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IfÌýyou’re running anÌýe-commerce store, you really can’t ignore Instagram.

Besides theÌýobvious massive user count, Instagram’s visual nature makes itÌýtheÌýideal platform toÌýpromote physical products. That’s why many e-commerce stores sell onÌýInstagram andÌýeven use itÌýasÌýtheir primary sales channel.

One ofÌýtheÌýmost important characteristics ofÌýaÌýsuccessful e-commerce Instagram strategy isÌýtheÌýprofile bio. This isÌýusually theÌýfirst things users see when they land onÌýyour account. AÌýstrong bio can improve brand both brand perception andÌýdiscoverability while driving more clicks toÌýyour CTA.

ToÌýfigure out how toÌýwrite aÌýgreat Instagram bio, weÌýanalyzed 100ÌýInstagram stores chosen atÌýrandom. WeÌýstudied what kind ofÌýCTAs, language, andÌýinformation they used inÌýtheir bios. ByÌýfollowing theÌýlead from these stores, you can change your store profile forÌýbetter performance.

We’ll show you what weÌýlearned below.

5ÌýLessons from Analyzing 100ÌýInstagram Stores

WeÌýstarted byÌýchoosing 100Ìýstores atÌýrandom through theÌý#onlinestore hashtag onÌýInstagram. For better analysis, weÌýignored affiliate stores andÌýindividuals promoting another store’s products.

AtÌýtheÌýend ofÌýtheÌýdata gathering phase, this isÌýwhat our spreadsheet looked like:

Our list was very broad inÌýits scope. WeÌýhad large stores with over 1.6M followers (@saboskirt) toÌýnew, one-person operations with just over 1,800Ìýfollowers (@xanasboutique)

Here are some things weÌýlearned about Instagram bios from this analysis:

1.ÌýWrite better CTAs

The CTAÌý— Call-to-ActionÌý— isÌýarguably theÌýmost important part ofÌýanyÌýInstagram bio. This isÌýwhat you want users toÌýclick onÌýwhen they land onÌýyour page.

CTAs can usually beÌýdivided into three categories:

• Homepage: AÌýlink toÌýtheÌýstore’s homepage. This isÌýless than ideal since it’s not very targeted. AÌýuser clicking inÌýtoÌýsee aÌýproduct might get confused byÌýtheÌýbroad scope ofÌýtheÌýhomepage.
• Landing Page: This can either beÌýaÌýdedicated landing page forÌýInstagram-only users, orÌýanÌýinner page directing users toÌýaÌýproduct orÌýcategory (such asÌý“new arrivals”). These work great forÌýmost stores.
• Social Shopping Page: This isÌýusually aÌýcurated page with products featured onÌýyour Instagram page. Users can buy theÌýproducts directly from this social shopping page.

Our analysis showed that most stores are still not making proper use ofÌýCTAs. AÌýmajority ofÌýstores (70%) were directing users toÌýtheir untargeted homepages. Very few were directing users toÌýsocial shopping pages.

Our recommendation

IfÌýpossible, direct users toÌýcustom landing pages forÌýInstagram users. Here’s aÌýgreat example from . The store bio directs users toÌýanÌý“instashop”:

The landing page isÌýtitled “Instashop” andÌýshows recent items featured onÌýtheÌýInstagram page:

Clicking anyÌýofÌýtheÌýproducts (note how theÌýURL changes toÌýaÌýunicornÌý— aÌýfun little touch!) shows you aÌýcheckout form:

AsÌýanÌýalternative, you can create aÌýsocial shopping page with tools like . Here’s anÌýexample from :

IfÌýyou don’t want toÌýgoÌýdown this path (or ifÌýit’s too expensive/time consuming), atÌýleast link toÌýyour new arrivals, best selling orÌýfeatured products. , forÌýinstance, directs users toÌýits new arrivals:

IfÌýyou’re linking toÌýyour homepage, atÌýleast ensure that you have aÌýdedicated section forÌýnew arrivals andÌýfeatured products. Make this theÌýtopmost section onÌýtheÌýpage soÌýusers can find your in-demand products easily. You can learn how toÌýset featured products here.

2.ÌýKeep bio length between 140-160Ìý³¦³ó²¹°ù²¹³¦³Ù±ð°ù²õ

InÌýour analysis, weÌýfound that theÌýaverage profile length was about 143Ìý³¦³ó²¹°ù²¹³¦³Ù±ð°ù²õ. The median was 150Ìý³¦³ó²¹°ù²¹³¦³Ù±ð°ù²õ.

Keep inÌýmind that this length includes your CTA.

Stores that have very lengthy bios (over 200Ìý³¦³ó²¹°ù²¹³¦³Ù±ð°ù²õ) usually include aÌýton ofÌýinformation. The store , forÌýexample, has 208Ìý³¦³ó²¹°ù²¹³¦³Ù±ð°ù²õ inÌýits bio. ItÌýincludes store address, email, phone number andÌýwebsite inÌýtheÌýbio:

AtÌýtheÌýother end ofÌýtheÌýspectrum are stores like @sorellaboutique which only include theÌýCTA andÌýaÌýhashtag.

Our recommendation

Keep theÌýprofile length between 140-160Ìý³¦³ó²¹°ù²¹³¦³Ù±ð°ù²õ. This gives you enough room toÌýinclude aÌýCTA, key store information (email, phone, etc.) andÌýsome brand copy.

3.ÌýUse emojis

Should you use anÌýemoji inÌýyour Instagram bio?

Our analysis showed that aÌýmajority ofÌýstores prefer toÌýuse them:

However, instead ofÌýhighlighting anÌýemotion, most stores use emojis toÌýseparate andÌýtag key information. For instance, uses aÌýsimple block emoji icon toÌýlist all its capabilities andÌýservices:

Similarly, uses emojis toÌýidentify its location, delivery policy, phone number andÌýemail:

Does that mean there isÌýnoÌýroom forÌýjust plain fun with emojis?

OfÌýcourse not! Here’s anÌýexample from @thyrahshoppe. Notice theÌýwater splash, bikini andÌýpalm emojis next toÌýtheÌýcopyÌý— “endless summer”.

Our recommendation

You have limited space inÌýyour profile bio; make theÌýbest use ofÌýit.

Use emojis sparingly. They work best when you use them toÌýidentify key store informationÌý— store location, hours, email andÌýcontact number.

isÌýaÌýgood format toÌýfollow:

4.ÌýUse hashtags only ifÌýnecessary

AÌýcommon piece ofÌýadvice you’ll see online isÌýtoÌýuse hashtags inÌýyour bio. These can beÌýeither:

• Generic: These are hashtags related toÌýaÌýkeyword (such asÌý#shoes), anÌýevent (such asÌý#coachella), orÌýanÌýInstagram-specific trend (such asÌý#picoftheday).
• Branded: Hashtags related toÌýaÌýbrand, such asÌý#ASOS, #cocacola, etc.

Generic hashtags are generally good forÌýincreasing your discoverability. IfÌýyou include theÌý#picoftheday hashtag inÌýyour bio, forÌýinstance, your profile will beÌývisible when someone searches forÌýthis hashtag.

Branded hashtags are useful forÌýcurating posts. You can also use them toÌýsolicit UGC (User-Generated Content). Coke, forÌýinstance, recently ran aÌýcontest where users had toÌýsubmit pictures with theÌý#CokeEssenceFestContest hashtag.

Should you include such hashtags inÌýyour bios?

Here’s what our data showed:

Clearly, hashtags aren’t particularly popular, atÌýleast inÌýprofile bios.

Interestingly, out ofÌýtheÌý14Ìýstores that used hashtags, only one used aÌýgeneric tag. The rest used branded hashtags.

The most common ways toÌýuse branded hashtags was toÌýgather UGC, like this @threadless example:

Our recommendation

Hashtags aren’t necessary forÌýaÌýstrong Instagram bio. But ifÌýyou doÌýuse them, you should only use branded hashtags andÌýpair them upÌýwith aÌýUGC campaign.

You can also use branded hashtags asÌýaÌýway toÌýbrand your store. For example, @shoploveyourz uses theÌý#loveyourzcurves hashtag toÌýpromote body acceptance.

IfÌýyou don’t already have aÌýUGC campaign, adding aÌýhashtag would beÌýaÌýpointless waste ofÌýspace.

5.ÌýInclude key information

What kind ofÌýinformation should you include inÌýyour store bioÌý— email, phone number, address orÌýstore hours?

There’s aÌýsimple answer toÌýthis question: whatever isÌýnecessary.

InÌýour data, weÌýsaw aÌýclear bias towards emails andÌýphone numbers.

This makes sense forÌýonline stores. They usually don’t have physical locations andÌýthus, store hours. Email isÌýaÌýfar better way toÌýcommunicate andÌýcollect orders.

Interestingly, many stores mentioned their Whatsapp when they included their phone numbers. This was particularly true forÌýstores located outside theÌýUSÌýandÌýEU.

When weÌýlooked atÌýlarger stores (>300,000Ìýfollowers) weÌýsaw aÌýclear preference forÌýemail over theÌýphone. Larger stores get more orders. Tracking them over theÌýphone can beÌýdifficult.

Our recommendation

There isÌýnoÌýone-size-fits-all when itÌýcomes toÌýkey store information. Include whatever you feel isÌýnecessary toÌýgive your customers better service.

Including email isÌýaÌýgood idea. Add aÌýphone number only ifÌýyou can actually attend toÌýcustomer queries (can beÌýhard forÌýunderstaffed retailers). And ofÌýcourse, aÌýphysical location/store hours are necessary only ifÌýyou have physical stores.

AÌýgood way toÌýmake this information more visible isÌýtoÌýadd emojis, like this:

You can also include your Snapchat/Facebook account ifÌýthat’s anÌýimportant marketing channel forÌýyou. IfÌýspace permits, add inÌýyour shipping information/policies asÌýwell. This isÌýparticularly useful ifÌýyou’re targeting customers abroad.

Bringing itÌýTogether: Creating aÌýGreat Instagram Bio

Based onÌýtheÌýlessons we’ve learned soÌýfar, here’s what you should have inÌýyour Instagram bio:

• Your store name
• Length between 140-160Ìý³¦³ó²¹°ù²¹³¦³Ù±ð°ù²õ
• AÌýCTA linking toÌýanÌýInstagram-specific landing orÌýsocial shopping page. Else, aÌýlink toÌýyour latest/best-selling products
• Emojis toÌýhighlight key information (phone number, email, etc.)
• AÌýbranded hashtag toÌýcurate images andÌývideos (if you’re running aÌýUGC campaign)
• AÌýshort description ofÌýtheÌýbrand

Here’s aÌýtemplate you can use:

[Store Name] [Brand Description] Tag your pics with [#Branded Hashtag] 📧Ìý[Email] 📞Ìý[Phone Number] [CTA Link]

Including all this information will set your store apart from most onÌýInstagram. You should see anÌýincrease inÌýengagement andÌýclicks once you make these changes.

What are some ofÌýyour own Instagram hacks? Let usÌýknow inÌýtheÌýcomments below!

Ìý

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