How to Optimize Instagram for E-Commerce

If you’re looking to develop an Instagram marketing strategy for your e-commerce brand, we will explain how to turn the platform into your greatest ally and how you can ace your IG marketing efforts.

E-commerce brands should seek Instagram to increase their conversions. Just think about it. There are more than 1,000,000,000 (yeah, that’s a billion) monthly active users on the platform. Those are some big numbers, which means that there’s an infinite pool of opportunities out there for brands to market and sell their products on Instagram.

Using Instagram for Ecommerce

It is estimated that 2 billion active customers are buying products on Instagram and a third are using the platform for their purchases.

Instagram is not only an effective online marketing platform for companies but one of the best social marketing tools. Social media platforms can be optimized for your particular niche and user-generated content helps you engage with your followers on a deeper level.

Facebook and Twitter are great for different purposes but today, we will focus on the new Instagram feature and the best strategies for e-commerce brands.

Instagram Marketing Strategy for Ecommerce

Let’s take a look at the Instagram marketing strategies that you can put in place to boost your ecommerce sales with Instagram.

1. Batch, Automate and Repeat

This simple Instagram marketing strategy is one of my favorites. Customers ask for authenticity. They enjoy when brands become a part of conversations during their buyer’s journey. However, creating content from scratch every day is tiresome. According to Neil Patel, the following productivity hack will save you a lot of time. Furthermore, it will make your Instagram ecommerce marketing highly efficient.

Batching – It means completing a task as much as you can in one sitting instead of completing it in periodic intervals. It improves productivity by eliminating transition time. It allows you to remain focused on the task at hand. With that said, you can employ batching to complete your Instagram tasks.

 Creating Content

Ensure that all your content is of great quality. The better it is the greater engagement it will bring from your target audience. Before posting content, think! Create content around hashtags that are relevant to your products. The recommended Instagram image size are as follows:

• Square Image – 1080 x 1080 pixels.
• Vertical Image – 1080 x 1350 pixels.
• Horizontal Image – 1080 x 566 pixels.

Your captions can reach up to 2,200 characters, including your Instagram handle. You can also outsource your content to marketplaces such as Upwork or Fiverr.

Once all the content is completed, move to the second task. You may or may not combine the two. It solely depends on you.

 Scheduling Content for E-Commerce

Don’t waste time logging into Instagram every now and then. Instead, schedule a month’s content in advance by using tools like Latergramme. They ensure filling your Instagram feed with high-quality content at regular periods. They will also keep your target audience hooked at all times.

 Engaging with Followers

Posting high-quality content isn’t enough. You need to engage with your followers as well. If your ecommerce store is gaining a large volume of sales then integrating customer service would be a good idea.

3. Follow the Rule of the Thirds

The ‘Rule of Thirds’ is a very effective guideline to come up with attractive photos. Let’s take a look at how to go about it.

First step: Forming The Grid

Visualize your product image with a 3 x 3 grid. It is 2 equally spaced vertical and horizontal lines that results in 9 equal parts as shown below.

Second Step: Placing Your Product

Now, you need to place your product along the intersecting points. For instance, in the following picture, the product’s placement is on an intersection point along the left grid.

Third Step: The Perfect Composition

Aligning your product like this will make it far more appealing than placing it at the center. Take a look at these two photos side by side. The picture on the left looks more appealing because of the rule of thirds. It evokes more interest compared to the one on the right as the product’s placement  is in the center.