Creating and Developing an Instagram Online Store from Scratch

The social network Instagram can be used as an additional site for sales. Do not think that only clothes and cosmetics will be in demand here. Basically, anything could be promoted: from car spare parts to books.

Contents:

• How to create and set up a business profile
• Registration of the account
• Creating content for the Instagram online store
• Types of content plan
• Are emojis needed?
• Arranging products
• Media work
• Attracting followers and retention of the target audience
• Efficient advertising
• Communication with customers
• Accepting orders
• Conclusion

How to create and set up a business profile

Instagram target audience often asks, how to open an online store in this social network? The first step is to download and install the app itself. This can be done using the Play Store, AppStore, Microsoft Store. After opening the app, click "Register". Enter all the necessary data (name, email address, password) and tap "Done". The next step is to invent a name for your account and upload photos. It will also be necessary to make your mind about the products sold. For example, it could be a home goods store online, an online toy store, clothes or everything in one place. You can use the professional services for coming up with the logo.

The features of the store should be displayed briefly, without complicated terms, so that everyone could get it. A person should immediately understand what products are offered. Under each photo there should be a description of the product or a link to it. For example, in a furniture store online, photos of a sofa should be taken from different angles, while its parameters, material and the price should be below in the description.

Registration of the account

Identity, i.e. a profile design consists of:

• brand name;

• product logo;

• color scheme in chosen colors;

• the basics of the composition;

• custom graphics.

Due to this, the clients will remember what goods are sold. After all, the main task is to ensure that customers have desire to buy products. All posts should be same style, different from the competitors.

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Creating content for the Instagram online store

Content is the main manifesto of the brand, its values, ethics and principles (everything that is there on the site: photos, texts, videos, etc.)

The main Instagram content ideas lay in remembering all the information related to the brand products by the customer.

The very first thing to do is to learn how to make high-quality photos. Half the success is here. This can be achieved by the ability to expose the light correctly and shooting by the high-quality equipment. In the online store, all products are exhibited from all sides, so that a person can see not only their name and how they look, but also read their composition on the label.

Instagram allows no bogus work:

• all requirements for the design of photos should be observed;

• it is better when the product is not just photographed, but shot in action;

• quality should be in the first line, it is not necessary to overload with the texts;

• the texts are written based on the brand advertising.

The content plan includes everything posted on the site: description of the products, text paragraphing, sorting the information separately for each category.

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Types of content plan

A simple way to create a content plan is to analyze the successful competitors:

• Find competitors, add goods to serpstst, let’s say “women's clothing”, select a search engine. After that, go to the tab "Analysis of key phrases", "SEO-analysis" section. There is a drop-down list. Further routine includes saving several sellers in the table.

• Collecting the key phrases - tap the domain address and get into the section with the list of search queries. It is enough to choose only those connected to the specific blogs. Keys could be applied as the content themes.

• Headers compiled from the requests - select one of the phrases received in the report and tap it. You will be taken to the "Content marketing" section, tap the "Search questions". The result is ready-made headlines for the post.

• We are looking for the competitive articles with a lot of traffic - competitors pages are analyzed. You can get ideas for advertising from them.

• Work on titles - insert all article titles into excel table. Divide into two columns. The first one will be called "Subject", and the second one "Key phrases". Use the filter to sort and remove duplicates.

• Publication date - posts must be posted at least once a week.

Content is divided into the following types:

• Reputational - information about your personal victories, participation in charity. Later create an album "Customer reviews ". Customers will share their opinion about the purchase.

• Training - the client will be able to understand how to properly use the presented products. You can write how long you studied your business.

• Entertaining - based on the customers’ pages, you can add jokes associated with their hobbies. Also add interesting videos or pictures.

• News – special offers, information on sales and discounts.

• Communicative - communication with customers. For example, ask what style of clothes they prefer.

• Marketing - talk about the advantages of the product. Compare it with the competitors, explain why yours is better.

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Are emojis needed?

On Instagram most comments look like smileys. With emojis’ help you can do the following:

• cause positive emotions among the target audience, that could lead to friendship;

• shorten words significantly to save time on messaging;

• attract attention, so that a person could spend more time to the description of the product;

Add emojis to the goods’ description. They can also be used for separation.

Arranging products

There are several rules for displaying goods in online stores:

• Description - the information should be brief, but interesting. You can tell a story about how a person got rid of the problem with the help of your product. Remember, that people visit an account not to make purchases immediately, but for communication primarily. Therefore, it is necessary to provoke both emotions and dialogue.

• Purpose - indicate to whom and why the products are very useful. Indicate the benefits that the buyer will receive. After the customer gets interested, let them know the price. If you make a discount, people get even more interested. Make it clear that they can save money.

• Separate products - this method will make the customer’s search. For example, a lady wants to buy swimwear. If there is no sorting, she could get tired of searching and leave the page. But if you use albums, each one for a certain type of product, it will be easier to find what is needed and to buy it.

• The name should constantly appear in the news feed – write it all the time, let people remember it quickly and stay interested.

Recommendations:

• make a header "Product of the day" and indicate why it is in the first place and why it is so useful in the description;

• ask buyers to leave their feedback, share their photos,

• offer discounts to those who will share their posts.

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Media work

A new service appeared there on Instagram, that makes it possible to add the following:

• instructions on how to properly use the products;

• various photos and videos;

• giveaways, promotions and contests with prizes;

• interviews with people interesting for the audience;

• video greeting cards.

Also such functions have been added as:

• search for a person by location;

• sale by video with the description of goods;

• inventing various quizzes;

• linking to another profile;

• live streaming.

Posts in a video or photo format are more relevant and can attract more guests to the page. Live streaming is especially popular. They are ten times more attractive for the audience than just a video. Thanks to them, you can:

• get engaged into the dialogue with the customer;

• make presentation of your products;

• show participation in a competition or conference.

You can make a slide show from several photos. It looks nicely and will attract attention.

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Attracting followers and retention of the target audience

Followers share their opinion about the organization and are leaders in opinion. Working with them will help to:

• give the audience more information about work of the online store;

• get acquainted to the product characteristics;

• provoke trust;

• raise sales;

• reduce negativity, dispel the myths about the harmfulness of the product.

Efficient advertising

Properly placed ads will not only increase the number of visitors, but also increase sales. Recommendations:

• determine where your future customers live, trace the accounts they are following;

• use the services of advertising exchanges or bloggers;

• study profiles, analyze posts, understand customer needs.

Communication with customers

To learn a person better, you have to put questions. Try to get engaged into dialogue. Questions that are best to ask your future customers:

• Gender and age. The audience consists not only of women, but also of men. If the product is for the first category, it is quite possible that a man would like to make a gift to his woman.

• Educational institution and place of work.

• Hobby and interests.

• Kids, their age, education.

• Estimated income.

• Principles and moral values.

• Address where they live or are currently located.

To make the dialogue more interesting, you can ask the audience to come up with a description for the photo.

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Accepting orders

In online stores, as well as in offline ones, there is communication with customers. It is necessary to process comments, respond to messages, advise on the products and take orders. The only difference is that the customer receives the purchased products by mail, while the payment is made directly to the card. Delivery is at their expense. But if the customer is in the same city, cash on delivery or personal delivery is possible (the client pays both for the goods and delivery). But it is up to the seller.

If you cannot promote your online store yourself, the service ALL-SMM will come to the rescue. You will be able to promote the profile and increase the number of Instagram followers and likes. The prices are affordable, and it will bring a lot of benefits. Sales will start growing and the page will get interest.

Conclusion

In order for the online store to work well and generate income, you need to update the catalogs constantly, delete items that are out of sale, try to add as many friends as possible. If there is no activity, do not despair and do not leave the idea. Keep on working. Sooner or later, you will find your customers.