{"id":11260,"date":"2016-07-08T09:08:07","date_gmt":"2016-07-08T14:08:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=11260"},"modified":"2016-07-08T09:14:45","modified_gmt":"2016-07-08T14:14:45","slug":"how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Instagram to Generate Sales"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"How<\/p>\n

Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media networks, and one that is becoming increasingly important to brands and businesses.<\/p>\n

Generating sales on Instagram requires re-thinking traditional marketing tactics, and using a more indirect style to create the necessary trust and loyalty.<\/span><\/p>\n

Grow your brand, build loyalty, and then generate sales<\/span><\/h2>\n

Young consumers are a savvy bunch: They\u2019re comfy with brands but they hate traditional advertising. They skip TV commercials and use ad-blockers on the Internet. What they want from brands, more than anything, is authenticity<\/b>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What does this mean for your Instagram presence? It means traditional sales tactics won\u2019t work<\/b> there -\u00a0in fact, those tactics will probably alienate your newfound followers and turn them against you. So no hard sells, no constant 'buy now'\u009d appeals\u00a0-\u00a0nothing at all that reeks of actual commerce.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead, create an aesthetic your target buyer will love and a community to which they want to belong. Create beautiful images that don\u2019t just show off your product, but that directly relate to your customers\u2019 lives and aspirations.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is true across most social media. Nike\u2019s Facebook feed, for instance, isn\u2019t just nice pictures of shoes and jackets with links to their website. Instead, 60% of their feed is lifestyle content\u00a0-\u00a0images aimed directly at their core demographic of hardcore fitness enthusiasts.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nike<\/p>\n

Note: Nearly every post from <\/i>Nike\u2019s recent Instagram<\/i><\/span><\/a> page has over 1 million likes. None of them expressly demands a sale or provides a call to action.<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

Ironically, focusing on lifestyle content<\/span><\/a> increased the effectiveness of Nike\u2019s more traditional call-to-action posts, which received an average of 993 shares. (By contrast, Adidas, which posted much less lifestyle content, received an average of only 122 shares on their call-to-action posts.)<\/span><\/p>\n

By the way, Snappy\u2019s adventure travels on the HostGator Instagram<\/a> don\u2019t exactly tell customers to 'buy HostGator\u2019s stuff!'\u009d It\u2019s just another fun way of getting our brand out into the world, literally<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"HostGator<\/a><\/p>\n

Harness the mighty power of the hashtag<\/span><\/h2>\n

Like all social media platforms, Instagram posts have a limited shelf life. A few hours after they\u2019re posted, they basically drop off the face of the earth.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hashtags are a way to give them a longer life<\/b><\/a>, and to put your brand\u2019s content in front of users who don\u2019t already follow you.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hashtags on your posts should be relevant and specific: For instance, #cookies will probably cast a wider net, but #snickerdoodles or #hamantaschen will put you in front of people with a real interest in your product.<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t overdo hashtags, either\u00a0-\u00a0a few well-chosen ones will do nicely. Any more than that and you risk looking like you\u2019re trying to sell something.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reward your followers with special promotions and secret sales<\/span><\/h2>\n

In addition to posting content they consistently love, you should also give your followers a little something extra: early access to sales, special discount codes, and Instagram-only promotions.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s another way to make your customers (and potential customers) feel valued, to make your business appear generous, and to generate sales without seeming to actually 'sell'\u009d anything<\/b>. Instead of asking for business, you\u2019re bestowing a gift. <\/span><\/p>\n

Your followers are themselves a great asset: You can encourage them to post pictures of themselves using or wearing your product, along with a promotional hashtag that\u2019ll help boost their pic beyond their own followers. That cements their attachment to your brand<\/a>, and also puts your product in front of potential customers in a way that feels organic and, oh yes, authentic.<\/span><\/p>\n

Be patient, and the sales will come<\/span><\/h2>\n

For those used to the old marketing models, generating sales on Instagram can feel counterintuitive. But by creating an engaging and active community, your Instagram feed will attract more fans and followers, and those loyal and engaged followers are more likely to become paying customers.<\/span><\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”3 #Instagram Tips for Biz: Use hashtags, share lifestyle content, reward fans with secret\u00a0sales.” username=”hostgator”]<\/p>\n

* * *<\/p>\n

By Lauren Barret<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media networks, and one that is becoming increasingly important to brands and businesses….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11260","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-tips-and-tricks"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Use Instagram to Generate Sales - HostGator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Leverage lifestyle content and the power of the hashtag to build brand loyalty and drive Instagram sales.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Use Instagram to Generate Sales\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Leverage lifestyle content and the power of the hashtag to build brand loyalty and drive Instagram sales.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HostGator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-07-08T14:08:07+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-07-08T14:14:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/How-to-use-Instagram-to-drive-sales.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@HostGator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HostGator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/757fddb283b996d5a9064b179fd77602\"},\"headline\":\"How to Use Instagram to Generate Sales\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-07-08T14:08:07+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-07-08T14:14:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/\"},\"wordCount\":671,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/How-to-use-Instagram-to-drive-sales.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Marketing Tips and Tricks\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/how-to-use-instagram-to-generate-sales\/\",\"name\":\"How to Use Instagram to Generate Sales - 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