Are you running your own apparel business? Having trouble building your brand? How do you prefer to get your name out there? If you haven't already started using Instagram, it's time to dive in and make that splash.
Instagram is an excellent platform for creating a well-rounded brand image and pulling in the casual browsers that can convert into impulse buyers. If you're still not sure how to pull it off, here are some strategies you cna try out.
Shoring Up Your Sales Strategy
Putting together a plan for how you want to post about your custom apparel online, is the best way to start. It's important to consider the following things: the visual appeal of your posts, posting time frames, cross-referencing/posting, and the motive behind posting. These are all important points to think about when putting your custom apparel online, as they all come into play in different ways. It's imperative to post on a regular basis, but you'll have to be careful not to overwhelm your users with too much social media content. Also, if you're going to be posting one or two times a day, you'll need to have your buffer posts ready to go.
Instagram is a great platform to optimize your marketing and selling strategy. The first step is to set up an Instagram Business Profile and focus on developing a well-crafted bio. Clearly describe who you are and what you offer to your audience. Also, use the URL section in the bio to link your website and drive traffic. The next step is to focus on the images and captions you post on your Instagram profile. Use your image to draw in your audience and the caption to convert engagement into sales. Include details related to the item and sale in the caption, along with potential promotional offers or coupon-codes. Cross-posting to your other social media platforms can bring in additional sales and boost your follower count. Remember, if you can customize your clothes, you can customize your promotions.
It is also worthwhile to consider integrating Instagram's shopping feature into your profile. This feature is great for providing your audience with a call to action and drive sales, as customers have the ability to buy products without leaving the app. Ensure your sales tactics are as clear as possible in your posts, as it reduces customer service issues and limits the amount of potential buyers who might drop out of the sale due to complexity. Also, plan your posts around the demographics of your target audience. Consider points like, the time they are online and the kinds of posts that grab their attention. Being aware of what interests your target audience, allows you to better curate posts to convert engagement into sales.
Prepare for Engagement
Figuring out the optimal posting times for your intended audience makes it easier to drive traffic on your Instagram page. However, customer interaction is much more than just posting frequently. It is important to promote a sense of community through your Instagram and a huge part of this involves engaging with your audience to make them feel involved in your business. User-generated content can works as "social proof" and shows your target audience that you're paying attention to their online preferences.
Hashtags are a great way to continue gaining engagement from your current audience, while also generating additional traffic to your custom apparel brand. Use hashtags that are relevant to your business and to each specific post. Hashtags are a great tool to track public interest in your products, while boosting your account. They bring in relevant audience members and provide the opportunity to get people talking about your brand and custom apparel. It's best not to over-use tags, but you can sneak in a few extra by turning regular words in your post into hashtags to make them seem a little more "organic."
Certain promotions, like custom tee giveaways, can also help increase social media attention and bring in new followers. Giveaways are a great way to draw attention or gain an instant boost to your platform. And if you're smart about your execution, you'll retain that same level of engagement and followers even after the giveaway has ended.
An aesthetically pleasing image or perfect flat lay with your custom apparel on display will draw in more users. Even though you are giving away something for free, this is an opportunity to convert new followers into potential customers. Announce the giveaway winner via Instagram, and then follow up with them for some user-generated feedback. This process could help gain insights into what interests your audience, so you can produce relevant content in the future.
Go Pro with Your Instagram Skills
Figuring out how useful Instagram is to promoting your custom apparel brand can allow to optimize the functions available on the platform to drive sales. For example, knowing how much of your sales are generated from your Instagram presence allows you to compare these analytics to your other advertising locations or social media platforms. If a large portion of your customer base lives on Instagram, it might be worthwhile to consider advertising there as well. You'll be able to use the data generated by these advertisements to track your consumer engagement and buying behavior.
Not interested in advertising? There are plenty of other ways to increase your Instagram presence.
• Be an early adopter: Use new features regularly to draw interest and attention to your brand
• Go for easy engagement: Give users a quick way to interact with your content, like using the poll feature on Instagram stories to collect feedback and engagement on topics like custom clothing colours
• Call in the cavalry: When you post something, engage your audience in the comments and encourage them to tag their friends to increase traffic
• Create a relatable persona: Going somewhere important? Planning an event? Tag your location and let people know what your company does for fun
Most importantly, take some time to appreciate social media for what it truly is which is a whole new way to reach out and connect.
