Businesses small and large are jumping on the Instagram band-wagon as visual content continues to be a hot marketing method.
With its user-friendly visual platform, Instagram is great for promoting your brand. That being said, due to the platform’s limitations, you have to be crafty about using links.
Instagram post descriptions don’t allow for clickable links. This can be a real hindrance for brands hoping to create more inbound traffic for their sites.
The one place you can add a clickable link is in your Instagram bio.
You’ve probably already got a link in your bio, but are you using this space to its full potential for your business?
Here are some ways to use your bio URL to best suit your MO
Link to Your Home Page
This is the one that most businesses probably use, because it’s the most straight-forward. However, this isn’t necessarily the most effective way to get your product in front of the right pair of eyeballs. Companies like Holiday Inn and MTV can have some success with this method, due to the nature of their products.
MTV is a media company, and they’re not directly selling anything to viewers. Their homepage is a great way to promote new content, news, and engage with their viewers, as well as get traffic for their advertisers.
Holiday Inn is a global hotel chain that allows you to book reservations online. Unlike many physical products, they don’t necessarily need to provide potential viewers with a product description since everyone already knows what service a hotel will provide. They do, however, have multiple promotions and special rates advertised on their front page, as well as options to book in whatever city you happen to be visiting. With the amount of information they’re providing visitors, linking to their home page is a smart move.
Rather than linking directly to your homepage, you might want to try a landing page as an alternative. Take National Geographic, for example, which makes clever use of the app to showcase the beautiful photos featured in its magazine. Rather than providing a link for followers to subscribe to the magazine, National Geographic links to their photography gallery to further entice photography lovers.
Link to Your App
If you’re providing a service with an accompanying app, then one option is to provide a download link in your bio, such as McDonald’s has done.
This is a good way to promote your app if you’re a company, like McDonald’s, that followers might not expect to have a mobile app.
Be warned, however, that links such as these can be frustrating to some users, who don’t like when a link opens up their phone’s app store.
Link to a Sales Page
If you’re selling products—and a lot of them—like M.A.C. Cosmetics, then you might want to link directly to your sales page. There’s even a nifty way to sell your products through your Instragram by means of a program called Inselly. This method works best for those hoping to sell a variety of products that can sell based on their appearance alone, like makeup.
If your products need to be accompanied by descriptions, it’s probably best to link to the sales page directly on your website.
Link to Your Newsletter Subscription or Connect Page
Maybelline New York makes great use of their Instagram URL by directing viewers to a page where they can sign up to receive their email newsletter.
One of the most effective ways to connect with customers and clients is to get their email addresses and send them regular updates about new releases and company news. If your operation would benefit from having a large number of email subscribers (most would), then this is a method to consider.
Link to Your Most Recent News or Content
If you’re reading these tips and having a hard time choosing what’s best for your business, then consider following Oreo’s lead and changing your link regularly to suit your needs.
Whether you’re linking to your most recent company news, a new blog post or your hot new product, there’s no need to make your Instagram URL constant. Sometimes, it’s best to link to whatever your business’ current needs are.
If you need more email subscribers, direct viewers to your newsletter.
Want to promote your new software package? Link to the sales page.
Did your company just win an award? Provide your Instagram followers with the press release in your bio.
Make Sure Everyone Knows About Your Link
When used properly, your Instagram can be a cheap and effective marketing tool for your business. Users are used to businesses using a URL in their bios, but you should still remind them whenever your posts relate to the link’s destination. Don’t forget to mention in the description of your posts that they can find a link to whatever you’re promoting in your bio!
And remember, above all, social media is a way to connect with your clients and customers. You’re not just selling a product, you’re building relationships with your followers.