Instagram, Instagram, Instagram...
In little over a decade, this photo sharing app has steadily become the social network of choice for over a billion people who like it's casual, laid-back charm where one photo, video or reel can spark a thousand comments and conversations.
The user experience of Instagram just feels right for a low-commitment cyber-surf, and it's a great place for small businesses, brands and local services to really start a natural conversation with their current audience, potential customers and fans of what they're doing.
But is Instagram just an ego-trip for people and brands with strong followings? Or does it offer something more in terms of validation and social reinforcement that they're doing something right, leading to consideration of their business and offering?
Today we're diving deep with some creative ideas of how to convert hard-earned Instagram followers into paid customers or subscribers. Let's go!
Turning Instagram followers into revenue
Having a growing Instagram following for your business may look impressive and feel like you're getting some of the recognition you deserve, but the best way to take advantage of your growing social media community is to learn how to convert your following into paying subscribers and customers.
With some luck and hard work, you'll have some (or lots!) of people who follow you and consume your content for free. But a lot will be more than willing to pay for your packaged offering as a subscription or to purchase your products as a customer.
You do though need to find them by consistently posting quality content and reminding them of the added benefits of becoming a customer or subscriber instead of a passive content consumer...you can also get more and more creative with your tactics over time which is why you're reading this today!
The best Instagram conversion tactics
So let's start by going over some of the best conversion tactics to turn those hard-earned followers into subscribers.
Now that you've created your Instagram account (or potentially reached a plateau with your current growth methods), you've got to implement some new ideas to transform followers into subscribers and customers.
Remember that converting your audience isn't a one-and-done deal when you're providing subscriptions. You've got to consider that your subscribers will stick with you through thick and thin, so getting them over the hump from passively consuming your content to a long-term engaged community member makes the conversion that much more worthwhile.
There is no correct step-by-step process to seamlessly converting your audience into subscribers or customers. A lot of the work you'll have to do is to test different initiatives and see what resonates so it's important to take note of what's working and what isn't.
Get creative in converting Instagram followers to subscribers and customers
Below you'll get a taste of some of our creative ideas to get your Instagram follower count growing and of course giving you more chance of conversion success.
Let's get to it - here's our 15 creative tips for Instagram conversions
- Share some action or product shots with a caption that talks about your subscriptions/products - don't overkill it though, get the balance right!
- Ask and answer questions (especially if they are related to your subscription or products) and keep your community engaged through this method.
- Use creative content to bring traffic to your website by using a link in bio or swipe up feature.
- Create giveaways with likeminded businesses and amplify what you're all about to a new audience
- Direct message new followers with information on who you are, your business and mention your subscriptions or products.
- Post exciting behind the scenes content you're working on for your subscribers-only mailing list.
- Use Instagram's Q&A feature to ask for your followers' email and add them to your mailing list for future newsletters and updates.
- You can also offer a free resource related to your expertise in exchange for their email. Once you have a lead's email address then you can start marketing to them in their inbox with more cut-through, away from social media noise.
- Promote any free trials you may be offering for new subscribers or special promos for new customers.
- Invite your audience into a private online community like a Facebook group or slack to build a stronger sense of community and immediacy - you can then start converting them into subscribers and customers.
- Use Instagram's polls feature to see what kind of content most excites your audience or ask any pertinent questions related to your business.
- Post reviews & testimonials you get as this will serve as an excellent source of validation and social proof of how amazing you are and the good vibes of your current community.
- Reshare user-generated content you get from current audience and show how much you value them.
- If you have a budget, use paid Instagram ads to get more traffic on your business page and make sure your messaging is focused on your subscription plans or products.
- Leave thoughtful comments on the Instagram accounts of your target audience and/or influencers to try to get the attention of those who might be interested in what you're offering.
Manage and measure that Instagram growth
If you follow some of our top tips and tactics then we're pretty certain you'll start to make progress in growing your Instagram following and of course generate more potential leads for your business.
Be consistent, be natural, reflect your brand, offer value and build deeper relationships with your current and future audience.
Whatever you do, we can't wait to see how you get on and of course share with us any other great Instagram conversion tactics that we can add to our guide.
Until next time...keep winning...
Jonny Quirk
If you like what you've read here, have your own success story, or want to join the conversation around entrepreneurship then hit me up on Twitter or check out our YouTube channel - I'm always around!
Feel inspired to start, run or grow your own business? Check out subkit.com and learn how you can turn "one day" into day one.
