Whether it was the intention of its creators or not, Instagram has grown to become one of the biggest marketing platforms in the world.
Instagram currently has over 2 billion active users, which is about 25 percent of the world’s population. Do you know what this means? It means that regardless of the kind of business you run, there is a market on Instagram for your brand.
However, Instagram marketing can be more tricky than it seems. You need to play your cards right to get the desired results. In this article, I’ll be discussing key strategies that can help you create an effective Instagram sales funnel (aka an Instagram sales funnel that converts).
1. Create Buyer Personas
It’s easy to get caught up in the numbers and forget that your customers are people with unique personalities. Creating a buyer persona helps you focus on your customers as individuals — it gives a human touch to your marketing efforts.
A buyer persona is a detailed description of a customer who represents a larger group of your target audience. It is a fictional representation of your ideal customer based on data obtained from intensive market research, Google Analytics, social media analytics, and your customer database.
Beyond your target market analysis, it allows you to delve into the psych of your target customer. A buyer persona includes details like your customers’ interests, what they are up to, their daily routine, the challenges they face, and what drives them to make a purchase.
A well-crafted buyer persona helps you create Instagram content and marketing campaigns that resonate with your audience. Contents that tell your customers “Hey, I see you/I understand what you’re going through and I can help solve this problem.”
Buyer personas are crafted based on the characteristics and behavioral patterns of a customer group. Thus, it goes without saying that you might need multiple personas for your business.
2. Partner With the Right Influencers
One of the challenges businesses face is getting their business to the right audience. This isn’t always the same as getting your business to a large audience.
Influencer marketing allows businesses to present their products/services to the right audience, and depending on your budget, a large audience as well. It’s no wonder why it has been adopted by businesses (both big and small) all over the world.
Humans are emotional beings. So, it makes sense that we are more inclined to trust a product endorsed by someone we admire, trust, or feel some kind of connection with. This notion is reinforced by a customer survey, which reveals that 69% of customers trust the recommendations of influencers over brand advertisements.
Partnering with influencers can help businesses increase brand awareness, build credibility, and drive sales. The key to reaping the benefits of influencer marketing is partnering with the right influencer(s). It won’t do you any good to partner with just anyone that has a high follower count.
Instead, partner with influencers who share something in common with your brand. For instance, if you sell gym wear and accessories, you should partner with a fitness enthusiast or someone who lives an active lifestyle. This way, you are more likely to reach a relevant audience group.
Other things to consider include:
- Influencer’s credibility
- Authenticity of their followers
- Audience demographics
- Engagement on posts
- Content quality
You can use tools like Social Blade, Klear, and HypeAuditor to analyze an influencer’s profile before making your decision.