You know the power of Instagram. With over 1 billion monthly active users sharing over 95 million photos and videos per day, Instagram is a social media giant. As an entrepreneur or business owner, you need to leverage the massive reach of Instagram to drive traffic to your website. The good news is, with some simple strategies, Instagram can become one of your best sources of new visitors and customers.In this article, you’ll learn how to optimize your Instagram profile, post engaging content, use hashtags effectively, run contests and giveaways, cross-promote to your website, and analyze your results. Implement these proven techniques and watch your website traffic soar. Instagram is ripe for the taking, so let’s dive in and get you more visitors from this popular platform.
Optimize Your Instagram Profile
To get the most traffic from Instagram to your website, you need to optimize your profile. Here are some tips:
Make your bio link clickable: Your bio is the only place you can include a live link on Instagram. Use a link shortener to point it to your website.
Choose an eye-catching profile photo: Your photo should represent your brand and make you recognizable. A friendly, smiling headshot usually works well for most businesses.
Post high-quality photos: Well-composed, interesting photos will make people want to click through to your site to see more. Post a mix of photos showing your products or services, behind-the-scenes shots, lifestyle images, and reposts of happy customers. You should also use product photo editing services, to get your images edited professionally and look consistent on your site and social media.
Use relevant hashtags: Hashtags help people discover your posts and profile. Do some research to find popular hashtags in your industry. Use a mix of broad hashtags with 1M+ posts, medium-size hashtags with 100K to 1M posts, and smaller hashtags with under 100K posts.
Tag your location: If you have a brick-and-mortar business, be sure to tag your location in posts. This will make you discoverable to people searching in that location.
Engage with your followers: Like and reply to their comments, check out their profiles and engage with their posts, and repost their photos. Engaging with your followers will keep them interested in your profile and more likely to visit your website.
Post Engaging Visual Content
To get more traffic from Instagram to your website, you need to post visual content that engages your followers.
Focus on high-quality images and short videos that showcase your product, service, content, or brand. Use an attention-grabbing style and edit your media so it looks professional. Your photos and videos represent your business, so make sure they are on brand!
Post a good mix of content, from product photos and behind-the-scenes glimpses to infographics and short video clips. – Variety keeps things interesting for your followers.
Optimize your media for mobile devices since that’s how most people view Instagram. Make sure any text is large enough to read and your images are sized appropriately.
Include a clear call-to-action (CTA) in your caption that directs people to your website, like “Link in bio” or “Visit our site for more details.” Make it easy for people to find your site and check out what you offer.
Buy Instagram Followers and Collaborate With Other Instagrammers
One of the best ways to drive traffic to your website from Instagram is by collaborating with other Instagram influencers and buying followers. Look for a reputable service like Mixx that offers real and organic followers at affordable prices. As your follower count grows, your posts will gain more likes and comments, ranking higher in searches and gaining more organic followers. Just be sure to also post high-quality, engaging content so you retain both paid and organic followers.
Collaborate with Other Instagrammers
Collaborating with influencers in your niche is a great way to tap into their audiences and gain new followers. There are a few popular ways to collaborate:
- Shoutouts: Ask influencers to share one of your posts on their account and give you a shoutout in their caption. Offer to do the same for them in return.
- Takeovers: Ask influencers if you can take over their account for a day to share posts, stories, and engage with their followers. Let their followers know you’ll be taking over and share a link to your profile.
- Co-branding: Team up with complementary brands or influencers to co-create content like blog posts, videos or events. Cross-promote to each other’s audiences.
- Influencer gifting: Send influencers a free product or service in exchange for an honest review and social share. Be very transparent about the exchange to follow FTC guidelines.
- Loop giveaways: Team up with several influencers to offer a prize from each brand. Followers must follow all brands to enter. This exposes you to new potential followers with an incentive to engage.
- Ambassador programs: For long-term relationships, consider starting an ambassador program where you provide influencers with free product or commission in exchange for ongoing promotion. Set clear expectations and goals to maximize the partnership.
Drive Traffic With Instagram Stories and Live
Instagram Stories and Live are two of the best ways to drive traffic from Instagram to your website. Here are some tips to make the most of these features:
Post stories promoting your latest blog content
- Share a short video or photo from your new blog post and swipe up a link in your Story to drive readers to the full article on your site.
- Tease the content to build interest. For example, you might say something like “Check out my top tips for repurposing content in my newest blog post. Swipe up to read it now!”
- Post Stories when your latest blog content goes live to maximize visibility. Your followers will see you have a new Story and may discover your new blog content.
Go live to engage your audience
- Announce you’re going live in your Stories ahead of time so your followers know to tune in.
- At the end of your Live video, remind viewers they can find more details and resources on your website. Provide the link for them to click.
- Keep your Live videos short, around 5 to 15 minutes. Longer videos see a drop-off in viewership and engagement. Short and sweet is best!
Conclusion
You now have the tools to turn your Instagram account into a powerful traffic and lead generating machine for your website. The key is to post eye-catching and engaging photos, use strategic hashtags to increase visibility, engage with your followers, and include links back to your site in your profile and posts. Build your following, post consistently, and watch as more and more visitors find their way to your website. With a little time and effort, you’ll be well on your way to driving significant traffic and new leads from Instagram. So get out there, start posting, engage with others, use those hashtags and watch the traffic roll in. You’ve got this! Now go grow your Instagram following and drive more traffic.
