The internet sure does like to make things easy. Particularly, Instagram makes things easy. Instagram is an ecommerce store owner’s best friend and it is a huge platform to spread your ecommerce business. Almost everyone is on Instagram and it’s not surprising why─it’s great for enjoying some visually stunning pieces of photography. Because the social media giant is an expert at using the visual senses to grasp one’s attention, it takes advertising and marketing to an entirely different level. It’s no wonder that Instagram is running amok with advertising campaigns.

The splendid thing about Instagram is that not only can you use advertising campaigns, such as Instagram influencers, to spread your business, but you can also use a nifty little thing called "Instagram Shoppable Posts." Success is the goal for any ecommerce business and advertising and marketing on Instagram are a great way to accomplish that goal. Combining the savviness of Instagram influencers and the convenience of shoppable posts are a great way to be successful. So many people are using Instagram anyway. Why not take advantage of it and its perks?

Let’s go back a step. I’ll bet you want to know what Instagram Shoppable Posts are, right? They are an ecommerce store owner’s best friend. Instagram Shoppable Posts are a live, some might say organic, way to draw attention to a particular item and persuade a consumer to explore purchasing options. If you’re an avid user of Instagram, you’ve probably seen shoppable posts at some point―they’re the pictures with little shopping bag icons in the corner.

Once upon a time, the only way to get a consumer to shop a certain item on Instagram was to include a link in the bio. If it went unnoticed, then that was that. Now, however, links to products can be included right within the picture itself, which is extraordinary. People can see the product, fall in love with it, and know exactly how much it is and where to get it. The best part is they can do this all without leaving the app! This is great for ecommerce sites and consumers alike as it streamlines the purchasing process.

If you’ve got a catalog of products, then you should definitely be using this handy-dandy trick to your advantage and it isn’t hard to do. Once you're setup, tagging a product becomes as easy as tagging a friend. Setting up your account to have shoppable posts is as easy as 1, 2, 3!

1. Create an Instagram Business Account

This is a critical component for obvious reasons. If you have an ecommerce site, perhaps you already have one of these gizmos. If not, I would strongly urge you to create one. In order to create an Instagram Business account, you must already have a Facebook business account. Most people already have these, in fact it's usually one of the first things they do right next to inviting all of their friends to like said page. All you have to do is link the two pages and you're golden! Simply log in to your Facebook business page and select the option to log in to Instagram. Boom! Now you have an Instagram business account.

2. Create a product catalog in Facebook

Again, it's possible that you've already done this, but if not fear not. It isn't hard. You can do this yourself by using Facebook catalog templates or by using Shopify. Both processes are fairly simple, so it just comes down to preference. If you've decided to use the Facebook templates, then follow the instructions to provide links to your product. Using Shopify is pretty self explanatory and, since many ecommerce sites already use Shopify, there's probably no need to go the extra mile.

3. Add Shoppable Posts in Instagram

Like I said, 1, 2, 3. Just change your business settings on your Instagram business page to allow access to your Facebook business catalog and you're done! Now, you can tag products in posts as easily as you tag your friends. Maybe you can even tag your friends wearing your products.

It may seem like a lot of work, but at the end of the day it's far more beneficial to your brand to try this out. It's a great way to grasp another audience. Having a traditional site is awesome for someone who knows what they're looking for, but Instagram Shoppable Posts are amazing because someone could stumble upon your products and not even know they were looking for you. Isn't that how we find out about most things? So, give it a shot. You won't regret it and I'm sure your consumers won't either.