5 ways to Sell Your Product on Instagram

Instagram is more than a home for teenage selfies and photos of desert, it has become a powerful marketing tool. With more than 150 million active users and an average of 55 million photos shared each day, it’s no wonder. If you’re marketing a product, you can easily make this platform work for your business. Scroll down to see my suggestions on the five best ways to sell your product on Instagram:

1. Go Behind the Scenes – Instagram provides a unique opportunity to make your brand personal. Show users a sneak peek into how things work at your company. A small video showing where the product comes from perhaps? Photos with any high-profile retailers would also be good content. Burberry  does a great job of giving consumers an exclusive look into VIP events. They frequently post photos of fashion shows from the viewpoint of as an insider showing models backstage before and after the shows.
2. Show off Product – This doesn’t mean that you need to have a CTA on every photo, but have fun with it. For example, show a different way to wear/use your merchandise. Or you can stay on top of current events and incorporate your product in a fun way. In my humble opinion, Oreo is one of the best brands at inserting themselves into online chatter. Super Bowl anyone? 
3. Brand Images – By this, I mean that they should each have a cohesive look. Similar to “branding your image”, you need to make sure that Instagram has a voice. That may mean using the same three filters, or maybe the photo setup itself is similar throughout. Also, be sure to use the modern marketer’s all-in-one tool, hashtags! Search relevant tags, or create your own and use them frequently. Most important of all, make sure that all of your posts are compelling and visually appealing.
4. Interact with Users – So, you’ve posted photos of your warehouse, products, backstage, customers, etc. Now get out there and mingle! Search companies you love and consumers that are already talking about you and follow those accounts. Go through and like some of their photos and leave a comment or two! This only takes a couple minutes a day and you will soon see more and more users interacting with your account.
5. Have a Contest – Once you’ve built up your following, give back to your fans! Request a fun photo including your product along with a hashtag. Then pick a winner and give your product away to say thank you. This will create even more loyal followers and keep you on the forefront of “Insta-chatter”.

Follow these tips and you’re sure to get your product out to a brand new audience and make even more sales. Remember that notable brands on Instagram don’t think too hard about their strategy. They simply have fun and post things that make you happy and tell your product’s story.

Amanda Munster is an Interactive Producer at Agency Entourage in downtown Dallas, TX specializing in product marketing. When she’s not musing about marketing, she’s taking way too many photos on Instagram.