Retail marketing on Instagram
Instagram is one of the most popular social platforms today, with over a billion monthly active users. What started as a photo sharing app in the early 2010s has now become a full-blown photo, video and shopping destination for consumers and businesses alike.
Your business can connect with your community by sharing short form video clips to Instagram Stories or Reels, posting product or in-store photos to the feed, hosting Live events through Instagram Lives or more long form through IGTV. Creating an Instagram Shop will let customers view and buy products directly from the app.
Carefully curate your visual content
Your Instagram posts should be anything but random. Your business needs to create a clear brand aesthetic so when people visit your profile, they get a quick idea of who your brand is.
So, if you haven’t done so yet, spend time thinking about your brand aesthetic—does it need a refresh? Ask yourself what kind of first impression you want people to have about your brand. The answer will give your social media manager direction for your Instagram’s look and feel.
Use Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories allow you to be more informal with your aesthetic, as people expect Stories to be more spontaneous and less curated. You can use them to give people behind-the-scenes glimpses at your store or showcase new products.
A secondary feature of Instagram Stories is that you can create a few permanent ones to display on your profile, highlighting things you really want your potential customers to see.
Check out what Peridot Decorative Homeware is doing. The retailer uses these permanent Story spots to make it easy for people to view interior designs, shop for items, and more. They even created custom Story cover images to make them look more attractive.
Stories can also do double duty as reels, always-on videos with a wider reach beyond just your followers. Instruct your marketing team to set a threshold of engagement—if a story passes it, it’s a candidate for being converted into a reel.