Social media marketing is a powerful way to direct organic traffic to your brand. But there’s a catch: social media only works when you have an audience to promote to. And the larger your audience, the faster your sales numbers will grow.
You aren’t guaranteed 1,000 email subscribers or sales because you post on social media. And your social media posts aren’t guaranteed to reach anyone.
Once you’ve earned your first few social media followers, it’s time to focus on engagement. On Facebook, engagement means comments and shares that will present your content to new audiences. On Twitter, your main concern should be retweets and mentions.
Getting engagement on Instagram is different. Most users don’t re-gram photos from their favorite brands – they mention them in their hashtags and comment on their photos.
Earlier this year, Instagram changed its timeline algorithm. Instead of showing posts chronologically, users now see posts according to relevance. Simply put, posts with more engagement appear higher on more timelines, and for a longer period of time.
Why does this matter to you?
With the old algorithm, you had roughly 12 hours to reach your audience with a post before it became irrelevant. Now, your posts have a much longer half-life, meaning more people have the time to see them.
This makes Instagram more valuable for business than ever before, but it’s changed the way experts are strategizing their Instagram presence.
Now, engagement is more important than ever on Instagram. The more engaged your audience is with your posts, the more people you’ll reach. And the more people you reach, the larger audience you can direct back to your Shopify store.
But how can you improve your Instagram engagement?
We’re taking a look at 4 ways you can improve your Instagram engagement and skyrocket your Shopify store’s sales.
Tip #1: Use Calls-to-Action
How do you get more engagement on Instagram?
Simple: you ask for it.
By asking your followers to like your post, tag a friend, or comment, you’ll greatly improve your engagement. You can include your call-to-action in the caption of your image or in the image itself, whichever suits your purpose more.
Tip #2: Post at the Right Time
Since Instagram’s algorithm changed, some digital marketers think there is no right or wrong time to post anymore. Previously, you relied on the timing of your post to reach the largest audience, but now your post can reach thousands of people days after you’ve posted it.
But this doesn’t mean there aren’t good and bad times to post on Instagram.
Generally, the best times to post on Instagram are:
- 2AM
- 8-9AM
- 5PM
The best days to post on Instagram are usually Monday and Thursday, as posts on these days tend to see the most engagement.
By posting at the appropriate times, you can reach the largest possible audience. By posting during off-work hours, you’re catching your audience when they’re not busy. This means they’re more likely to see your post, and more likely to navigate to your store.
Tip #3: Create Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are a new feature to everyone’s favorite photo sharing platform. Much like Snapchat, users can share a photo for just 24 hours. After the 24 hours period, the photo disappears.
Some were skeptical when Instagram released Stories, but it’s proven valuable for eCommerce entrepreneurs, Shopify store owners, and digital marketers.
Why do Stories work?
Well, think about your Instagram feed. Do you unfollow brands that clog your feed every day? I do. It’s frustrating.
Instagram Stories gives you the opportunity to post as much as you want each day, without distracting your followers from their other interests. Big fans of your brand can check out your stories at will. Meanwhile, you won’t drive away your casual followers.
Use Stories to your advantage. Post stories daily, and make them part of your Instagram story. Share flash sales, new products, and other promotions with your Instagram stories. Direct your followers to your website with your Stories, and watch your Shopify sales grow from this tactic alone.
Tip #4: Include a Link In Your Profile
Instagram doesn’t let you post hyperlinks in your photo captions. Yes, you can put your website in a caption – but your followers can’t navigate there by clicking on it.
But you can post a hyperlink in your profile.
Instead of cluttering your captions with useless links, include it in your profile. Tell your followers to find your link there.
You’ll get more site visitors and sales by putting a link in your profile than expecting your followers to copy and paste one from a caption. You can only put one link in your profile, so update it according to new promotions on your site.
Have your Shopify store’s sales increased with higher Instagram engagement? What are your tips for increasing Instagram engagement and making sales? Let us know in the comments below!
