As anyone using the platform knows Instagram is an amazing visual platform for showing off your products, work environment or brand aesthetic. With the Instagram Checkout feature E-commerce businesses can tag their products directly in their posts. With a tap of a finger followers can purchase products without having to leave the app.
But what if you do want people to leave the app? Businesses have different goals and not every brand on Instagram fits the E-Commerce mould. If you run a blog, a podcast, a Twitch stream or any type of content-focused business then your goal with Instagram should be to convert followers into subscribers, sign up for your newsletter or read content on your own website.
If you have over 10k followers then you’re able to utilise the “Swipe Up” feature on your Instagram Story; this is a great way to get people to view your content off Instagram as the CTA is placed directly on top of your video, it’s a clear and direct way for people to access your website. If, however you’re a relatively new account and are still trying to increase your followers then the only way people can access your website is through the website link on your profile.
When thinking about what link you want to put in your profile there are a few options.
- Direct link to your business home page
- Regularly updating your profile link to your most recent content or promotion
- Using an Instagram Link Tool like Bio or Linktree
Each one has it’s own pro’s and cons so let’s have a little bit more of an in-depth look at each so you can figure out which will work best for your business goals.
Home Page Link:
This is the most simple and straight forward option, it’s what you’ll most likely do when you start your Instagram profile. If you run an e-commerce business this is a solid option to use as your Instagram account will be showing off your products (and potentially tagging them through Instagram Checkout) so anyone wanting to look at your full range will naturally want to head to your website.
Where a home page link can cause problems is if you want people to visit a specific part of your website. If you have a sale on or want to promote a specific product line then directing people to your homepage, then having them search for the page you want them to visit can make that funnel longer than it needs to be.
Regularly Updating Link:
If you are running a promotion or want to highlight specific products then regularly updating your profile link is the best option for you. Ensuring that Instagram content is referencing this link is vital as you need to give people a reason to want to check out your profile and click that link.
While not really a downside to doing this, it is important to ensure that your content and your link are related. If there is a disparity between the link on your profile and the content your posting this can confuse people that could potentially want to purchase your product or service. It can be a good idea to set regular time frame to highlight a specific link and schedule content around that, ensuring you don’t forget to update the link or switch your content up.
Link Tool:
There are a tonne of Instagram Link Tool services out there and we mentioned two earlier in the article. What these services provide is a mobile friendly landing page that you can customise with the content you want people to see. This can either be links to specific pages on your website, your latest blog post and even content from video sharing platforms.
Link Tools are a great way for you to curate specific content that you want users to see. This may relate to the content on your Instagram page or it can simply be a way for you to give people more options from the one link on your profile. What’s important to remember here is that you’re adding another step for people to have to take before they actually reach your content. All Link Tools come with analytics and it’s important to keep an eye on how many people are visiting your link page and also how many people are actually clicking on the links. Link Tools can be great for getting people to see your content but might actually be a road block stopping them from taking action on your website.
