Generally speaking, Instagram isn't necessarily a platform that will help you drive more traffic to your company's website. Instagram is actually far more effective when it comes to improving your brand visibility and building a community. However, by engaging with your audience on Instagram, one of the side effects is increased traffic to your site. Here are five simple ways you can use Instagram not only to build your brand's visibility but drive more traffic to your site.
Include Your URL
When people come across your posts on Instagram, they will head to your Instagram bio to find out more about you. This means that your bio is the prime place for you to place your website or blog URL. While your 150 character bio doesnÕt leave much room for you to be creative, including your URL should be a priority. Along with adding your URL to your bio, you need to briefly tell people who you are, what you do, and how you can help them.
Add a Shortened Version of Your URL in Comments
Unfortunately, links posted in the comment section of Instagram are not live, they become hyperlinked when you share the same photo on Twitter and Facebook. Making sure you leave your URL in comments that you create can help drive additional engagement and traffic. It is important to remember, however, to keep your comments relevant, engaging, and on point, to avoid being flagged as spam.
Watermark Your Images
You never know if your images are going to go viral. Don't take any chances. Make sure that you are watermarking all of your pictures with your company name and URL. If you don't know how to place a watermark on your images, you can use iWatermark to stamp your URL on your photos quickly.
Highlight Popular Posts
It is extremely easy to share a blog post and drive more traffic to your site on Facebook and Twitter, but it becomes a bit more challenging when it comes to Instagram. You have to look for creative ways to share the images that you post. You might consider doing a weekly roundup of your favorite posts or products from your site to get your followers interested enough to visit your website.
Always Include a Price Tag on Your Product Photos
There is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to qualify your traffic. On Pinterest, product shots with price tags generally receive higher click-through rates than those without, and it will probably hold true on Instagram as well. If a user is interested in your product, don't make them hunt around for the price.
It is important to remember that you are using Instagram to build brand visibility and give a more personal and authentic feel to your business. Utilizing these tips will allow users who want to connect with you via your website the ability to do so.