Struggling to find leads for your business?
Discover the secrets to attracting and converting leads on Instagram.
With more than 1.28 billion active users every month, Instagram gives businesses a lot of ways to connect with potential customers.
But we get it: Instagram isn’t the first thing that pops up when we think of lead generation.
Here’s the kicker: If utilized correctly, social media platforms like Instagram can serve as highly effective sources of sales leads.
But a comprehensive marketing approach is necessary to generate leads and increase sales on Instagram.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to get more leads on Instagram. We’ll also share some super actionable tips that range from setting up your account just right to how to effectively optimize your profile.
Instagram For Lead Generation: Strategies That Work
The first thing you need to clarify is who your target audience is and what kind of content they are likely to be interested in.
Consider their age, gender, interests, location, and other key demographic information to create tailored content for them. Once you’ve got a better idea of who your customers are, it’s time to start creating content.
Check out our complete tutorial for Instagram lead generation for more tips.
We’ll explore the following strategies for lead generation on Instagram in this article:
- Instagram Ads
- Develop An Instagram Content Strategy
- Optimize Your Instagram Profile
- Use Instagram Stories And Videos
- Track Your Instagram Campaigns
- + Extra Tips To Grow Your Business With Instagram.
Leverage Instagram Ads
Instagram lead generation ads are a great way to get leads from Instagram quickly. Instagram ads appear right in your customers’ feeds. This means they are instantly visible and engaging.
Since Instagram ads leverage targeted targeting based on user interest, these ads have higher engagement rates than other forms of marketing.
These ads also bring potential customers down a specific sales funnel by presenting them with relevant offers and calls to action. This helps increase conversions and ensure potential customers see content tailored to their interests — not just generic brand messages.
To maximize success, use high-quality images or video, create clear CTA buttons, and ensure text readability. Also, remember to include relevant hashtags, utilize A/B testing; provide social proof; and track performance metrics such as impressions and clicks.
Add a link to a landing page where users can provide their contact information in exchange for something like a content offer or discounts on products and services. Instagram is a great place to advertise and link to lead magnets.
The following steps run you through how to get the most out of Instagram advertising:
Instagram Integration With Your Facebook Page
You can also use Instagram to generate leads through your Facebook page. Integrate your Instagram account with your Facebook page to create ads targeting users interested in similar topics and products. This way, you’ll get leads from Instagram for your business even as you post to Facebook. Both audiences can be utilized since they’re both part of the larger “Meta” platform.
You Can Use Facebook Lookalike Audiences
Facebook Lookalike Audiences are a great way to target new customers interested in your products and services. Choose an objective that fits your goal of getting leads, like getting more people to visit your website or buying from you.
This will ensure that your ad is optimized for reaching the users who are most likely to convert into leads. For example, the lookalike audiences can allow you to be super specific in targeting potential leads to visit your site and view your services.
Define Your Target Market
When creating Instagram lead-generation ads, it is critical to define your target audience. This will ensure that the ad is shown to the right users and increase your chances of converting them into leads. Use demographic data to narrow down your target audience and ensure you’re reaching the right people with your ads.
Select Your Placement
You can select the location of your Instagram lead-generation ads. What placements are most likely to attract users who are interested in your products and services?
If you have the answer to this question, you can make your ad reach as many people as possible and increase your chances of getting leads.
Set Your Bid
When creating lead-generation ads on Instagram, you have two different optimization options: optimizing for leads or optimizing for link clicks. Understand the differences between these two options to better strategize and select the option that best meets the goals of your ad campaigns.
- Optimizing for Leads
Optimize for leads if you’re looking to maximize the impact of your ad budget. This strategy ensures that only users interested in your products and services click on the ads. That gives you a higher chance of capturing quality leads since those who click are already interested in your offer.
Use this optimization option to target users likely to convert—those who may go as far as making a purchase from your business or signing up for newsletters or other promotions.
Use the targeting tools available through Instagram, such as interests and demographics, to create an audience segment more likely to take action when viewing your ad.
- Optimizing for Link Clicks
Optimize for link clicks to give every user who sees your ad an opportunity to click through and be directed to a landing page where they can provide their contact information.
This optimization focuses on maximum exposure through increased visibility across feeds and Stories. It’s instrumental if there’s a deadline on one of your offers or if specific market conditions need urgent attention.
Since anyone can click on the link regardless of whether they’re interested in what you offer, it could lead to wasted ad spending on low-quality lead collection.
But, with careful planning and strategic targeting tactics applied across all stages of funnel building (from impression through conversion), it’s possible to maximize ROI while optimizing for link clicks.
Choose An Ad Format
When creating lead-generation ads on Instagram, you’ll need to select an ad format that best suits your goal and captures the attention of users who are likely to convert into leads.
The following ad formats can be used to promote your products and services and effectively generate more leads:
- Single Image Ads
Single-image ads may be your best bet if your main focus is catching people’s attention as they scroll through their feeds.
These ads stand out with vibrant visuals, allowing you to make an impact without providing too much additional information. Also, use call-to-action buttons such as “Sign Up Now” or “Learn More” to encourage users to take action quickly and get them one step closer to becoming a lead.
- Carousel Ads
Carousel ads are great if you’re looking for more real estate to display multiple images or videos at once. Show off multiple features of your product/service with carousel ads. The descriptions (text) on the images or in the caption are also where you can input detailed information about your offer. The multiple images give more information than a single-image ad does. Plus, carousel ads allow users to swipe through each item in the carousel for a more engaging user experience.
- Video Ads
Leverage video ads to extend beyond static images and catch people’s attention even more than static images do.
Include compelling visuals, captivating soundtracks, and stories (if applicable) to have an excellent chance of capturing users’ attention as they scroll through their feeds. Deliver key content points that let viewers know what you have in store for them—ultimately leading them toward conversion.
Create Your Lead Form
Once your Instagram lead generation ads are ready for launch, it’s time to create the all-important lead form. This is where users will provide their contact information so that you can start building a pipeline of leads for your business.
What kind of information do you want to collect in your lead form?
It depends on what kind of follow-up conversations or interactions you plan to have with those leads once they’ve filled out the form and become part of your database.
However, some standard pieces of information that any good lead form might include:
- Contact Information – Collect basic information such as a person’s name, email address, and phone number to follow up with someone who has expressed interest in your product or service.
- Interests – Understand the motivations and wants of leads. Ask potential customers which areas they’re most interested in to get insight into how best to tailor your product offering or marketing message for them. This could be done by asking, “what is your main goal in the next 3 months related to (the industry your business is in).” or “what is your biggest problem in the area of… (again, input here the specific niche you’re in).”
No matter which fields you add to your lead form, make sure it’s simple for users to fill out. The more complicated or intimidating it looks, the less likely people will complete it.
Develop An Instagram Content Strategy
Create an Instagram content strategy to drive lead generation. This strategy should include engaging posts, stories, reels, lives, and content that drives traffic to your website or landing page. It should be tailored around a specific goal, and every piece of content would have specific CTAs and be related to that overarching goal.
Choose Your Core Topics
A vital element of an Instagram content strategy is to decide on your core topics. This can help you create content that resonates with your audience and drives lead generation. Focus on topics related to what you offer so that potential customers will be interested in learning more about your business.
For example, if you run a fitness coaching business, define your overall goal, and then have topics related to this. Here’s one way you could do it:
- Overall goal: get conversions (people signing up for the coaching program)
- Smaller goal: get leads (people downloading free nutrition eBook, which gives you their email)
- Content focus: getting people interested in learning more (to reach out about coaching and to download eBook)
- Content topics: fitness hacks, nutrition myths, nutrition for muscle building, fitness regimes for busy people, etc).
Schedule Your Photo Shoots Or Graphics
Create professional-quality visuals for your Instagram account to drive lead generation. To always have high-quality content, plan photo shoots or graphic designs ahead of time so you can use them regularly. This will help you maintain a consistent look and feel on your Instagram. All visuals need to be in line with the visual branding of your business. Ideally, you’d have templates for the video posts, carousels, and even single-image posts.
Schedule Your Posts
Consistency is key on Instagram, so schedule your posts in advance. This will help you stay organized and post at the same time every day, keeping your followers interested in what you have to say and keeping them coming back for more.
Design Sharable Content
Shareable content is a great way to drive lead generation on Instagram. This content encourages users to share it with others, therefore, giving you access to a larger audience. It’s digital “word-of-mouth” marketing that costs you nothing.
Sharable content can either be highly entertaining, or very informative. Think about creating content that you would repost to your stories or share with friends and family if you were viewing it.
Feature Your Popular Products/Services
Highlight your popular products on Instagram to drive more leads. Create posts that showcase your best-selling products or services, or use stories and reels to highlight any new products or services you’re offering.
Add Call-To-Action Inside Your Posts
Add a call-to-action to your Instagram posts to collect more leads. This will encourage users to click through to your website/landing page, allowing them to learn more about what you offer and take action. Any CTA you use should state what action you want them to take and why they should do so.
Optimize Your Profile To Get Leads On Instagram
It’s essential to optimize your profile to get leads on Instagram. With a well-optimized profile, you can attract more potential customers interested in your products and services.
Also, you’ll improve the visibility of your content and make it easier for users to find you. This means putting relevant keywords in your bio and using hashtags on each post strategically. Include a clear call to action that encourages users to convert more conveniently.
For example, you can include a link to a landing page where users can sign up for updates or receive more information about products and services.
Create A Perfect Bio
Your Instagram bio is one of the most critical parts of your profile. It’s the first thing potential customers will see when they land on your profile. That’s why it should accurately reflect your business and convey a clear message. Some elements of a great bio include:
Your Brand Name
Your brand name and logo can help potential customers identify your business. Include them in the Instagram profile name. This will make it easier for users to recognize your business when they come across your Instagram account.
Instagram is actually optimized for SEO – which means, if you add a keyword to your profile name, you will get more hits on your profile. For example, if your business name is “Fitness Coaches”, then you can have your name as “Fitness Coaches – How To Get Fit.” For anyone searching on IG, “How to get fit”, your profile will be more likely to be displayed.
Add A Recognizable Photo
Your profile photo should be easily recognizable. A clear, high-quality image of your logo or other visuals associated with your business will make it easy for people to remember you across multiple platforms and channels.
Select The Category
Select the correct category when setting up your Instagram profile. This will help users find your business more quickly when they search for specific topics or products related to your industry.
Write A Relevant Description
Your Instagram profile should include a short, concise, relevant description of your business. This will give potential customers an idea of what you do and why they should be interested in your products or services. Also, consider what keywords people would be searching in your industry, and include them in your bio description, as well as your IG name, if possible.
Make Use Of Hashtags
Hashtags are one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal when using Instagram to reach new audiences and get in touch with potential customers.
Adding relevant hashtags to your posts can help ensure they’re more visible on the platform and draw attention from users who might be interested in your product or service offering.
The first step is to identify which hashtags best fit your content. This means considering which ones will bring the most relevance and engagement. Use the following approaches when selecting hashtags for your Instagram posts:
- Research Competitor Hashtags: Look at what other similar companies or brands in your industry are using for their hashtag strategies to gain insight into where your target audience may be hanging out online.
- Identify Popular Hashtags – A quick search on Instagram to find out which hashtags are popular within particular niches, topics, or industries. Adding these evergreen, universally-recognized tags to your post could increase visibility. You can reach those who haven’t followed you yet but may be interested in the same content you offer.
- Create Your Own Unique Tags – Generate unique hashtags for your brand to demonstrate creativity and engage directly with existing and potential customers. For example, creating an ongoing ‘hashtag challenge’ or promotion could generate buzz around your product, service, or brand.
When selecting relevant hashtags, use keywords related to your brand and specific products or services. Just make sure they’re still applicable to whatever content it is that you’re promoting.
Ultimately, finding the right combination of hashtags for each post takes practice over time. Remember not to spam too many hashtags either; generally, 5-7 should suffice (the number allowed by Instagram).
With some intelligent hashtag strategies, you should start seeing more engagement & visibility on Instagram soon.
Add Action Buttons To Your Profile
Add call-to-action buttons to your profile to get potential customers to move forward. These buttons can link to pages on your website, such as a contact page or a product page, and give users the opportunity to learn more about what you offer.
Optimize Your Bio Link
Your bio link is the only clickable link on your Instagram profile, so optimize it for lead generation. Include a direct call-to-action that encourages users to take action or use a URL shortener to create trackable links. This will help you determine how well your campaigns are doing and change them to get better results.
Create A Landing Page That Delivers
When users click on the link in your bio, they should be directed to a landing page that offers value. This could include discounts and promotions, sign-up forms for newsletters or product updates, or further information about your business and what it has to offer.
Use Instagram Stories And Live Videos With Links
With its vast user base, Instagram offers a great opportunity for companies to reach potential customers and create relationships with them through stories and live videos.
On Ravi Abuvala’s Instagram, he optimizes his profile using videos as much as possible, as these generate more traction and are highly sharable.
Here are some ways to use video in your business’s Instagram profile:
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories is one of the best ways for businesses to connect with potential customers and get leads on Instagram.
More than 500 million people use Instagram Stories every day. 62% of people said that seeing a brand or product in stories made them more interested in it.
Use Instagram Stories to engage with your audience by posting short videos or photos highlighting your business’s offerings. Also, Leverage Stories to give customers a behind-the-scenes look at what’s going on in your business and build relationships with them.
Instagram Reels
Instagram reels are another great way to connect with your audience and drive lead generation. With its short-form, engaging video format, Instagram Reels allows businesses to create more creative content that stands out from other posts.
Use reels to show off your brand’s personality in a fun and entertaining way and help you reach potential customers who may be interested in what you offer.
Instagram Live
Instagram Live is another powerful tool businesses can use to reach potential customers and generate leads on Instagram. With Instagram Live, you can talk to your followers in real-time during live sessions.
Extra Tips For Getting Leads On Instagram
Use The Link Feature On Stories
The link feature on Instagram Stories is a great way to direct users to additional content on your website or direct them to buy directly. This can be an effective tool for lead generation if used strategically. Try not to use it too much, as IG doesn’t like every story directing audiences to another website. But once every 10 stories should be fine.
Utilize Instagram’s Engagement Features
When you encourage engagement on your stories, you get more people to interact with your profile, which boosts the algorithm. Instagram likes it when people are responding to your stories and will put your story higher up in people’s feeds to view. You can also get great information from story stickers and engagement badges.
Run polls and use question stickers to gather data from your followers. People can answer questions about popular topics, which can stimulate conversation. It also gives you more insight into what people want to learn about or see more of on your page.
Engage With Your Instagram Audience
Respond to comments, like and comment on other posts, and work with influencers or other brands. Engage with potential customers to gain their trust and enhance their belief in you, making them more likely to take action.
Respond to every single comment that comes into your IG, keep conversations going through DM, and reshare people’s comments/messages on your stories (with consent) to stimulate conversation. This helps to warm your audience, making them more likely to stick around longer (and eventually convert).
Connect With Instagram Influencers And Collaborate
Work with an influencer to reach a larger audience and increase your brand’s visibility. That way, you’ll build trust and credibility with potential customers, making them more likely to take action.
Run An Instagram Contest Pool
Instagram contests will get people to interact with your brand and get the word about your brand in the air. They’ll share how they’ve used your products or services.
Offer prizes or discounts as part of the contest to get people to sign up for your list.
Track Your Instagram Campaigns
Analyze the performance of posts, stories, reels, ads, and shoppable content to gain insights into which Instagram lead-generation strategies work best for your audience.
Keep an eye on the analytics and change your strategies accordingly to generate more leads.
Landing Page Click Rate
You need to get high click-through rates for your landing page to maximize lead generation performance. Your posts, stories, reels, ads, and shoppable content need to get the most attention possible. Also, any call-to-action should clearly state what action the user should take.
Lifetime Customer Value
Once you’ve got social media leads from Instagram, focus on getting the most out of each customer for as long as possible. To achieve that, give your customers discounts or other incentives, provide excellent customer service, and get to know them. You can look into your customers’ lifetime value by calculating with the CLV formula.
The equation for calculating CLV is explained in our article. Read that next if you’re looking into this metric.
Landing Page Conversion Rate
Test different design elements, such as headlines, images, and calls to action, to determine the most effective ones. Any lead capture forms should be kept short and simple, minimizing unnecessary steps. Check on the conversion rate regularly to understand how your content is performing and whether you need to test out some changes to your content.
Customer Acquisition Cost
Keep an eye on your customer acquisition costs to determine which lead-generation strategies work best and how to get the most out of Instagram leads. Set a decent budget so you don’t spend too much on lead generation.
Get Leads On Instagram: FAQs
Is Instagram good for generating leads?
Instagram can be a good platform for generating leads. Businesses can promote their products or services, build brand awareness, and attract new customers. But if you want to get more leads on Instagram, you need a clear plan to know your target audience and interact with your followers regularly.
How do you get a lead magnet on Instagram?
A lead magnet is an incentive given to potential customers in exchange for their contact information. Here are a few steps to get a lead magnet on Instagram:
- Determine your target audience
- Offer a valuable incentive
- Promote your lead magnet
- Gather contact information
- Follow up with Instagram leads.
How to generate organic leads on Instagram?
Here are some steps to generate more leads organically on Instagram:
- Understand who your target audience is and what they are interested in to create content that resonates with them.
- Post regularly on Instagram to stay top of mind with your followers and attract new ones.
- Use high-quality images and videos that showcase your products or services and tell a story.
- Utilize Instagram Stories and IGTV, as these features allow you to create more interactive and engaging content, such as behind-the-scenes glimpses of your business, product demonstrations, and customer testimonials.
- Use Instagram’s features, such as hashtags, to increase your visibility and reach a wider audience.
- Respond promptly to comments and direct messages, and engage with your followers by asking questions and hosting contests or giveaways.
- Offer a valuable incentive, such as a free e-book or a discount code, in exchange for contact information.
Our Verdict: Instagram Is Great For Lead Generation
To be successful on Instagram, you need to have a clear strategy. Understand fully who your target audience is, and interact with your followers often.
Remember to optimize your landing page conversion rate and monitor customer acquisition costs. If you follow these steps, you’ll be able to get leads on Instagram coming in consistently.
With the help of Scaling With Systems, you can also grow your business and make excellent customer acquisition funnels that you can add to generate leads on Instagram. Book a consultation call with our team right away to talk about how we can help you.
