Instagram Business Advice: From Leads to Customers
Any Instagram business owner asks this question. How do you turn leads into paying customers?
I used my IG business account to ask beauty businesses to share their thoughts. Everyone wanted to know the same thing. How do you go from leads to customers?
I started using Instagram to grow my business in March 2020. Yes, I started in the thick of the COVID-19 disaster, but I’ve been growing steadily.
If you run an Instagram business, you are in the right spot. I share everything that I learn for free to help business owners. Let’s talk about customer conversion down below.
What Exactly Is a Potential Lead on Instagram?
A potential lead might be a customer. The true definition is that they show a general interest and might want to learn more. A person’s interest is easy to see on Instagram.
An Instagram business needs social media sales to succeed. In some way, you need that customer conversion to justify the effort. Otherwise, you are wasting your time on the wrong thing.
When people show interest in your content, they scroll through your page. You will see likes, comments, views on your story. It is safe to say that this person is a lead, and you should reach out to gauge their interest.
When I reach out to leads, I never put pressure on them.
Instead, I…
- Introduce myself
- Thank them for following me
- Mention my free tips and tricks for any Instagram business
- Mention my services
The message puts no immediate buying pressure on the lead. Then, I gauge the quality of the potential lead by their response.
An interested potential lead will say…
- How do you price your writing services?
- What exactly do you do?
- Yes, I’m interested.
- What’s the first step?
- Thank you. Let’s talk about this later.
Congratulations, you got someone interested in your Instagram business. The fun doesn’t stop there, though. The next step is to turn that lead into a paying customer.
You Know Your Target Audience. You Got the Lead. Now What?
This post talks more about turning leads to customers. If you have a problem with reaching your social media target audience, this post is a better place for you.
Someone sent you a DM. They show an interest in your product, and they have a few questions. You have a short conversation, and they seem to move on.
What do you do next?
Nurture your leads. Most people do not make immediate buying decisions. Instead, they like to look around, weigh their options, and make decisions later.
Here are some habits that turn leads to customers:
- Stay in touch after that initial conversation.
You do not have to be overbearing! Just remind them of your existence every once in a while.
Comment on their new posts, share their posts, and view their stories. Give them a soft reminder that they showed interest in your IG business. Keep the pressure off of them, but stay in their mind.
- Do a hard follow up to see if they are still interested.
I do hard follow-ups every so often. I usually only do them for active leads. An active lead views my content, likes, comments, and engages.
After a week or two, follow up on the original DM, and see if they have any more questions.
- Get them to talk about their problems.
Leads have a problem to solve. You want to be their savior with an undeniable solution. They need your product to solve that problem.
Lay it on thick. Name every feature, share links to the product, and make it apply to your lead.
- Use your lead to get more leads.
Instagram has a lovely feature that I have been exploiting. When you visit someone’s profile, a section of their profile suggests similar accounts. Those similar accounts equal more leads.
Visit a few of the suggested profiles, and see if they fit into your target audience. If they do, engage with their account. Like some posts, leave some comments, and watch their stories.
If the new lead shows interest, they will give you a follow. Follow them back, and start nurturing the new lead.
- Balance many potential leads at the same time.
Try not to put your focus on one thing. Firstly, you get too attached when things don’t go as planned. Secondly, you want to repeat this process with as many leads as possible.
A CRM tool helps you manage relationships with your customers. An easy way to turn leads to customers is to keep close track, but it gets unmanageable after a while. CRM tools help you organize those relationships with your customers.
Keep This in Mind.
Customer conversion is a simple, step-by-step process. However, sometimes things fail. People like to complicate social media sales, but in my opinion, there is no such thing as failure. If you keep trying, there will always be another opportunity to succeed.
It is easy to freak out. When you are short on social media sales, you feel like you will never make a sale again. I know the struggle of going for a long time without selling anything.
Think of it this way:
If someone does not buy, they are not your ideal customer. That includes budgetary restrictions, disinterest, and an inability to see your product’s worth. The problem is a lack of connection.
Take note of it, and move on. You will improve as you go. The process is all about trial and error.
Pay Attention to Your Social Media Target Audience
You do not want to post content for your target audience. You want to post content that your target audience asks for.
This is a pretty common mistake among new business owners! They make up topics that interest them, and they never ask their audience what they want. It’s much easier to find ideas when other people give them to you.
How to Create Content on Instagram That Sells Your Product?
Here’s what I do:
- “This or That” Poll questions
- Quick Q&A’s with a promise to go more in-depth later
- Post answers to questions on my story and ask followers to rate the answer
- “Did you like this?”
- Asking “do you have any questions?” in the comments
- Direct outreach in DM’s to answer questions about my content
- Find popular content, and go in-depth on the topic.
The process is simple! Instead of guesswork, you ask for your followers to create your content ideas. Their needs are the most important part of your IG business, so pay attention to their needs.
Thank You for Reading!
My name is Destiny. I write content for beauty professionals, and I take their businesses to the next level. My services save time and create effective strategies for business growth.
I completely dedicate myself to Instagram business growth. Everything that I learn, I put back into the community for free.
Did this post teach you something new? I would love to hear about that!
