How to Sell T-Shirts on Instagram

You've established your brand and created a powerful profile on the 'Gram. Now, it's time to start marketing your clothing to sell t-shirts on Instagram. But, how exactly do you break into this market?

Selling t-shirts on Instagram doesn't need to be daunting. The platform is primed to help businesses succeed. Since Insta's platform is created for visual story-telling, your t-shirts are the perfect product to showcase in every kind of post.

With over 700 million users worldwide, the global audience is at your fingertips. Use this guide to learn how to start marketing your t-shirt brand on Instagram. And, watch your products fly off the digital shelves!

How Instagram Works for Brands

Selling on Instagram works by first setting up a solid business account profile. Your profile acts as your landing page, like a mini-website, to showcase who you are and what you stand for. Loyal fans and potential clients get encouraged to follow you to receive your content in their personalized feed.

Your business account profile provides you with detailed analytics. This data tracks which posts are most engaging and the best time to post content. You also receive a breakdown of the demographics of who is engaging with your profile.

This detailed data allows you to tailor your ad campaigns to suit who is actually interested in your products. The more information you acquire about your target audience, the better you will keep them engaged in your brand.

Organic marketing occurs just from posting content, hashtagging, and engaging with other profiles. But, Instagram as a platform has many tools for brands to use to increase their profile. These include stories, ads, and shopping posts.

Why Selling T-Shirts on Instagram Works

Instagram has evolved as the ultimate shopping platform. Users can browse and uncover new brands through the product icon right on their navigation menu. Because Instagram tracks the engagement of their users, it suggests brands similar to accounts they have already clicked on.

Because t-shirts are one of the top clothing staples in North American wardrobes, they get featured in a lot of Instagram posts. Sending your product to a few social media influencers in exchange for featured posts will provide plenty of organic ad coverage. The more people click on, comment, share, or follow posts that your product gets tagged on, the more they will see your content.

Because the Instagram algorithm is essential to hitting your target audience, it is important to understand who you are trying to engage. If you haven't already, do your market research before starting any ad campaign.

Promoting on Instagram works so successfully in converting sales because the potential customer never needs to leave the platform. You can set up the Instagram Checkout feature where transactions occur right from the user's personal account. They don't need to navigate to your personal website or e-commerce store.

The fewer steps it takes to make a sale, the more likely a customer will purchase your product.

Tips for Selling T-Shirts on Instagram

Instagram is all about keeping things fresh. To have a successful profile that converts browsers to buyers, you'll need to post regularly. Use the Instagram features that allow you to set up a posting schedule, this will save you a lot of time!

Choosing the right branding is also important. Make sure to use a selection of hashtags on every post that incorporates your brand but also your product. Hashtags are like little search engines so you want your images coming up when your target audience is looking for them.

Working with Instagram influencers is a solid strategy to sell more t-shirts on the platform. Influencers get paid in either money or product to feature your brand. They end up doing the hard work of creating engaging content and you get an organic advertising campaign to your ideal customers.

Sell T-Shirts on Instagram With Ads and Shopping

There are many kinds of ad campaigns your brand can launch on Insta. Each kind has a different purpose and leads to a unique result. Let's look at the most common ad campaigns.

Photo and Video Ads on Instagram

Posting photos is how it all began on this social media platform. Advertising your shirts on Instagram is easy by sharing eye-catching images of their quality and style. A single photo or multi-shots shared in a scrolling carousel set the tone of who your brand is and what you offer.

Video grabs even more attention than a static photo. Product videos are versatile. Feature your products in a comedic way, in a montage, or in a serious and high-fashion vibe.

All images, both photos and video, are editable within the Instagram app. This allows brands to showcase their products in a highly stylized and professional way without needing extensive photography and lighting skills. Tag your posts with your brand and hashtag to show up in relevant searches.

Sharing to Your Stories or Feed or IGTV

Once you've created your fabulous content, deciding where to put it is the next option for advertising. Posting content to your feed will stay available to users unless you specifically remove the post. Stories only stay live for 24 hours or you'll need to save them to your profile.

The way users engage with posts also varies depending on where they are posted. Feed posts stay on the user's screen until they scroll past it. Story posts play until they finish and then the next in the queue loads. The purpose and vibe of your content will determine which format is most applicable.

IGTV is where your longer video content lands. This is Instagram's version of YouTube, where content creators upload their video segments. For a t-shirt brand, filming a FAQ clip or a 'meet the maker' interview is best suited for IGTV.

Use the Shopping Feature

Fashion on Instagram is big business. The platform has made discovering products much easier for users through their Shopping Posts. Before, if a potential customer liked the look of an item in a post, they would need to navigate back to the brand profile or website to find details on the product.

Now, Shopping Posts allow brands to tag up to five products directly on to their post. These tags provide the potential customer with useful information about the cost and the product name. The best part is with one more touch, they are instantly brought to a purchase option.

This feature allows for a seamless and organic shopping experience. Customers explore your brand without leaving the platform they found you on.

The main difference between the Shopping Post feature and traditional ads on Instagram is the price. Shopping Posts don't cost you upfront to create, they only charge you the checkout seller fee when a sale is made. Ads cost money to run but get targeted to the demographic you choose.

Starting Selling on Instagram Today

Marketing to sell t-shirts on Instagram doesn't need to feel intimidating. With high-quality t-shirts, a selection of colors, and a strong Instagram presence, your brand will turn a profit in no time!

Selling t-shirts on Instagram is easy, you just need to make your first post! Use this guide to get you started and check out the rest of the business articles on the All Day Shirts blog for more info.