10 Most Effective Ways to Sell on Instagram

Instagram is one of the platforms with the most users in the world. Ranked fourth as the largest social media, the number of Instagram users will reach 2 billion by 2022.

Not surprisingly, many use this platform as an opportunity to do business. If you want to start a business on Instagram, see how to sell on Instagram below!

1. Why Should You Sell on Instagram?

Instagram is considered one of the ideal platforms for selling. This is of course based on the following favorable factors.

1.1. The platform with the most active users

The first factor is of course the number of active users. This allows your business to reach a wider audience, launch sales strategies, and increase brand awareness.

Also Read: How to Increase Brand Awareness for Online Business Sales

1.2. Hashtag and tagging features

This feature is very useful for allowing customers to find the product they are looking for and helping sellers promote their products easily.

1.3. Purchase directly through the application

Instagram continues to strive for various developments to make it easier for its users. One of them is the shop feature which is located in the icon at the bottom. This feature allows anyone to make buying and selling transactions more easily and efficiently.

1.4. Qualified ad features

This feature helps its users to serve paid ads on the platform. The advantage is that this ad feature has an affordable price, and targets the target audience specifically based on location, age, interests, and so on. That way you will be more likely to get better sales results.

Apart from that, this feature can also help its users to measure the performance of their advertisements so that they are able to optimize existing marketing strategies from the results that have been obtained. In short, the ad feature really helps you sell on Instagram.

Also Raed: Want to Earn Extra Money? Here Are 6 Ways To Make Money From TikTok!

2. 10 Ways to Sell on Instagram A la BFI

So that the benefits you get can be abundant and your brand is known by the general public, of course there are several procedures that you must carry out so that you can achieve success in doing business. Here are some ways to sell on Instagram that you can apply. This method is very useful for both beginners and those who have been in Instagram for a long time.

Image Source: Pexels/gabrielle henderson

2.1. Turn Instagram Profile Into a Business Profile

The first thing you need to pay attention to in how to sell on Instagram is setting up a business Instagram account. This type of account is different from a regular account or a personal account.

By turning it into a business profile, you can get a series of features that can support the continuity of your business. These features include an insight overview which includes impression, interaction, reach, follower growth, and total followers.

Some things you need to pay attention to when optimizing your business profile are:

• Profile picture. Use photos related to your brand or niche, for example, a logo or company photo. This is intended to make it easier for anyone who sees it to recognize your business easily.
• Appropriate bios. Include a brief description of your business. Make sure the words you choose are able to explain the products offered along with the unique selling points of your brand.
• Link on bio. The presence of a link or URL on an Instagram profile is crucial. This is because this link can help your profile visitors to get to know more about the products you offer along with certain promos that you might embed.

For those of you who don't know how to set up an ordinary profile to a business profile, here are the steps you can follow:

• Make sure you have created an Instagram account with a username in the form of a brand name or product niche to be sold.
• Login to Instagram, and select your profile.
• Click the 3 lines in the right corner of your profile.
• Then select Settings > Account > Switch to professional account.

2.2. Create Quality, Up to Date, and Interesting Content

Content can be likened to fueling the success of your business, especially if you use Instagram as a selling medium. So, to create interesting content, there are some tips and tricks that you can try as below.

• Choose a topic that fits your niche brand. This is done to make it easier for you to create content planning as well as to be an effective way of selling on Instagram.
• Use good-quality photos or videos. Use a quality camera with a touch of editing applications to beautify your photos.
• Make the title and writing in the image clear and informative. Don't choose diction that is confusing or has a negative interpretation.
• Create content that allows interaction between the two parties. This allows good relations with the audience and builds trust with customers. For example, make a giveaway, quiz, or testimonial.

2.3. Use an Interesting Caption

Instagram is a platform that emphasizes visual appearance. Even so, captions are still needed to provide further information regarding the content or product you are selling. Apart from how to sell on Instagram, captions can also be used as a Call to Action (CTA) which can direct readers to follow your wishes. For example, to click on the link in your business profile bio.

Writing captions must be interesting and able to maintain the reader's focus. Here are some tips for making interesting Instagram captions:

• Create an interesting caption that makes people interested in reading it. Interesting captions can be in the form of questions, quotes, or statements that can provoke the curiosity of readers.
• Include relevant hashtags to make it easier for your audience to find your content. Apart from being relevant to the content to be published, you can also use popular hashtags with the most users as long as they are relevant to your business niche.
• Avoid making captions too long. Captions that are too long can lose the reader's focus and make anyone who sees it reluctant to read it through. Make captions short, solid, and clear.
• Use emojis to add visual impact to your captions. Using emojis in captions can make your captions more enjoyable to read and not boring.
• Use the active voice when writing captions. Active sentences can make your caption livelier, fresher, and sound interesting.

2.4. Use Hashtags

The fourth way to sell on Instagram is by using hashtags. Hashtags or hashtags are important components on Instagram that allow you to reach more people so that your business can be better known and have the opportunity to get new customers.

Using hashtags cannot be arbitrary. Use hashtags carefully by choosing hashtags that are relevant to your content. In addition, the use of hashtags should not be excessive, just use 4 to 5 hashtags. Too many hashtags will make the caption display less attractive and look unprofessional.

2.5. Optimize the Use of IG Stories & Reels

Apart from the Instagram feed that you can post, as usual, you can also take advantage of other features such as IG stories and Reels for the fifth way to sell on Instagram. For example, creating an IG Story about your newly released product, promotional content with embedded links, giveaways, and content that invites a lot of interaction, such as Q&A.

As for reels, you can upload content that is currently popular as well as promote the products you have. Popular reel content usually uses certain songs with video movements that are currently widely used by other Instagram users.

2.6. Don't Forget to Take Advantage of Using URLs / Links on Profiles

Embedding links in profiles cannot be underestimated. The link attached to your account bio can lead many people to visit your website or buy products. You can use a custom link that contains many links in 1 custom link.

2.7. Try the Instagram Shopping Feature

Apart from inviting potential customers to get to know your brand or buy products via the link listed, now you can also sell directly on Instagram without having to switch platforms. Enough with Instagram shopping, you can offer the following products with prices and other details. To be sure, don't forget to change your account to a business profile.

2.8. Collaborate with Influencers/KOL

One way to sell on Instagram that you can do to increase the visibility of your brand is by working with influencers. This method is considered effective because influencers have influential power in attracting people's interest to try a product.

Choose an influencer who has a persona that is aligned with your brand and is definitely in accordance with the budget you have, so the endorsement system can work well.

2.9. Create Periodic Promotions

Indonesians really like promos such as giveaways, buy 1 get 1, and so on. Besides being able to increase sales, this method is also able to broaden your audience reach, as a result, your account will be more actively visited by various kinds of people.

2.10. Perform Sales Analysis

After implementing the nine ways to sell on Instagram, the last way you shouldn't forget is to do a sales analysis. There are several ways you can apply to analyze it, the most important thing is to make sure your Instagram account is a business account and has activated the Instagram Shopping feature.

Next, you can apply the steps below:

• Enter your business Instagram account, then click insights.
• In the insights section, you can see the various interactions that occur in your account, starting from the number of visitors, engagement, and various other things done by your audience.
• After that, go to the Shopping section on the insights page. From here you can find out which products get the most clicks, top views, or best sellers.
• Use these data to make your analysis and decision-making material for the next strategy.
• Apart from the tools available on Instagram, you can also take advantage of additional tools such as Google Analytics to get more complete data.

3. Business Mistakes on Instagram

Mistakes in doing business can happen at any time and indiscriminately. Therefore it is important for us to avoid these mistakes so that we don't fail in the middle of the road and several ways to sell on Instagram that have been tried can run optimally. Quoted from Avrist.com, here are the mistakes of doing business on Instagram that you should avoid.

Image Source: Unsplash/Collabstr

3.1. Inadequate Business Plan

Following existing trends is indeed important in building a business. However, a common mistake is to just go along with existing business trends without having a mature business plan.

Doing business anywhere, including on Instagram, must have a mature business plan. This includes the vision and mission of the business, product descriptions, target market, to branding, marketing and operational strategies.

Before running a business, make a mature business plan as your business guideline. So, you don't lose focus on developing your business, and are able to attract investors if your business is growing.

3.2. Branding Strategy is Less Strong

Having a strong branding strategy is important when you are implementing how to sell on Instagram. Especially if you build a business with your own brand that is not known by many people. The branding concept here includes the name, tagline, logo, and price according to your target market and business vision. Unfortunately, many people do not realize the importance of this so that their business fails in the middle of the road.

Build strong branding by creating content that suits your market tastes. How do you create appropriate and quality content? You can do research through other online shops or your competitors. Learn how they create content that suits the tastes of their consumers.

3.3. Too Little Business Capital

A common business mistake on Instagram that business people make is starting with too little capital. Indeed, running a business on Instagram requires minimal capital. However, that doesn't mean you don't need capital at all.

If you are already doing business on Instagram, then you must be patient and not easily tempted by short-term profits. Thus, it takes approximately 1 year of capital in the future.

Instead, plan for additional sources of capital in addition to personal savings. Do not let when your business is growing, the capital is even less. Both for the needs of stock items and promotions.

How? Have you understood enough about how to sell on Instagram so far? If you want to start selling on Instagram but you still don't have enough capital, you can apply for a business capital loan from BFI Finance.

The process is easy, fast and safe. Enjoy various benefits by applying for a loan according to your choice!

BFI Finance is a company that provides multi-purpose loans with guarantees for motorbike bpkb, car bpkb, and house or shophouse certificates