How to Drive Traffic From Non-Clickable Links in Instagram Posts

 

I’ll confess, I don’t quite get Instagram. I feel trapped. I can hardly go anywhere (except on sponsored grams or links in profiles). Because there are so few clickable links on Instagram, the only thing to do is look at pictures (or videos). So…

Problem #1: Instagram Links Aren’t Clickable

Sure, there’s branding value, and once your account reaches 10,000 followers, you can add clickable links to your Instagram posts. But from my business perspective, that is only marginally helpful until that level is met.

My goal is to get Instagram members to my site and on my list. That way, Instagram can’t eventually block me from connecting with my followers the way Twitter and Facebook do now.

Maybe your goals for using Instagram include:

• Growing your list
• Driving external traffic to Amazon listings
• Driving traffic to your blog or website
• Sending visitors to direct sales pages

These all mean that your Instagram peeps will need a link to follow.

Problem #2: Links in Grams Are Too Long

Adding some grossly long link to your blog post, Amazon listing or sales page is useless. I can't think of anyone who will remember or write down a long link, open a browser and retype it. Uh… no.Click To Tweet

So, here’s what I came up with. I started using Pretty Links redirects to make the links on Instagram super simple to remember.

Why Pretty Links and Not Google or Bitly?

The same reason I stated above. They are complicated and hard to remember/retype.

You can use any domain-based redirect plugin but I’m a HUGE Pretty Links fan because of all the features and different types of redirects it offers. You can:

• Track the traffic to links
• Run A/B split tests on pages just by changing the Pretty Links
• Divide traffic among several Pretty Links automatically
• Choose from cloaked, 301 or other types of redirects
• Group similar types of Pretty Links together
• And much more

The links from free redirect scripts may be shorter, but they are just as complicated to remember and retype as the original links. For example, here’s the link from my blog post about writing sexy bullet points:

https://blog.marketingwords.com/mastering-the-art-of-writing-sexy-bullet-lists/

Here’s that link shortened with Bitly https://bit.ly/2NvvI5G, and here is Google’s https://goo.gl/aGwcSc.

Still complex and hard to remember/retype.

Here’s the redirect I created using Pretty Links: https://www.marketingwords.com/bullets

Just one (or two) word after my domain name makes links seriously easier for Instagram searchers to remember and type so they reach my blog post.Click To Tweet

What’s more, when I add it to a gram, I remove the https://www. portion. It goes up on my feed as MarketingWords.com/bullets.

What’s the Point?

What’s the point of creating exceptional social posts if they don’t drive traffic back to your site, Amazon listing or some other page? Sure, you can interact with people on the social platform, but then they remain under the control of Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, etc.

If you’re going to share great social content, you should make at least one of your goals to drive traffic to your own list.

What About Instagram Links That are Automatically Shared on Facebook or Twitter?

No problem! Twitter will point people back to your Instagram page and Facebook will create a live, clickable link even if you don’t include https://www before the link.

If you wanted to compact your links further, you could surf over to Name Cheap and buy some ultra-short domain. For me (with a business name of Marketing Words) I might choose something like MWords.site for $ .99/year. Just make sure the short URL you choose is easy to remember and retype.

It only takes a couple of seconds to create your Pretty Links and add them to your Tailwind App feed or upload them manually.

Ready to see more traffic hit your site from your Instagram posts? Make shortening your links a part of your Instagram strategy.

Have questions about clickable (or other) links in Instagram posts? Talk to me below…