How to Sell Even More Print on Demand Products on Instagram

The emergence of the latest trends leads to the identification of new sales methods. How to reach even more people, personalize a sale, develop a unique product, take marketing to the next level, etc., if everything is changing so rapidly? Every time entrepreneurs decide to start a business account on Instagram, they delve into widespread confusion. It seems that one cannot do without a huge team of SEO specialists, PR managers, business analysts, and marketers. And how can one small business entrepreneur cope with such a burden of problems and responsibility?

The secret isn’t in the amount of staff, budget, or ambition - it‘s in maintaining relationships with different target audience segments. Agree, the increased number of subscribers doesn’t mean buying something in your online store. Real conversions and sales are generated by real people who are interested in your product. 

Instagram is much more than a life story-sharing platform or just a social network. 90% of users have discovered new brands - by subscribing to business accounts and interacting, they expand the boundaries of eCommerce opportunities. Let’s talk about how to sell your product on Instagram and its potential for a print on demand business.

Table of contents 

Posting Stories as a daily rule

Include live-streamed content

Work on your Instagram profile

Cooperate with influencers

Conclusion

Posting Stories as a daily rule

Before working on Instagram marketing strategies, it’s worth noting that according to 2020 data, more than 1 billion active users on the platform. At the same time, half of them use it daily: the average time on the channel is 53 minutes. So, try to evaluate these statistics from the marketer’s point of view: the platform provides you with a huge number of prospects who have a chance to see and get familiarized with your product. All these people are scattered around the world; their age component is in the range of 35 years and younger. So Millennials and Zoomers have the most buying potential. Suppose you’ve already segmented the market and decided to develop your Instagram account. The most effective tactic is to post valuable and engaging content regularly, and Stories are great for this.

In addition to the impressive numbers from the statistics, it’s worth remembering that stories are active for 24 hours only. And if you have a lot of content to share, utilize this function. Don’t spam your account with an excessive amount of information; it’s better to highlight it using print on demand success stories:

• Save them to Highlights so that your subscribers will revisit what they weren't able to see. That’s the first step to getting followed.
• The “Swipe up” feature is only available for verified accounts and those with more than 10,000 subscribers. It allows you to direct customers to the store using a link in the story.
• Shoppable Stories lets you see information about products from the Facebook catalog. The option tracks the conversions: you can mark products, add stickers.
• Promoted Stories will help you connect with potential clients by overcoming the information noise. The fact is that the organic reach on the platform decreases, and it becomes pretty tricky for entrepreneurs to maintain activity.

What a POD business owner needs to do to sell more products:

1. Make noticeable and engaging Stories with a boomerang, GIF stickers, and face filters. Of course, regular backstage photos also work well because they raise consumers’ confidence.
2. When wondering why some print on demand companies are more successful than others, remember that they interact better with their audience. It turns out that customers should feel part of the brand. To do this, conduct a survey or voting, express emotions.
3. Create content with backlinks to your store. It’d be a valuable experience for the right target audience.

Top 30+ Print-on-Demand Product Ideas

Include live-streamed content

Today, live-streaming is viral - e.g., 63% of people under the age of 35 regularly interact with such content. To establish print on demand Instagram marketing and create a close connection with consumers, show the person behind your brand, introduce them to the events that occur in the manufacturing of print on demand products, interview interesting people, demonstrate the goods unpacking, and make an announcement. Let's analyze what an entrepreneur needs to do to sell through streams:

1. If you want to sell more, you have to interact with a larger amount of people. To engage your audience, make a broadcast announcement. Set up automatic notifications of when to expect videos.
2. Prepare in advance: plan your content to make the session interesting and informative.
3. Check the video and audio quality before streaming.

Work on your Instagram profile

Biography

Before making a purchase, users usually study additional information about the company.

That means that your profile should be informative and, of course, aesthetically pleasing. Most print on demand Instagram pages use a corporate identity to showcase the brand's personality. It also allows you to get recognizable: the logo on the cover, a specific color scheme, and photo style. A bio is the only chance to add a link to your online store in the most prominent place. 

UGC

UGC, or user-generated content, is a sales source: testimonials, unboxes, video reviews, company mentions made by inspired buyers. In this way, they’re familiar with the brand and express their opinions, contributing to the promotion. To get such valuable feedback, an entrepreneur must encourage loyal customers to share their views. You can even offer a discount on the next purchase, in exchange for the customer’s comment.

Note: to facilitate the business processes associated with customer management, many print on demand t-shirt companies utilizes special software, such as PodZa. It allows you to automate the processes of tracking orders, shipping and delivery, and managing your prospects' emotions. For example, after each purchase, a customer receives personalized emails with gratitude and bestsellers of the month, recommended products, discounts, etc.

Hashtags 

7 out of 10 tags are branded and help people find you if they want to subscribe to you. So look for trendy hashtags that might be related to your company. Remember, the more, the better, but don't overdo it. Hashtags will help increase brand awareness but also find caring users.

Cooperate with influencers 

The popularity of Instagram promotion services has been crowned with constant growth over the past few years. So, according to estimates, by 2024, influencers' revenues will reach $22.3 billion. Nowadays, their impact has shifted to the industry's target audience, each segment of which needs its type of content. Consider the types of influencers:

1. Bloggers and vloggers usually have many subscribers, which doesn’t prevent them from falling into micro and macro influence. These are leaders who can improve SEO by providing users with high-quality backlinks and attracting referral traffic.
2. CGI influencers differ from previous ones; they’re digital images that can also promote niche businesses. Their haters only help draw attention to the brand.
3. Photographers are also great at promoting on the platform and are trusted by many reputable brands.
4. Many people track models' activity, who usually collaborate with fashion brands and are even their ambassadors.

It can take a long time to find the right influencer, but the effort is bound to pay off - followers tend to trust their opinion more by buying t-shirts advertised on Instagram. But before starting a partnership, make sure that the influencer's followers are not bought. Don't overlook micro-influencers - they have a closer connection with their audience.  

To determine how well your Instagram t-shirt business is performing, try measuring its success using simple tactics. E.g., implement a promotional code for a discount. If you’re not satisfied with the conversion results, take care to find new partners. 

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Conclusion

Instagram is the perfect place for eCommerce - open it up for your print on demand business, and you’ll discover excellent opportunities! There is no universal marketing strategy - the platform's functionality is constantly expanding. However, some methods allow you to maintain current progress and improve performance - these are Stories, streaming, an aesthetically attractive and informative profile, and reliable influencers. Each of these aspects requires a lot of attention, yet even people with no prior experience can handle it. Therefore, get inspired and start developing your online store step by step. Tell us about your tactics on Instagram in the comments!