Instagram has grown in leaps and bounds ever since it started, and so have its engagement levels. For instance, users on the platform liked 4.2 million posts every day when it had a total user count of 500 million people. Today, the social media platform has 800 million users and counting, and you can only guess the number of likes it is registering each day.
Thanks to the introduction of Instagram stories, more users can put out interesting stories of their lives to their followers, making the posting method popular, and the introduction of more features to improve the Instagram stories themselves.
Another aspect making Instagram grow is the introduction of business profiles. The platform announced that there were 25 million businesses on the platform, and that was at the end of 2017. In fact, about 30 percent of Instagram users have bought at least one item on their mobile phones, which should signal to you why you need to start promoting your business on Instagram.
If you are not sure of how to do this though, read on to get some tips to enhance your ability to earn a living through Instagram.
Working with other brands to create sponsored posts
This can work well when you have a significant following on Instagram, particularly within a specific niche. You can then use that as the basis of approaching brands and promoting their products on your feed, then the brands pay you in cash or any other arrangement you set up with them. This is an easy method for the brand to get awareness among your following, and it is a great way for you to earn some extra money through the post.
The question is usually whether you need a specific number of followers to begin monetizing the account, but you do not really need to. The most important aspect is to have a particular niche of your follower base. The more followers you have because of the content you post, the more impact you can make if you work with other brands.
Finding brands to work with through influencer marketplaces
If you have very many followers, it is easy for brands to get you. However, if you are still building your follower base, you have the job of finding brands to work with. For the sake of legitimacy, you need to avoid resorting to using any service to buy Instagram comments for photo or video post, because it is against the rules of the platform, and you may be exposed as a fake influencer.
The good news is you do not need to search very hard to get the brands you want, thanks to the influencer marketplaces. These mainly act as a bridge between influencers and brands looking for influencers, which makes it easier for you to get a sponsored gig.
Selling your products
There are numerous Instagrammers who make numerous amounts of money, thanks to selling their own products and offering their services. Instagram is increasingly becoming a great platform for businesses, since you can make your products shoppable and sell them, and you can also sell other products such as design templates, eBooks, and so on.
In fact, this remains one of the easiest methods of starting to get into entrepreneurship. Spending money on ads to sponsor the posts will inform you if there is an audience ready to buy your products, based on the reactions you get. The approach of starting slowly and building up your sales as time goes by is the best approach to employ.
Considering becoming an affiliate
Being an affiliate and being an influencer are generally different roles. The job of an affiliate is making more sales, while influencers spread the word and popularity about brands. For every sale that happens through affiliate links, the Instagram user will receive a commission. Among the best ways of identifying sales because of an influencer is through the use of a promo code.
However, if you have some problems trying to get brands and establishments that come through an affiliate program, there are many marketplaces that offer the same, and you can approach them easily. For instance, the affiliate program from Amazon is among the most popular choices, because of the variety of products a customer can get from it, and they are established and verified. Other popular ones include RewardStyle and ClickBank.
Before posting them to your followers though, just note that you need to use URL shorteners when posting affiliate links because they are usually very long.
Build a large following and sell your own products
Through the steady building of a community of loyal followers who will follow your posts closely, you are building a strong base that can support you by buying your products.
For instance, you may start off selling something small like stickers and promoting your products on Instagram while building your community. The page grows and your followers feel a great sense of loyalty to your brand, then they buy your products. When you do this, you can use the funds you are getting to build your business and provide even more products of great quality.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, Instagram is a social media platform, and that means it helps people to connect. Therefore, never forget that your customer base and followers are human beings who seek to connect with you, and you must treat them as such. Another aspect of Instagram Marketing for businesses is the introduction of business profiles.
As long as you have a business that you are planning on building, you can use these strategies. The more you build your consistency in these efforts, the more likely you will strike gold and increase your reach. You will eventually become successful, you can also extend that into other monetizing choices.
