Shopify Instagram Marketing Strategy – Increase Sales On Your Store

Mastering Shopify Instagram marketing has become essential for eCommerce success in 2024. Your Shopify store may have fantastic products, but it might still need to get the audience it deserves. 

That’s where Instagram enters as a gateway to your Shopify store, which has a broader audience and monetization capabilities. With its eye-catching visuals, high interaction levels, and engaged followers, Instagram can be the key to unlocking your brand’s new level of engagement. 

With over two billion active monthly users, Instagram is ideal for marketers to reach their potential customers. It is an ideal platform for displaying your Shopify store products, as more than 70% of shoppers access it for their next buy. 

This blog will take you through different Shopify Instagram marketing tips to create a successful marketing strategy for your Shopify store. Let’s dive in!

What Is Shopify Instagram Marketing?

Shopify Instagram Marketing is a strategy for promoting your Shopify store products and services on Instagram. It involves developing partnerships with the same brands or accounts for mutual promotion. 

For Shopify Instagram Marketing, there are two main approaches:

• Paid
• Organic

The selection between these methods depends on the urgency of your desired results and in practice. To get the best outcomes, a combination of both is often used. 

Instagram provides features like sponsored ads, Instagram Ads, and partnerships that fall under the paid category. You can utilize Instagram stories, reels, and posts for organic marketing.

Why Use Instagram To Market Products?

All brands now have an online presence on several social media channels in this internet-driven world. Instagram displays your brand products to an engaged audience that aligns with the latest trends, while Shopify gives the online store infrastructure. Check out below why Shopify integration with Instagram is crucial: 

• Amplifies Audience Reach- Instagram sits at 3rd position as the most popular social media platform with 2.49 billion monthly active users. You can extend your reach through targeted marketing strategies by adding Instagram. 
• Improved Shopify Ads- With this platform’s extensive active user base, Shopify Instagram marketing outperforms traditional ads. The conversion rate of eCommerce businesses using Instagram is 1.08%, according to a study by Shopify. 
• Streamlined Shopping- According to Instagram, the platform caters to many businesses, and over 50% of its users follow at least one brand. Promoting your products on Instagram becomes highly effective, with more than 60% of the audience relying on the platform for product or service discovery. 

15+ Tips For Creating An Instagram Marketing Strategy For Your Shopify Store 

Here are some tips for creating a Shopify Instagram marketing strategy for your shopify store. Here are some tips for creating a Shopify Instagram marketing strategy for your shopify SEO Services. These tips include examples of authentic brands to drive business and reach their target audience. Let’s take a look at them: 

1. Define And Understand Your Audience 

Before you start marketing on Instagram, determine the audience you want to reach. Defining your overall audience should be part of your branding and marketing strategy. Consider factors like gender, age, location, interests, income, motivations, and pain points. What type of content does your audience respond to? What makes this section of your audience unique?

Over 50% of Instagram users turn to the platform for product discovery, as per Emarketer’s reports. Exclusive product launches, customer reviews, and unboxing events are ideal for this platform’s audience. 
For example, OrangeTheory Fitness is a brand that truly understands its audience. Orangetheory Fitness’s Instagram bio suggests that its fans are inspired by hard work and fitness goals.

2. Optimize Your Instagram Profile 

Set up your brand’s profile to create a professional image about it. Include a website link, bio, or an avatar or image to make your audience understand your business. Using keywords in the bio to boost discovery is a great idea. A link-in bio tool enables you to share multiple URLs of your brand. 

For example, an Instagram profile of Samsung Mobile allows users to understand everything about the brand. The profile describes the brand’s offerings with a branded hashtag, a clear bio, and a link to the website. The pinned content provides a glance at new product launch details. 

3. Post Instagram Reels 

Reels are a content format type in Instagram that is similar to stories on your profile. There is an option to include Reels on your primary profile grid. Reels provide 2x reach and can get views from non-followers of your brand. Using an advanced AI avatar generator can help you create personalized and engaging content for your Reels, boosting your brand’s presence.. Instagram Reels can be arranged in a series. You can utilize this feature to club similar content for better discovery.

Starbucks, a coffee and beverages brand, uses Reels to share content like new product launches, recipes, customer feedback, etc. 

Read – Instagram Reels Idea For All Brands

4. Post Instagram Stories 

Instagram Stories is another type of post that gets the word to your followers. Stories combine videos and images that automatically disappear after 24 hours. You can save stories to Highlights, available after 24 hours on your profile. Stories have a significant influence on your brand’s reach and engagement. 

You can also add links to stories on your website, which helps users directly navigate to your website. Instagram Stories only appear on your followers’ profiles, keeping your loyal customers and new followers engaged.

Use Instagram Stories to announce new collections contests or send exclusive codes. 
Netflix uses Instagram Stories to announce its new shows and the link to help its users learn more about the show.

5. Convert Instagram Stories Into Highlights 

You can immortalize your top Instagram Stories on your profile by converting them into Story Highlights. By type, product, season, or purpose, you can categorize your collections of Story Highlights on your profile. 

For instance, a lash brand, Silly George, utilizes Highlights to club Stories into customer reviews, product information, Q&As, and rewards programs. 

6. Show Instagram Feed On Your Shopify Home Page 

Displaying an Instagram feed on your Shopify store helps users boost the time they spend on the store. This will help you increase your rank on SERPs. You can integrate your Instagram feed with the help of the Shopify app, an Instagram aggregator tool like Tagembed, and an official Instagram embed code. 

When you add an Instagram feed to your Shopify Home Page, it helps you have a positive impact on your potential customers. Instagram feed boosts brand visibility, generates trust, and increases sales too. 

For example, Materne, a food industry, puts its Instagram feed on Shopify stores with particular hashtags. This helps them display their best products to their potential customers with the help of UGC. 

7. Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC) Strategy 

Developing a Instagram user-generated content (IGC) strategy lets your audience get involved with your brand. UGC is one of the most cost-effective and powerful tools for getting social proof for your brand. UGC is created by the audience and approved by them itself. It helps users turn into loyal customers and advocates for your brand. UGC can provide testimonials, videos, and photos of real customers using your products, which can strengthen your product pages. 

See how Starbucks utilizes UGC to advertise its products in this example. In this post, Starbucks posted a follower image of their children who were costumed as Starbucks products. This is greatly appreciated by the audience and develops authenticity. 

8. Actively Use Instagram Hashtags

If you want more people to see your brand’s Instagram post, use the right hashtags on the platform. You can insert hashtags in captions, bio, and in comments. In Reels and Stories, add an Instagram hashtag sticker. Your content can quickly appear when people click on or search for a hashtag. 

There are many types of hashtags, like branded hashtags, general appeal hashtags, timely hashtags, trending hashtags, and contest hashtags. Your hashtags need to be relevant to the brand and content. The hashtags must have usage and search volume on Instagram. 

In this example from a home decor brand, Lawson-Fenning, hashtags that describe the content and are relevant to the brand. Several hashtags like #walldecor, #artist, and #interirodesign are timely and related to searches.

9. Go Live From Brand’s Instagram Account 

You should include Live content as part of your Shopify Instagram marketing strategy. Connecting with your audience and collecting real-time feedback can be a unique way. The Live feature can also be used as a promotional tool to launch a collection or announce a sale. 

For example, Fashionista founder Nica Yusay utilizes the Instagram Live feature for product drops scheduled at the same time every week. Among Nica’s followers, this feature creates anticipation and a sense of urgency.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by NICA (@xofashionica)

10. Leverage Trends 

For brands, consumer trends point to the importance of social and environmental responsibility. Compared to before, the younger generations are more involved in trends; you can add your brand’s humor or perspective to it. Instagram is a better place when it comes to leveraging trends. You can use Instagram Stories, Reels, or posts to engage an audience and get a wider reach. 

For instance, GoPro has fetched over 20 Million followers on Instagram with its visually appealing content. Their hashtag #GoPro and contests on Instagram, such as the ‘Photo of the Day’ series, performed exceptionally well on the platform. 

11. Use The Right Tools 

Monitoring your strategy and results for effective Shopify Instagram marketing is essential. Instagram offers analytics tools accessible to Instagram business accounts linked to a Facebook business page. Access your analytics by visiting your profile and tapping the graph icon in the top right corner. Here are some significant performance metrics that you can examine which include: 

• Website clicks
• Profile visits
• Reach 
• Impressions 
• Story views

12. Adopt Instagram Ads 

You can reach audiences and meet goals through organic Instagram marketing. However, paid Instagram Ads can provide more reach and better targeting. When trying to reach new markets, promote a sale, enhance an influencer marketing campaign, and use ads. Similar to user-generated photos and videos, ads also appear in Instagram timelines. 

Instagram offers various shoppable ad formats for your target audience to make in-app purchases. Instagram provides creators and influencers with:

• Scalable Pricing 
• Precise audience targeting 
• Comprehensive reporting, etc. 

For example, Nike is the best example of using Instagram Ads in its posts. 

13. Connect In The Comments 

Instagram marketing is more about just posting on the platform and forgetting about it. You need to follow up, engage with your followers, and consider Instagram as a two-way communication tool to have success on this platform. You need to build a community as a brand on Instagram to connect with your followers frequently. Here are a few ways through which you can connect with your audience on Instagram: 

• Instantly respond to the comments on your brand content. 
• Answer your followers’ questions in the comments section through text, emojis, GIFs, and Reels. 
• Share behind-the-scenes videos of your brand and invite your fans into your process. 

Thief & Bandit engages with its followers in this example in every comment. Responding to your follower’s comments on your brand product posts makes you credible and encourages them to convert into customers.

14. Work With Influencers 

One of the best Shopify Instagram marketing strategies is to collaborate with influencers. By collaborating with influencers, you can show your products and services to their audience as they are thought leaders within your industry. Their audience trusts them, and by connecting with them, their audience trusts your brand and its products. 

Instagram influencers can provide great returns with the right resources, tools, and guidance. Research shows over 87% of followers reported buying products based on an influencer recommendation. 

For example, Ralph Lauren has partnered with an Instagram influencer to advertise its products. The influencer presented the latest brand collection and inspired his audience to check out the brand. 

15. Set Up Shop 

Setting up an Instagram shop is excellent if generating sales is your main idea for using Instagram marketing. You can sell directly on Instagram by connecting it with your Shopify store. YAnd easily customize your Instagram shops, too. You can design collections or feature products and offers for your brand on Instagram shop. The native commerce tools of Instagram allow Instagram Business accounts to sell directly to customers on the platform. 

Check out this example from Miracle Eye: customers can buy directly from the brand’s Instagram Shop by clicking on its profile page. 

16. Test And Track Performance 

After applying these Shopify Instagram marketing strategies, the first few months will need a lot of testing and tracking. You’ll need to monitor the performance closely once the insights start rolling in. Based on engagement and other metrics, Instagram insights can tell you which posts the audience likes so you can start focusing on those content types. Analytics and social listening will finetune your marketing strategy and improve Instagram engagement. 

5 Shopify Instagram Marketing Examples 

Here are five excellent Shopify Instagram marketing examples to inspire your brand’s next campaign. 

1. OrthoMed

eCommerce brands love Instagram widgets because they can embed a shoppable Instagram feed on their website by tagging their products. They also include CTA buttons in the embedded posts. 

One of Canada’s largest online braces stores, OrthoMed, has done embedding successfully. The brand has embedded shoppable widgets straight into its website. Each post shows the product in action, as shown in the image, and users can quickly reach the relevant product pages. They must tap the ‘Shop’ and ‘Click to view products’ buttons.

2. Kylie Cosmetics

Kylie Cosmetics sells its makeup and beauty products through its eCommerce store. It use Instagram ads to share new products, sell makeup brushes, and promote their collaborations. Their Instagram ads have witty copies, perfect color palettes, and clear CTAs. Kylie Cosmetics has a segment on their eCommerce store that displays collections based on the part of the face shoppers want to buy. 

Write clear ad copies, blend your products with perfect color palettes, and don’t forget to add CTAs in your Instagram ads. You can specify your products according to shoppers’ needs and put images on your brand’s Instagram profile. 

3. Spotify Wrapped 

One of the people’s favorites on social media is Shopify’s yearly Wrapped campaign. Users get a personalized breakdown of their year in the music they listened to most each December. Shopify shares the data in a visually appealing style on Instagram Stories, which users can share on their social media channels. This Spotify Wrapped is booming due to two factors- it’s personalized and shareable. 

You can create something personalized for your customers by looking at purchase history, like a highlight reel. It should be easily accessible and shareable. 

4. AI-powered Selfie Generator Tool Of Barbie

In 2023, the Barbie movie was all over the media. The AI-powered selfie generator tool was the highlight that enabled social media users to create a Barbie poster of themselves. This tool helped the campaign boost reach and encourage fans to feel part of the movie. 

To boost your brand’s reach, you can create a sticker, poster, or backdrop and encourage your Instagram followers to add their mark. Provide them with an option to add a selfie or another type of photo. 

5. #ShotOniPhone By Apple

Apple’s #ShotOniPhone social media campaign was about User-generated Content (UGC). The entire focus of this campaign was on Apple’s Instagram account. This campaign demonstrated the authentic images taken on iPhone by the users. 

This campaign does two things: first, it creates a community of people taking pictures on iPhone. Second, it promotes the iPhone’s important product feature- the camera. 

It’s an effective campaign on social media platforms

like Instagram if you want to harness UGC for your brand. Ask your customers to share their images of using your product and create a campaign that’ll benefit your brand. 

Types Of Instagram Posts 

There are three main types of Instagram posts that you can post on the platform as a brand. Each type has its use cases and benefits for brands. 

• Photo posts- The original Instagram content format is photo posts. Photos are present on your grid and appear in your eds. Followers’ feed posts are another option for photo posts in your feed. For viewers to scroll through, these posts have up to 10 images. 
• Reels– Reels are vertical-shaped videos that live in the Reels section of your Instagram profile. Like posts, Reels appear in user feeds and sometimes in your primary grid. 
• Story- The Instagram story appears in the top left corner of your main feed. You can put an image or a video in your Instagram story, but it only lasts 24 hours. If you want to see them after 24 hours, save them in your Story Highlights. Instagram Stories are great for limited-time events or announcements from your brand. 

Top 5 Apps For Shopify Instagram Apps 

Here are some of the top apps for Shopify Instagram based on several features. Let’s take a closer look at them: 

1. Tagembed 

Users can easily add attractive Instagram photos to their Shopify store with the Add Instagram feed by Tagembed. This tool allows users to gather Instagram content using the handle, reels, mentions, hashtags, etc., and showcase it on your store in three easy steps. By displaying Instafeed on your store, you can keep your store fresh with the latest content, improve store conversion, and develop social proof. 

This tool is super easy to set up, and users don’t require technical expertise. You can give your store a dynamic look by using the 20+ built-in Instagram feed themes, from slider to story theme. It provides a moderation feature to filter unwanted content from Instagram. With advanced customization features like custom CSS, themes, banners, layouts, etc., brands can design their feeds on Shopify stores. 

2. Tagshop 

Tagshop is specially designed to integrate the benefits of social media into eCommerce with its shoppable Instagram posts. It enables users to easily collect user-generated content from Instagram and convert it into shoppable posts. You can add an AI-powered shoppable video gallery, UGC, and Instagram feed to generate sales with social proof. Brands can get insights into detail about revenue, growth, ROI, and other metrics. 

3. Sprout Social 

If you’re looking for an all-in-one social media management tool- Sprout Social is perfect for your brand. The analytics features of Sprout Social include downloadable PDF reports and a post-performance report. From running your social media content calendar to scheduling Instagram posts before time, Sprout Social can help manage everything in addition to analytics. Depending on your Instagram marketing partners needs, Sprout Social presents several paid plans in different categories. 

4. Instafeed Instagram Feed

Instafeed app for Shopify showcases Instagram content in just 60 seconds, making it time-efficient. The minimalist and elegant design of Instafeed elevates the journey of user experience and convinces them to convert. Instafeed enables users to display content in a slider or customizable grid form. This Shopify app doesn’t monitor or collect data, so your customer’s privacy remains untouched. This app provides its users with two premium options and a free plan. 

5. HubSpot 

best with your target audience. HubSpot easily integrates with your eCommerce store if you run your business on Shopify. For small businesses or brands that require lightweight tools, HubSpot pricing includes a free plan and several paid premium plans for its users. 

Start Instagram Marketing Today!

Harnessing the power of Instagram and Shopify can be a game-changer for eCommerce businesses. Instagram marketing allows businesses to attract potential customers, tell their stories, and launch promos in real-time. To unveil the potential of Instagram marketing, your brand doesn’t need millions of followers. 

Implementing the strategies mentioned above can optimize your Shopify Instagram Marketing strategy, boost visibility, and generate more sales. To ensure long-term success in the dynamic landscape of eCommerce, adapt to evolving trends and analyze your results consistently.