Instagram Shopping – Is this the New Ad Marketing Meta?

When the pandemic strikes, a lot of businesses, especially the ones operating physically, got affected. Some businesses resorted to closing temporarily, or for others, permanently. However, several business owners who adapted to the on-going updates on our technology managed to keep their business up and running by making the move to digital marketing. 

Moreover, moving to digital marketing is not that easy. Since this has been the most effective strategy so far, you will have a lot of competitors in the market. So, finding the right platform to run your ads campaign to promote your landing page is something that needs to be considered.

Instagram promotion allows you to pay and turn your posts into ads. What’s amazing is that it appears to be like regular Instagram posts, which makes it user-friendly, but are always recognized by a “Sponsored” label. You can setup your ads as stories, photo, video, carousel, collection, and in Explore formats. With this, you can reach more people, even those who aren’t following you, and encourage them to avail your products. You can also add a call-to-action button to drive traffic or leads.

Moreover, Instagram Shopping is a feature that allows business owners to create an online, easy-access catalog of their products on Instagram. This gives users the option to know more about the product details within the app. They also have a way to either but it directly on the Instagram page or click through the seller’s site to proceed with the transaction. It basically gives the shoppers the experience of browsing-to-buying in just a few taps.

1. Confirm Eligibility

Businesses should be within the Supported Market.

Businesses should have a desirable or suitable product.

Businesses should comply with Instagram’s Merchant Agreement and Commerce Policies.

Businesses should have their own website domain.

2. Convert to a business or creator account

For the steps on how to convert your Instagram account, please refer to the following:

Business Account

Creator Account

3. Connect to a Facebook page

To add a Facebook page to your Instagram Business Account, please refer to these steps.

4. Upload Product Catalog

You have two ways to upload your Product Catalogs.

Catalog Manager – This is also known as the “do it yourself” method within Facebook Business Manager.

Ecommerce Platform Partner – This is the option if you want your products to be integrated with Instagram’s certified e-commerce platform partners. (E.g. Shopify or BigCommerce)

5. Account Review

After setting up your product catalog to your Instagram, you need to submit your account for review. Account reviews may take a few days or more. Moreover, some businesses may receive notifications requesting additional information to prove the website domain’s ownership. To complete the domain verification, please refer to these steps.

6. Turn on Shopping

Once your account is approved, follow these steps to activate the feature.

7. Start Tagging

Use product tags to feature products in your posts/ads.

If you are a business owner who relies on numbers, data and analytics, there are ways to easily track your Instagram Shopping results.

• You can click on Instagram Insights. This is where you can see how often people view and interact with products tagged in your posts.
  
  
• You can add UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) trackable links and pair it with your Google Analytics account. With UTM tagging, it can be assured that your Google Analytics accurately tracks your Instagram traffic.
  
  

With these mediums, you can do your tracking every minute, every hour, every day, every week, or every month. These don’t have any restrictions, they’re free, and are really effective ways in monitoring your business ads’ impressions and clicks.

There are several factors to consider to make your Instagram Shopping campaign successful and income-generating. If you want to make the most of the ad campaign that you are running, here are recommendations that you need to practice.

• Use “Instagram worthy” Photos and Videos

Instagram is a photo and video-sharing social networking service, so having good-quality and enticing photos and videos matters. Be creative with your posts/ads so that they will inspire shoppers to purchase your products.

• Utilize Product tags

Ads with product tags allow you to maximize the reach of your products. These drive people directly to your product details page to learn more and can be your future customers.

• Use Shopping Engagement Custom Audiences and Shopping Lookalike Audiences

Using these tools will help you re-engage with shoppers who have shown interest in your products, and find new shoppers who have similar interest with your existing shoppers.

• Use Test and Learn Strategy

This method will help you understand the performance of your ads. Asking your shoppers for recommendations and feedback, and adjusting your campaign base on the results will help you improve your ads, minimize your expenses, and reach your business goals.

With the continuous update of the technology, our marketing platforms and strategies should also up to date. Associating your e-commerce website with known search engines and social media platforms is now the trend for good business marketing since people tend to go online. In this generation, digital marketing is the best way to reach your audience.

If you are a business owner, Instagram Shopping is one of the marketing tools to consider. Having an easy-to-use interface with millions of users, bringing your business to it is a good movement. The growth and the stability of your business are in your hands. Be “in” to this generation and you’ll keep your business going.