by Brittany McSorley
As Cape Cod social media marketing experts, we’ve done our fair share of research on a number of Instagram trends. Social platforms are always evolving, and Instagram is one of the most popular and versatile, but it’s also very good at keeping users on its app. Because there’s no smooth way to Instagram and open a web browser, conversion on IG is very tricky, but a new tool from marketing platform Later is making it less so. Since you’re probably staying home until further notice, this is a great time to acquaint yourself with Linkin.bio.
A visually compelling Instagram feed is a great marketing tool for your business, but if your followers are simply liking your photos and moving on, you’ll need to boost your efforts to generate conversion. The problem with that? Instagram has never been very link-friendly. Any web address you include in the caption of a photo is going to remain just that—a web address, not a link. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that you can’t copy text from an Insta caption either, so even the annoying option of copying a web address and pasting it into a browser on your own is a no-go.
The only place on Instagram where a link actually behaves like a link is in the “website” section of your bio. This is why the phrase “link in bio” is so popular on the platform. You can post a photo that corresponds to a product, a service, some curated content, or your own blog, and any interested followers who want more information can click the link in your bio to view it. (Even in this case, however, Instagram is still open, and your follower is viewing your link in an easily collapsible browser window.)
This means, of course, that you need to update the link in your bio whenever you post content that requires a new link. It only takes a minute or two, but it’s tedious. For those who want all the benefits of link-clicking customers without spending the extra time navigating Instagram’s process, there’s Linkin.bio, a new tool from Later.
Later’s pitch is simple: it allows you to schedule social media posts ahead of time, including on Instagram, where this was previously impossible. It looks like a real timesaver, plus you can visualize what your feed will look like before you commit to a post. The Linkin.bio feature takes the convenience a step further, allowing you to add links to individual Instagram posts and link to multiple sites, without changing the link in your bio.
You begin by setting up a Linkin.bio landing page. It looks just like your Instagram feed, and it’s what your followers will see when they click on the link in your bio. On this landing page, you’re able to direct your followers to specific content and web pages. Your photos are now link-enabled, so a photo of a specific product can take your customer to that product’s page on your website. The lovely picture you used to promote your most recent blog post links to that actual blog post. You get the idea. Sounds much smoother than updating your bio link every time you post about something new, right?
Linkin.bio seems like an especially good idea if a lot of your photos on Instagram tend to be of physical products you sell. Once followers click over to your landing page, every image is a link with purchase potential. And if you have a Shopify store, you can connect it to your landing page, which will do wonders for revenue.
Do you need to take advantage of this cool marketing feature? If other social media channels like Facebook or Twitter are doing a fine job leading your followers to your website, then maybe not. But an Instagram grid where a purchase is only a click away? Sounds pretty great to us.
It’s important to note that Linkin.bio is available only to those users with Business Plans through Later, so be sure that plan is the best option for your business before you take the plunge. Even if you choose to hold off for now, more developments are bound to come along that will make Instagram marketing more impactful.
