Every day we receive emails requesting information on helpful tips and tricks to promote your concepts and designs. We’ve already discussed Polyvore, Pinterest, and Tumblr and are happy to share one of our favorite social media outlets. Our next installment in our “how to” blog post series is how to market your custom apparel storefront on Instagram!
What is Instagram?
Another free platform that allows individuals to share photos and videos instantly while giving the option to share through a variety of other social networking platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and Flickr.
What makes Instagram different?
It’s all about the picture. Ever heard the saying a picture means a thousand words? Consumers visually shop with their eyes before anything else so you only have a few seconds to really grab their attention. Instagram is a visual playground of fascinating images that ordinary people happened to witness in person and they want to share with everyone else.
Your Instagram style can say a lot about you and the products that you sell. You don’t necessarily need to be a professional photographer to have a huge following. With that being said, customers enjoy seeing other individuals wear your products. It gives them the opportunity to see what the fit looks like but also get the feel of your style. For example, if your storefront is about camping then make sure to include images of individuals enjoying your products outdoors or set a mood by taking a picture of your design in it’s element – on a beautiful hillside or hanging from an old oak tree. The overall purpose in your creativity is to give your customers a reason to follow you. The more followers you have, the more opportunities for your products to reach a new audience.
Instagram has a great organic approach of this is an amazing product, picture, moment and I want to share it with everyone. Don’t overthink it. How and where would you wear your product?
How To Get Started:
Before you can start using the app, Instagram will ask you to create a free account. You can sign up via your existing Facebook account or by email. All you need is a username and a password.
You may be asked if you want to follow some friends who are on Instagram in your Facebook network. You can also customize your profile by adding your name, a photo, a short bio and a website. This is a great opportunity to give a detailed snap shot of what your storefront concept is all about along with a direct URL link to your custom apparel storefront.
Helpful Tips and Tricks:
Hashtags
It’s all about the hashtags on Instagram. The only way your products will be seen by individuals other than your followers is to add appropriate hashtags to your description. Similar to Customized Girl’s concept of adding tags to your designs so they are easier to find when individuals are searching the website. Once you start adding relevant hashtags to your image, Instagram will provide you with helpful suggestions and also include the search volume.
Trending Topics
You can easily search for people and your favorite hashtags on Instagram by clicking the magnifying glass. This will also display the top trending hashtags on Instagram at that moment. This is a very important feature to keep an eye on and take advantage of. If your storefront concepts are clever enough to mash up with an existing design and a trending topic then jump on it! It’s what we live for at Customized Girl.
Last but not least, make sure to follow other relevant Instagram accounts. This is a simple technique to get followers that are passionate about the same interests as you. It opens the door for not only future customers but for possible networking opportunities.
What are other successful ways to promote your storefront on Instagram? Let us know and make sure to check out our other blog posts on how to market your custom apparel storefronts!