Instagram is an ever-growing platform that’s ripe with marketing opportunities. One-third of the most viewed stories on Instagram are from businesses and in Canada, Instagram is the fastest growing social media platform. So is it important that your business utilizes Instagram for marketing purposes? Absolutely. So long as you use it strategically and with good reason. However, using the app for marketing doesn’t come without a couple of small interruptions. The only real setback with the app is that it’s ever-changing (which is both good and bad thing). Instagram is constantly updating, making it more confusing to some on how to market their business on the app. There is, unfortunately, no way to add a link directly to a post’s caption, but there are other ways to add links to Instagram that will benefit your business.
Add a (short or memorable) link in your caption
Is this the most effective way to share a link on Instagram? No. The reason for that is because when the link is in the caption, you can’t just click on it to access the webpage. If you make the link something short and memorable (for example www.3sixtymarketingsolutions.com) it will at least draw some attention. If it’s something too long (for example https://3sixtymarketingsolutions.com/think-billboard-ads-are-a-thing-of-the-past-think-again/) then people won’t remember it. If you decide to add the link in your captions, it needs to be something quick and easy for your audience to remember because they have to key it into a web browser themselves to follow it. They can’t just click it and arrive at your website.
Add a link to your bio
This method is probably one of the most common and easiest practises many people use to share a link on Instagram. By adding a small blurb at the end of a post’s caption (see link in bio/link in description) it can draw more users to your profile, who then click on the link, and find out more about what you and your business offer. For many users, however, it’s a link they will more likely see when they are already viewing your profile.
There are a couple of ways that you can implement this. The first is to just have the link set up to the homepage of your website (which is less maintenance). The other option is to frequently update the link depending on your latest post – which can create some issues.
The main issues being:
- Who is going to manage keeping up with updating the link?
- What do you do with old posts?
Let’s say I’m scrolling through your feed and see a post from a long time ago with a caption saying “link in bio” but when I click on the link, it’s the wrong post. This can create some confusion for your audience if you’re not carefully managing the posts frequently enough. So, what is the solution to that? One option would be to try a link service. A link service allows you to provide your audience with a list of links they can choose from. How it works is you provide one link in your bio, and that link will direct a user to a list of other links for them to choose from. That way, you don’t have to keep changing one link in your bio every time you post something new.
Add a link to your story
If you know you will be frequently changing links in your bio and don’t want to opt into a link service, the better option would be to add links to your Instagram story instead of using the ‘swipe up’ feature. That way, if what your promoting is time-sensitive (seasonal deals and events, exclusive promotions, etc.), it will disappear after 24 hours. But if you would like to keep the link available (for essential content and posts that will help educate new followers, showcase top selling products, and memorable announcements, etc.), you can also save the story to your profile in the highlights section for your audience to view at any time.
Keep in mind that Instagram stories are only 15 seconds long – so make an impact. Keep it short, sweet and to the point. Also, make sure you highlight or draw attention to the swipe up feature in your story.
Add a link using Shoppable posts
This one is geared more towards businesses selling a specific product online (clothing companies, cosmetic brands, etc.) but it’s a very effective way of turning followers into paying customers in the click of a button. In order to add shoppable links to Instagram, you must start by creating a catalog on Facebook. Once you have a catalog created of different items available for purchase, you can then begin adding shopping tags to your posts. This will also create a shopping tab to your profile, making it easier for your followers to access your online store.
Pay for promotional links and stories
Another great way to gain more momentum on Instagram is paying for promotional posts which allows those who see the ad to click the link that is directly underneath the post (which is only possible to do with an Instagram business profile). This is again a great option for shoppable posts, but be careful and spend your money wisely on this feature. It’s important to make sure that your post is directly related to the link – otherwise, if people click on the link and decide it’s not what they thought it was, they will leave the page and you’ve wasted your ad dollars.
Add links to DMs
Don’t forget about your direct messages! Your DM’s are a great way of directly communicating and building connections with your customers and you should be keeping track of your inbox for customer service concerns and stories that mention your company. You can also use your DM’s to reach out to new followers, direct some followers to specific links and so on. There’s a lot of growth opportunities available when it comes to direct messaging – so take advantage!
If you’d like to learn more about using Instagram to its full potential when it comes to your marketing plan, come to the experts! At 3SIXTY Marketing Solutions, we are results driven and want your business to get the maximum amount of exposure it can while also increasing your return on investment. If you think social media platforms such as Instagram best suit your business or you would like more information on other marketing platforms your business can use, contact us now at 705-252-4180 and let’s get started.
