Until recently, Instagram was the black sheep in the legit lead generation and social media marketing domain. Marketers didn’t think of Instagram as a viable platform for serious business, far less to acquire leads. However, in the last 1-2 years, there has been a massive paradigm shift in how social media commerce is done, which has led to effective Instagram lead generation initiatives.
The Evolution of Instagram from a Simple Photo-Sharing app to a Legit Lead Gen Tool
Now the main problem is, what was long ignored and sidelined by marketers has now moved to the forefront of social media marketing. And marketers across the world are trying to upgrade their business on this once-ignored platform. More than 70% of brands (especially in the US) now use Instagram for their business objectives, which imply the platform’s worth. Today we shall talk about all the amazing lead- generating qualities Instagram has and how one can leverage it to improve their bottom line.
Approximately Instagram has 1 billion monthly active users and 80% of this massive number of MAUs, follow a business, which is a great sign. And most of them say the platform has helped them in their decision-making. Moreover, influencer marketing has even more impact on the millennials, who make up a large percentage of consumers.
Almost every one of this large demography has one or more favorite Bloggers who they follow and act according to their recommendation. So, you can imagine the number of prospective clients out there. And if you have not yet started any Instagram marketing, then how much you were missing out! That said, you cannot afford to miss out on the extraordinary Instagram lead acquisition tactics that the platform presents.
So, without any further ado, let’s plunge into the effective Instagram lead generation techniques and strategies that will enable a marketer to generate the maximum number of qualified leads on Instagram.
1. Ensure you have a Business Account for Instagram Marketing
First thing first, always get a business account for your marketing activities instead of a personal one. This is the basic of your entire lead generation efforts.
If you use your Instagram account entirely for your personal use, then it’s mandatory to have a business account for all your business ventures. Because in a business account, you will get multiple features and options, imperative for your marketing activities. Also, you shall get the analytics to gauge how your campaigns are performing.
2. Avail Instagram Lead Gen Ads
This is the simplest of all tips to start with. Also, the easier and faster way of getting your content across, loud and clear. Not only do lead generation ads on Instagram work wonderfully for brands with a large follower base, but also for start-ups and SMEs, who usually have a smaller following.
Instagram lead ads are designed to keep customer information in mind, viz, email ids, phone numbers, birthdates, hobbies, designation, locality, industry, and so on. These ads help to discover your customer behavior and purchase preferences. And since you can store such valuable consumer data, you can further use them to improve your email marketing campaigns.
Moreover, your content team can curate effective promotional advertisements for customer outreach and target prospects with similar traits. The best thing about Instagram ads is the process is pretty simple and straightforward. You start by having a business account and defining your marketing objective, for e.g., lead generation, sales conversion, app downloads, sign up, or traffic generation.
Click on Ads Manager, choose the “Create” option, and then select lead generation as your primary objective. Thereafter, define your target audience, the duration, and the budget for the campaign. Ensure your ad creative must abide by the specifications of Instagram.
3. Optimize your Instagram Profile with a Perfect Bio
Whether you are a novice in Instagram lead generation or a pro, ensure you have a suitably optimized bio or profile. It is of utmost importance to create a great first impression on your audience. And having some kind of an elevator pitch reflects your brand and everything you stand for.
Apart from this, your bio would also help potential buyers to get in touch with you directly. It is said that while all your other social media bios are important, your Instagram bio is 10X significant. Indeed, if you have less than 10k followers, then your bio link is the only way to drive leads to your website.
That said, never undermine this option and ensure that you have the best-written bio. Your Instagram bio should have your brand name so that your prospects can easily find you. Then a recognizable and professional photo of HD quality. Recommended pixel size is 200×200 for a proper Smartphone display.
Other than these, make sure there’s a well-crafted description of your brand, along with your website link. The description should be such to give your audience a reason to follow your brand.
In short, you need to focus on 3 primary areas while crafting the content for your bio, such as who you are and what is all about your brand. Secondly, what you do and what is the nature of your business. And lastly, how can you add value to your consumers with your products or services.
4. Don’t Forget to Add Action Buttons to your Instagram Profile
Adding action buttons to your profile makes it easier for your clients to connect with you from anywhere, anytime. You may integrate pop up links showcasing your email address, phone number, office address, etc.
You may choose any of them or all of them based on your goals and requirements. The aim is to grab the attention of the viewer and urge them to take action- either request a callback, or sign up, or click to learn more. If you are finding an answer to how to get more leads on Instagram, then adding action buttons to your Insta profile is the answer!
5. Integrate Clickable Links to your Insta Stories
This is another interesting feature of Instagram by which you can put short links in every story you post. This technique truly has great significance in lead generation, especially for those accounts that have a large number of followers. Embedding vital links to their stories gives them the fullest potential to acquire new leads.
30% of the Instagram stories that are most viewed by the Instagrammers are the ones posted by businesses. Viewers can just swipe and reach the actual website. The simplicity of this feature has made Instagram such a preferred eCommerce platform these days.
If you wonder how to generate leads with Instagram stories, click on the “+” icon on the top left corner of your account, or just swipe right. And then upload the ad you wish to feature. Lastly, just click on the chain icon to embed your chosen link.
6. Craft a Scannable Landing Page that Delivers
Once a prospect clicks on your link, do not give him/her even a little chance to regret their decision. Welcome them with a unique landing page and a seamless visual experience.
Your landing page should be scannable and must be well-designed and optimized for mobile viewing, considering the fact that Instagram is mainly mobile-based. Also, put up the kind of content relevant to your audience and their expectations from your brand. Because the hype your CTA would generate, your visitors will already be having a high hope for what they would see on your landing page. And if that expectation is not met, it would create a negative impression for your brand.
Some brands convert their feeds into clickable landing pages in a bid to go the extra mile, while some others opt to provide links on their website.
7. Be Consistent with Sharing Valuable Content
On any social media, a marketer’s first and foremost target is to establish credibility about his/her brand. If there’s no credibility, there’s no business. Because consumers want to see an industry expert when they visit a specific website, and if they get no such confidence from the website’s overall appearance, the chance is missed. If they get no such confidence from the overall appearance of the website- the chance is missed. Therefore, credibility is the key to thrive in the online market realm.
Now, what makes or breaks a brand perception in the consumer’s mind? The first thing is what they see and read about the brand and the things it says. There comes the quintessential importance of content; rightly as it said, content is king! So make sure to share valuable and quality content on your Instagram business account, and rise in the eyes of your target audience.
Besides making your highest quality content, ensure it is informative enough and resonates with your audience. The more value you provide to your audience through your content, the more you boost the level of engagement and customer loyalty, retain your existing clients better, and enhance the number of followers. This is the secret to how to generate leads on Instagram effectively and faster.
8. Maintain a Team of Creative and Goal-Oriented Professionals
In social media, it is all about hooking the audience. Whether through your textual posts, video content, or creative social media graphics– hooking your audience in a few seconds is all that matters.
In most cases, creativity is the key. And that’s the reason marketers all around the world believe that there is a perpetual connection between creativity and business success. Consumers find it amusing how creatively you articulate your brand message, and it is indeed quite amazing how graphics and visuals influence consumer impressions.
Whatever you create, whatever targeted posts, stories, CTAs- must go hand-in-hand with your uniquely designed creatives. And that is only possible when you have a goal-oriented team of professionals with you. A team that keeps your audience engaged and your business message focused. A creative team aligned with your marketing purpose can develop creative Instagram lead generation solutions that help you generate more revenue and grow more traffic.
9. Find Ways to Engage with your Audience
Engaging with your audience on a more personalized level is the pivotal aspect of social media. And channels like Instagram, Facebook are more of into taking a sneak-peek into our lives.
So once you decide to utilize them for your marketing and generate high quality leads, you must take the cue and connect with your target audience even more. Without proper engagement and buzz, your brand cannot have the brand recognition needed to make it the most sought-after.
The easiest way to engage is to respond to every comment you get and anywhere you are mentioned. However, just a generic “Thank You” might not work if you think about something big and long term.
In that case, you need to delve deeper and craft even more thoughtful messaging. Instead of a dry “Thanks”, amuse your audience with a good amount of GIFs, emojis, relevant hashtags, follow-up questions, images, or at least a thoughtful plain simple message.
However, don’t go into writing paragraphs or multiple sentences; just show them how much you care and give them the attention they deserve. And the funny thing is, you can still engage even if you don’t have an audience. For that, you need to seek out similar brands like you and connect with the audience who are interacting with them.
10. Reach out to Influencers and Request for Collaboration
Influencers are having the best of their times right now. Instagram remains one of the leaders in the influencer marketing industry and has given an immense platform to aspiring influencers to publish unique content. What started as a mere passion has now become a full-time profession for many.
And several brands, industries have now realized the importance of influencers in getting their products sold, because influencers have a large number of followers who follow their recommendations indiscriminately. And micro-influencers have a bigger influence on their audience owing to a higher engagement rate.
Considering all these factors, find out authentic influencers on Instagram and try to collaborate more with them because collaborating with Instagram influencers is a highly effective Instagram lead generation tactic these days. Developing robust partnerships with such influencers can bring you numerous leads, boost your conversions and increase brand awareness.
Find out the ways to reach out to them. Look out for the followers these influencers have; they should match your buyer persona. Also, seek only a genuine influencer, who has a large number of followers, has a brand affinity, and is trustworthy. You may think of offering monthly giveaways along with the payment to ensure long-term collaboration. Instagram influencer marketing can truly grow a subscriber base and engagement in no time.
Wrapping Up!
Apart from these, you may run contests, feature popular products, and post shoppable content – for better engagement. With persistence and continuity, you shall soon feel the increase in your leads.
By mastering the tips mentioned above, you can broaden your business scope and customer engagement and establish a significant client base. The basic benefits are immense; you generate fresh leads and raise brand awareness. But this one of the largest image and video-sharing networks can take your business one notch-up.
Hope this Blog will come in handy to you as to how to find prospects on Instagram. So, get going and start building a real brand presence. Your bottom line will thank you for that!