How to drive traffic from Instagram

Millions of people use Instagram every day – from users to influencers and companies. Our Instagram account "zooma_and_friends" is one of the 25 million business accounts on Instagram. Today, we want to share our experience about how you can drive Instagram traffic to your website, blog, or any other page.

Instagram has obviously hit the taste of Internet users with an affinity for photography very well. With simple function and popular photo effects such as filters, users became addicted to posting photos from their holidays or what they were eating. The app is apparently more fun for people than all comparable offers. The platform can help B2B companies to grow awareness, target the right audience, and convert visual content into sales.

Make the most out of your Instagram bio link

Your Instagram bio describes your business and explains what visitors can expect from your Instagram profile. You can also add hashtags such as #takeover or #followourexample for your followers to use.

Your bio is the only place where you can add a single clickable link. So how can you get the most out of that unique link?

There are a few vendors such as Linktree, Skedlink, or Linkinbio that have made a solution.

This is how it works: You still have a primary link, but the app allows you to add numerous links/call-to-action buttons. You can direct traffic to specific blog articles, product pages, or other target pages on your website and add how many links you like. The links are trackable, and you can analyse it afterward.

Here is a Linktree example:

Do you want to try it out? Here is a step-by-step guide on how to set up Linktree:

Tip: You can also use the more elaborate version and create your "own" link in the bio landing page. Create a landing page that (automatically) updates with new links.

Run an Instagram ad campaign

Another way to drive traffic to your website, blog or any other page from Instagram is by placing an Instagram ad.

Three prerequisites are necessary for placing an Instagram ad:

• You need a business profile on Instagram.
• You must have a Facebook page to place ads.
• You need to have a connection between your Instagram account and your Facebook page.

There are two ways to create your ads: 

• Either through an Instagram Business account by promoting posts that you've shared on Instagram. You can view your Instagram insights and track how many people are seeing and interacting with your promoted post. 
• Or through Facebook Ad Manager. It provides more possibilities. You can set up, make changes, and see results for all your Instagram campaigns, ad sets and ads in one place.

Set your ad objective, target audience, and ad format within Facebook Ad Manager. The next step is to define the time period in which your ads will be placed and the desired budget you are willing to spend. If your ads are ready to go, click on "publish". You will be notified when your ads have been approved and are ready to run.

Tag your products

As an Instagram user, you might know the situation: You surf through your Instagram feed and see the post of this great clothing brand. You'd like to buy the piece directly, but you'd have to switch to your browser, search for the brand's webshop and then search for that particular piece, which can be very annoying. And not only for you but also for the clothing brand that would like to sell you something directly.

Therefore Instagram enables businesses to add product stickers in post and stories so that they can easily integrate products into their stories and photos. This gives people a faster way to shop on Instagram.

As soon as a user clicks this product, they are shown a short product description, and then they will be directed to the targeted page to make a purchase or to get more insights.

Use Instagram stories to drive traffic from Instagram 

If you belong to the 15% of Instagram users who have more than 10k followers, you can use the "swipe up" option in your Instagram Stories to include an external link. Once a user swipes up, they will be directed to a chosen website.

Collaborate with others

If you don't have 10k followers, you can drive traffic to your website by working with an influencer, brand, or someone who is verified and has more than 10k followers.

How can an influencer help your business on Instagram?

Instagram influencers can help you push your project in a variety of ways. They can appear as, for example:

• Testers who create trust with their independent opinions.
• Fans who simply convey enthusiasm.
• Ambassadors who pass on information.

So it all depends on the area in which your company is active and what you want to promote.

• E.g., for fashion, beauty and food you need influencers who love and show your product.
• Technology is fact-oriented – if experts test your software or hardware and then recommend it, you will find new customers.
• Health care, fitness, or other consulting services work well if they are positively mentioned by influencers. This also applies to charity and art.

And remember: Create exciting and relevant content that triggers personas and don't waste their time with nonsense.

Read the complete social media guide.

Need more advice on how to drive traffic from Instagram? Get in touch!