With the boost in e-commerce trends and numerous local brands growing – creating a social media presence is crucial today. When we talk about social media sales, Instagram comes at the top of the list, hands down. The most exciting feature of Instagram to boost sales and reach is Instagram Live. Here I will show you how to use Instagram Live for the betterment of your business.
I am sure if you own a business that could benefit from e-commerce, you have already opened an Instagram Business account and experimented with the features to increase your account’s reach.
But does all this hassle make sense?
Do making attractive posts with the correct hashtags help?
Well, nothing speaks better than numbers, so let us go ahead and take note of some data.
- Instagram is the second-highest free app downloaded from the Apple app store
- Instagram has 1 billion active users monthly
- 63% of these monthly users log in every day and spend approximately 28 minutes on the app.
- 71% of the total Instagram users are under 35 years
- 90% of the accounts on Instagram follow at least one business account
- Over 200 million Instagram users visit a business account every day
- Over 500 million Instagram users put up stories every day.
- One -third of the most vowed stories on Instagram are of business accounts
- 71 % of US businesses use Instagram Business. Seven out of ten hashtags used on Instagram are of brands
- More than 80% of Instagram users find out about new products and services on the platform
- 62% of people become more interested in a product after seeing their stories.
- After seeing the businesses’ stories, 79% of them search for more information about the product or the service, 37% visit the retail stores, and 46% purchase the product.
- Instagram helps 80% of its users to make purchase decisions.
Instagram is the best platform to boost your business. Instagram Live is the best tool on Instagram for business promotion. So before knowing how to use Instagram Live for your business, you must know the factors that drive such Live stream videos’ engagement.
- Instagram Live feature is different from Instagram stories and reels. You can watch it only while the broadcaster is still streaming Live. Only the people who join Life can interact with the host during the video.
- Instagram sends a notification to your followers while you are going Live and streams it at the beginning of the stories section. As a result, you get real-time views and opinions about your products. It increases your brand integrity and real-time sale possibilities at the same time.
- People today love shout-outs a lot. When the viewers join the broadcast of their favorite brand, and the streamers include them in the video, there is a sense of interaction that the viewers love. It brings a sense of belongingness and adds to brand loyalty.
- Even when the Live streaming ends, the video stays your story for 24 hours to make your content reach many people.
Now that you know why Instagram Live is so essential for your business, let’s learn how to use Instagram Live.
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Add a Personal Touch
Instagram Live is to make your followers connect with you more intimately. To make your viewers feel that you need to look into the camera while speaking and maintain an eye-contact. It might be challenging to talk to a group of strangers across the world with no awkwardness initially, but you will get better with practice. But in the beginning, while making a Live video, to help yourself get over the awkwardness, think that you are talking to a friend, or even better, ask a friend to join the Live. The experience will then be better for you and your audience.
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You Have A Few Minutes To Capture The Attention
Before going Live, identify your purpose. You have a few seconds or a few minutes to capture your audience’s attention; make sure to mention the purpose of the Live in those first few seconds. Instead of doing a long Live session and including a lot of content in one video, divide that into smaller Live videos for better engagement.
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You Don’t Need A Script To Talk
Though we have mentioned that you have just a few seconds to capture your viewers’ attention, to connect with the audience, you need to speak freely. It should not seem that you rehearsed the video. So there will be minor mistakes, but that only makes you authentic and human. Your viewers will love to see that side of yours too. You don’t want to ramble and give your followers a hint you don’t very well know how to use Instagram Live. So prepare a few pointers on which you will be speaking. Do a practice run for the Live. You will get better with time.
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Narrate A Story But Keep It Simple
- If people had to know your products’ features and benefits, they would have read the product reviews on your posts, story, or Amazon, if your product is available there. People will forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel. That is your mantra for making Live videos. Show your facial expressions and make your emotions reach your audience. Simultaneously, if you want to attract viewers from across the world to your Live videos, you need to be clear and concise with your communication.
Instagram Live opens a vast number of options for you to explore and build community with your followers and create an organic connection with your customers. The beginning might be a little intimidating because you will not be quite adept with how to use Instagram Live, but the payout is worth it.
