Last month I had a great webinar with MarketTap, if you missed that CLICK HERE to listen to the recording.
During the webinar the topic of shoppable Instagram posts was mentioned as a "Social Media Must Have" in 2018.
During the Q&A session that followed our webinar, a number of the audience’s questions focused on the importance of a shoppable Instagram feed. The most commonly asked question was: How can an e-commerce brand start using Instagram shoppable posts today?
So, the team at MarketTap took the time to put together a step by step for you on how to do that.
Instagram’s transformation from casual social platform to a full-scale sales channel for businesses (especially e-commerce businesses) has been so swift that it’s been pretty exciting to keep up with. The global roll-out of Instagram shoppable posts marks a pivotal moment in this journey towards becoming more e-commerce friendly.
Until now, one of the most frustrating elements of Instagram for small and medium-sized businesses was the inability to share clickable links in a caption or tag products in Instagram posts. However, the inclusion of Instagram’s new shopping feature means that consumers can now complete their buying journey, from discovery to checkout, without ever leaving the Instagram app. Finally!
A recent study revealed that 60% of people discover new products through the network, which means that Instagram shoppable posts are a big deal for businesses that sell products or services online.
Ready to get started? Here’s what you need to do:
Do I Qualify for Instagram Shoppable Posts?
You’ll need to meet a few requirements before you can implement the shoppable feature on your Instagram account:
You must be located in one of these countries: United States, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, or Australia.
You need an Instagram Business account, which can easily be set up.
You must have updated to the latest version of the Instagram app on either iOS or Android.
Your business must sell physical goods that comply with Instagram’s merchant agreement and commerce policies.
Your business profile must be connected to a Facebook catalog. This can be created and managed on Facebook Business Manager, directly on your business’ Facebook page, or through Shopify or BigCommerce.
Create a Facebook Catalog with Facebook Business Manager
Once you qualify for shoppable posts, head to the Facebook Business Manager account that is linked to your Instagram business account. Follow the steps outlined here to create a catalog.
1) Add a Shop Section on Your Business Facebook Page
Another option is to add a Shop section to your business’ Facebook Page, which lets you display and sell your products right on Facebook. Here’s a Facebook guide on how to do this.
If you’re running an online store on Shopify, BigCommerce or WooCommerce, you can use their integrations to sync your store with your Facebook Business Page – this will automatically import your products into your Facebook Shop tab, along with a few other nifty settings that will help you down the track with Facebook Advertising features.
Here’s a BigCommerce guide on how to do it.
Here’s a Shopify guide on how to do it.
Here’s a WooCommerce guide on how to do it.
2) Connect Your Product Catalog to Your Instagram Account
Once you’ve completed Step One or Step Two and Instagram has verified that all your product info is correct on Facebook (this can take between a few hours and a few days according to Instagram), pop over to your Instagram account and view your profile. Once your account has been verified by Instagram you should see this banner pop up. All you need to do is hit the "Get Started" button!
If for whatever reason you don’t see this banner, head to your Instagram settings and tap on Shopping. Click continue, select a product catalog to connect to your business profile, and then hit Done. You’re now ready to start tagging your Instagram posts with your products.
If you don't see Shopping under Business Settings, your account is probably still under review.
3) Start Tagging Posts
The next step is the easiest. Tap the products in the images that you want to tag. Enter the names of the products you want to tag, then select them as they appear in the search box. You can tag products in both new and existing posts from your Instagram business profile, with the ability to tag up to 5 products per single-image post or 20 products per multi-image post.
You can learn more about tagging products here.
Instagram has distinguished itself from other social channels for e-commerce brands by touting product discovery. It has shied away from the brasher "buy now" call-to-actions found on other social media platforms. This has made it user-friendly and, in turn, caused engagement on Instagram to leapfrog Facebook (10 times higher), Pinterest (54 times higher), and Twitter (84 times higher).
Shoppable posts are a clever way to take advantage of this highly-engaged audiencewithout turning Instagram’s users off the platform. The ability to tag products within your posts and send direct traffic to your checkout page could be a game changer for businesses on Instagram.
NEED HELP SETTING UP YOUR SHOPPABLE FEED?
Why not book a marketing consultation and chat with one of our social media experts? Not only can they help you with the set-up of your shoppable feed, but they can review the performance of your social channels and ensure that they are optimized, your brand is properly represented, and that you are getting the most from your social channels.
When you contact them don't forget to mention that you were referred by Human B so you can receive that EXTRA care that they reserve for our customers!