If you start to panic at the thought of ‘selling’ to your audience, you are not alone! I hear from so many of my students that they are intimidated by selling on Instagram and that it makes them feel a little sleazy and definitely pushy. But friend, if you are selling on Instagram the right way, you won’t feel those things. In fact, it can actually be fun and not feel like you are selling at all. 

If there is one thing I want you to remember it’s this: The #1 key to sales is building the ‘know, like, trust’ factor.

➡️  When people feel like they know you, they are so much more likely to buy from you because they have a real connection with you.

➡️  When people feel like they like you, they are so much more likely to buy from you because they are genuinely interested in you & your business.

➡️  When people feel like they trust you, they are so much more likely to buy from you because they see you as an authority in your niche. 

You don’t need to feel like you’re being super annoying & pushing your products or services on people. You don’t need to have the PERFECT scripted pitch or else you won’t get anyone to buy from you. You don’t need to spend all your time DMing people with that ‘Hey, girl” message on Instagram. 

Instead, you can use your Instagram to help you build the ‘know, like, trust’ factor with your audience so that your content helps you sell without realllllly selling. Keep reading to find out exactly HOW to do this!

Key #1: Use Your Instagram To Connect With Your Audience & Get Them To Feel Like They Know You

Instagram is the perfect place to really connect with potential customers. You should be taking advantage of all the different types of content on Instagram to really build those connections. 

→     You can use Stories to talk directly to people, ask questions, take polls, and seriously get to know your followers and let them get to know you. This is one of the most important things you need to do in order to sell to your audience! 

→     You can use Reels to reach new people. They are the #1 tool on Instagram for growth & they are the type of content you should be making if you want to really introduce NEW people to your business.

→     You can use Carousels to tell your followers a full story. Show them a full picture of your likes, your interests, and your personality broken up into multiple slides. It’s a great way to really get people to ‘like’ you so that they are so much more likely to buy from you. 

Key #2: Use Your Instagram To Show Off Your Personality & Your Interests To Get People To Like You

Like I mentioned earlier, you need to be posting content that lets your followers feel like they know you well enough to genuinely like you if you want to sell on Instagram. Your people will look forward to your posts every time you upload and be so excited to see what new products you are releasing and to find out how they can support you and your company. 

But, you should also be trying to get people to like you with the content you post on Instagram. Share your opinions, tell your story and show yourself doing activities you love if you want people to really connect with you and like you. 

Key #3: Build Authenticity With Your Audience To Get Them To Trust You

If you want your content on Instagram to do all the ‘selling’ for you, then you need to use your posts to help you build trust with your audience. When you show up for your audience and you post content that is serving them, you are teaching them that they can count on you and that they can turn to you as an expert in your niche. This is what you need in order for people to buy from your business. Share tutorials, testimonials, and educational content if you really want to build trust with your followers—so that they feel like you are someone they want to buy from. 

When you keep things in mind, it will be SO much easier to talk to your audience about your products and services, it won’t even feel like selling. Your content is doing all the hard work for you and you don’t have to feel uncomfortable or awkward about selling to your followers. 

Make sure you follow me on Instagram for more small business advice & Instagram strategy! Follow me here. 

Xx, Sarah