understand that making the post gain fame must have a massive number of impressions and reach through the likes, comments, and shares. For increasing your likes on the posts, you can choose reputable third-party sites.
Instagram Live Shopping
Added to the checkout feature, Instagram live shopping provides the users with a purchasing experience by live-streaming the content on the application. In other words, the brands or the can present a small call to action for a product through an Instagram live stream. Moreover, you can get creative and pair up with Instagram influencers to carry out a product review for your brand. Such a strategy will help you expand the reach and drive newer clients to your clientele base.
The viewer can click on the checkout call to action at the bottom of the stream and either buy it immediately or add it to the future purchase bag. When the user places the product in the wishlist, they can seek it again by checking out the explore tab and tapping the shop alternative in the top navigation. They can see all their carted products, and choose from purchases. However, since customers can directly purchase through Instagram live shopping, the businesses will need to have access to Instagram checkout before using the live shopping app for promotions.
Picking up the Right Feature for Your Brand
The eCommerce shops allow customers to buy a bunch of different products at once. However, the live shopping and checkout feature permits the users to zone in on particular items through your content publications. Smaller and flourishing brands can opt for these features if they are comfortable highlighting the standalone product. On the other hand, Facebook shops work best for brands that deliver multiple products and have the ability to handle high demand. If your brand has a limited timeframe and resources for promotional activities such as ads and live stream videos, you can opt for Facebook shops.
With time, you can derive a killer supply chain with tons of products to sell. Improving your inventory over time is crucial, coupled with the importance of an excellent content team. Focus on creating strong product marketing content that can convert the viewers into customers.
Monitor the Metrics, Including Your Revenue
Currently, the brands do not need to pay for such shopping options. However, it takes up a lot of time and effort to maintain an ad, a shop, highlighting the best of your products. With the ever-changing needs of the customers, brands need to strive to achieve success continuously. In light of this, monitoring your engagement metrics, coupled with your operating profit margins, is the key to learn the art of selling on social media applications correctly.
Understanding the crucial elements before blindly posting on Instagram is the key. Moreover, one needs to contemplate which strategy will work for their brands and then head forward to executing it.
Author’s Bio:
Walter Moore is a writer and notable management and digital marketing expert at Blastup who also suggest the benefits of visiting Stormlikes.com for free likes. He is an experienced digital marketer who has helped e-commerce businesses in all niches gain with his effective marketing strategies and guidance
