Optimize Your Instagram Profile: 5 Ways To Do it Effectively

I’m so excited to share 5 ways to optimize your Instagram profile!

With the most wonderful time of the year approaching, we know that you’ll be using all the social media knowledge you have gained this year to show up on Facebook and Instagram. With many customers choosing to shop online this year—but still wanting to support small businesses— local stores will have the chance to shine online! Although receiving more views is nice, driving more sales while keeping your viewers’ attention would for sure be more awesome.

Here are 5 ways to optimize your Instagram profile to help turn viewers into customers.

1. Brand your profile.

   With customers showing up on your page, be sure to welcome them with a clear brand image. The same way a person entering your physical store might feel. Update your Instagram Profile photo to a clear image of your logo. Add a descriptive Instagram bio (including who you are and what you sell). And lastly, add Instagram Highlight cover photos that match your brand colors.

2. Update your Instagram buttons.

   This one may seem small, but it is mighty. It provides more opportunities for your customers to shop with you! Instagram has added the option for buttons that are additional to the contact buttons. Under “Edit Profile”, click on “Action Buttons” to add buttons on your profile that include “Order Food”, “Gift Cards”, “Book Now”, and “Reserve”.

   

3. Add a website link and update it often.

   Get the most out of the link in your bio by connecting customers directly to the products and services you are promoting in your content. Ask your viewers to visit the link in the bio to directly link them to your latest blog, your new product line, a wish list, and more. If you’d like to add more than one link in your bio, check out LinkTree, which allows you to embed several links on your Instagram profile.

4. Post to your Instagram stories, and add them to your highlights.

   While you have these new audiences, you might as well let them get to know you more personally. Instagram stories show up on your social media for 24 hours. However, saving them to your highlights allows them to exist permanently. You can create more behind-the-scenes content. Quick and digestible videos of yourself or your staff talking about the store and its products. People love seeing people!

5. Add products to your Instagram Shop.

   Instagram has released a feature that enables you to add shoppable products into your Instagram profile. This is where customers can purchase them directly from Instagram without visiting your website. This makes shopping a lot more convenient for your viewers, so you’ll want to make sure you update your shop often!

Social media has always been an incredible way to spread the word about your business while connecting with your audience. But this year, your small business has an entire tool kit to turn those viewers into customers!