Most marketers may think that Instagram is not an appropriate platform for lead generation. However, depending on how you utilize it and the nature of your business, it can actually be a possible source of high-quality leads. A recent study shows that around 80% of the users follow a business account. It is undeniable evidence that companies are tapping on the active and highly engaged users of Instagram for lead generation.
Targeting Instagram for Lead Generation
If you are not taking advantage of the different features of Instagram, you are missing plenty of business opportunities. Read these tips to learn how you can employ both organic and paid methods to ensure that you have a rich source of leads to direct your sales funnel.
Using Instagram Ads
Perhaps the most apparent method to use Instagram for lead generation is to use their ad campaign. It will be easier for you to capture the customer information you need with this. This will include job titles, contact information, birthdates, etc. The lead form will help you learn a couple of things about your customers that will allow you to refine your sales and marketing strategy. For instance, you can run Instagram stories ad campaigns to gather signatures. However, before you can even utilize these features, you need to have a business account first. Therefore, it also implies that you need a Facebook page for your business.
The Instagram Ads that you will run on this platform will be created in the Ads Manager of Facebook. To create an advertisement on Instagram for lead generation, choose Lead Generation under the Consideration row. You can choose to edit the placement, but Facebook will recommend Automatic Placement to guarantee that the cost per lead acquisition is kept at a minimum rate.
How to Make Sure that the Instagram Ads are Running?
To guarantee that your ads are running, ensure that it adheres to the platform’s specification. It would be best to consider some things when learning how to use Instagram for lead generation. For instance, consider adding some pre-filled fields into your Instagram form to increase the completion rate. Some of the things that Instagram can pre-fill include gender, phone numbers, email address, full name, and others. The system will automatically collect those data in the account of the user.
The information that you’ve collected from these audiences will help you refine your paid marketing strategy. It will help you fine-tune your strategy on targeting Instagram for lead generation. This method will help you reach out to those individuals who have similar profiles. It boosts your brand awareness and enables you to widen your company’s reach.
Action Buttons Can Make a Difference
If you manage a business account on Instagram, don’t forget to add an action button on your profile. You can add various information about your company, such as a business address, email, and phone number. This ensures that people interested in doing business with you can reach out to you. Apart from these options, there are also other features that you can use Instagram for lead generation. For instance, you can introduce Get Ticket, Reserve, and Book actions on your profile. Upon clicking the button, the user will be directed to your lead capture form. To add your action button to this social media channel, click on the Edit Profile found on your home page. Choose Contact options where you can tap on the Add an Action. Finally, add the URL where you wish the audience to be redirected.
Optimizing Your Bio
Like your other social media account used for lead generation, you need to ensure that your Instagram profile is optimized, especially the link space. The link that you will add does not necessarily have to be the homepage of your website. Consider the fact that you are using Instagram for lead generation. You will need to think about your objectives when adding the link. For instance, you may want to add your landing page or a link to your lead capture form. This could also be the link for the subscription on your newsletter, product sales, survey forms, etc. Here are some points that you need to keep in mind when optimizing the link space on your profile.
- Choose a shorter link. Be sure that the name of your brand is added to it. If your URL is too long, use a link shortener, but do not forget to customize the URL name.
- Remind your followers about the link. Not all of your followers will be aware that it exists. When uploading a new picture or video, you can add ‘Link on Bio’ to your post.
- Most of the time, you want this link to be trackable. Therefore, do not forget to use UTM parameters.
- A Call-to-Action must be added on top of the link.
Don’t Neglect Your Landing Page
We’ve often reminded our audience that capturing the leads will not happen on our social media channel. You will still have to direct them to your pages, such as your landing page. Therefore, you should design a landing page that will encourage them to complete the actions that you want them to do. Webtudy has already created a comprehensive guide on how to develop a landing page that will boost your lead generation campaign. Make sure that people can easily scan the page for important information. It must offer a smooth visual experience for all your audience. Regardless of what you promised on your Instagram for lead generation, make sure that they will find it on the landing page.
Swipe Up option on Your Instagram Stories
Another option where you can embed your link would be Instagram Stories. If you have built a decent number of followers on this platform, the Swipe Up feature is one of the options you should consider when you use Instagram for lead generation. If you are still not convinced, you should look at the most recent numbers. Based on the reports, around 1/3 of the most-viewed stories in Instagram belong to business profiles. Lead Gen on Instagram stories also has an 85% completion rate. The numbers pointed out that this could be more effective than the Bio link since it all takes the swipe of the screen to lead them to the landing page.
To add a swipe-up option on your Instagram stories, go to your feed and then swipe right. You can also tap the ‘+’ icon on the top upper corner, close to your profile picture. Upload your content and tap on the ‘chain’ icon where you can add your link. Also, consider adding your Instagram stories into your highlights. This will boost the visibility of your post and encourage others to visit it.
Tailoring Your Content
We’ve often reminded our readers that content is the king in lead generation. Therefore, your posts should always make sense when targeting Instagram for Lead generation. For instance, if your goal is to encourage your audience to click on the link on your bio, your posts should remind your audience about it. You need to give your followers a reason to complete your lead generation form. When posting, showcase to them the benefits that your business can offer. Teach them how your solution can address their pain points. Always leave a call to action on your post
Shoppable Posts
Tagging your products on your posts will be a good way to boost your sales. On the off chance that it did not end up a conversion, you can use this to collect the information of your interested audience. Instagram Shopping has been receiving a lot of interest over the past. Based on the recent reports, at least 130 million accounts have already used product tags on their account monthly. This will be a piece of valuable information, especially when taken advantage of by an experienced marketer. You can determine the products that are capturing the interest of your audience. You can also refine your ads that will boost the engagement rate of your potential leads when using Instagram for lead generation.
Before creating a shoppable post, be sure that your account is qualified. Be sure that you can access Facebook Catalogue Manager. Once you connect your catalog, complete the sign-up process for Instagram shopping. Once done, you can now add product tags to your stories and posts. Instagram insights will help you monitor the key metrics such as the number of clicks, product views, etc. The shoppable posts have a higher chance to appear in Explore Feed, which receives an average of 200 million visits per day.
Partnership with an Influencer
If you want to know how to use Instagram for lead generation, one effective method is to reach out to digital influencers. Look for an influencer who has a strong affinity for your brand. It guarantees that your partnership with them will allow you to reach a new set of audiences who could be interested in your business. There are certain aspects that you must look for on an influencer. For instance, you want someone credible and who has a good track record. Remember that they represent you online, and you don’t want to be represented by someone with questionable character.
Running a Contest
Another efficient method to use Instagram for lead generation is to run a contest. Be sure to play with your imagination and creativity when hosting a contest. For instance, ask the participants for information that you need to capture. You can also require them to complete a survey to qualify for a raffle draw. You can reach out to your social circle and ask them to share your contest on their feeds. This will help you reach out to more possible leads. If you have the resources, consider partnering with a digital influencer. You can ask them to be the judge if you are running a contest. You can also think of running an exclusive promotion or sales on your Instagram. Be sure to add some urgency to encourage the people to complete the form or the sales.
Featuring Your Popular Posts or Products
Remember that not all of your leads will be ready to be converted. Understand that they are in different stages of the buyer’s journey. Therefore, you might want to stay on top of your Insights to find the content or product with a higher engagement level. You want to know which of your post is receiving the highest level of interaction. Be sure that you will post this product or content regularly. This will help you remind them about your product. You need to establish the opportunity to encourage them to purchase your service or product. Posting regularly will also boost your reach.
Be sure that you will post in the same format at a similar time if you are using Instagram for lead generation. You should also make use of the different options to publish. Some of your followers may only check your stories, and others may view your product page. Also, do not forget to tailor your posts.
