Higher women’s participation can add US$280b to the e-commerce market in Southeast Asia

Higher women’s participation can add US$280b to the e-commerce market in Southeast Asia

Here’s how brands can use Instagram to drive sales

INSTAGRAM has over one billion monthly active users and is one of the most influential social media platforms in the world.

According to Instagram’s own estimates, up to 80 percent of its users follow businesses on the platform, indicating that it could help enterprises could significantly chalk up customer engagement.

However, e-commerce players on the platform should not just strive for “likes” but also leverage it to source leads, promote the latest launches, and most importantly, monetize their Instagram account.

With proper planning and an iron-clad strategy, Instagram could generate significant traffic for e-commerce sites providing an immediate boost to sales.

Here are some of the ways businesses could grow their revenue using the platform:

#1 | Be a differentiator

E-commerce brands should already know the interest and preferences of their target market and be well aware of what is offered by the competition.

In order to catch the eye of the customer, they have to differentiate the content they put on Instagram from the pictures and videos posted by everyone else.

Companies could go back and forth with promotional posts and lifestyle postings that foster a solid brand image and a personality that encourages customer engagement.

#2 | Deploy growth tools

Aside from quality content, brands should also make an effort to grow the number of users following their account on the platform. Fortunately, there are a plethora of tools that can be deployed to help achieve this.

There are tools, for example, that can automate new audience reach by liking posts by a set audience in order to generate organic interest.

Other tools allow users to schedule various posts based on a predetermined schedule or at peak engagement hours, ensuring that the right audience sees the right content at the right time, helping gain followers instantly.

#3 | Make use of analytics

Companies should always seek out what type of content generates the most buzz among their target audience and constantly monitor the analytics and insights provided to improve the quality of their posts.

Instagram for business accounts provides Insights that allow companies to track the impressions, reach and interaction of each post, which brands can leverage to drive traffic to their site.

Beyond that, insights provide data on the different profile and demography of the audience, which could also allow brands to plan their targeted ad spend and improve conversion rate.