The world of marketing is a constantly shifting landscape of new technologies, techniques, and strategies. It seems like every single day something new is popping up. One such example is shoppable posts. What are they? Should you be using them? Don’t worry, the team here at Stingray Branding has you covered with this quick intro to this marketing trend.
What Are Shoppable Posts?
Shoppable posts are a trend on Instagram. Specific products can be tagged in photos, allowing viewers to click on them and purchase them within the app. You might, for example, go to your favorite retailer’s Instagram account, tap on a photo, and these tags will pop up, allowing you to immediately purchase the item you want. Since Instagram currently doesn’t allow clickable links in photo captions, this becomes an incredible way to help a customer make an easier purchase of a viewed item.
One of the interesting things about these posts is that they enable marketers and business owners to better see where a purchase has come from. This has been difficult previously because a customer may see the product on social media, but then directly goes to the site to find it. So it was hard for us to determine where your customers found you. Shoppable posts give us a way to see how many customers buy as a result of your Instagram posts.
Should I Use Them?
Any new tool for your brand is always something to consider using. But it’s also important to consider whether or not this tool is appropriate for your business. Looking at shoppable posts we have a couple of things to consider as to whether or not these would benefit your business.
- Do You Sell a Product?
- Does Your Brand Tell a Visual Story?
The first question is the most important one for this particular tool. Shoppable posts are really only for products being sold in the e-commerce space. Service businesses don’t benefit from these at this time, but that may change in the future. However, currently, you should only be thinking about these if you have a product that you have for sale online.
The second question is a little bit more complicated. What do we mean by “visual story”? Instagram, a social media platform focused on images and videos, directly utilizes these posts. So your product should be visually appealing. Selling notepads probably won’t work as well as selling clothing. That said, if you have a strategy for visual storytelling this might be a great option for you.
As with any trend in marketing, it’s impossible to know what the future of this is, but it does look like clickable posts leading directly to a consumer purchase will be growing in the coming years. So if it’s appropriate for you, we recommend taking a look as part of your strategy.
Your Stingray Branding Team
Stingray Branding is the number one source for your digital marketing needs. Our team of subject matter experts brings a vast array of knowledge and experience to drive your marketing to the next level. No matter the size of your business, or your industry, we can help you. If you have any questions or just want to see how we can help, contact us here. We’d love to hear from you!
