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How to Book More Clients with the New Instagram Booking Feature

Did you know that 71% of business owners in the US use Instagram to grow their business?

And why not! More than one-third of all US adults use Instagram actively – which makes it a popular social media channel for you to market your business. #BeWhereYourCustomersAre!  

But here’s the catch:

When most business owners think of using Instagram to grow their business, they almost instinctively think about a huge follower base liking and commenting on their posts every day. 

But do these likes and shares ever translate to real money in your bank? 

Yes, they do! Here’s how: 

The core value that Instagram offers for business growth isn’t social-media engagement – It’s the possibility of getting discovered by new customers every second (60% of users learn about new products or services on Instagram). 

Not sure how? Here’s an example of how Instagram discovery works:

Imagine that you own a salon. One of your customers is very happy about her latest haircut and just can’t stop clicking selfies. To flaunt her new look, she posts a picture on Instagram and tags your salon. Her friends like her picture and are curious about where she got her hair cut. And that’s how new people will land on your Insta profile.

And this is exactly where the money-making potential lies – Converting profile visitors into paying customers. 

So, how do you do that? 

Introducing…The booking feature on Instagram!


What is the Instagram booking feature?

The Booking feature of Instagram allows you to put a Book Now call-to-action button on your Instagram Business profile page. It appears right above your account’s feed and redirects users to your Booking page.

Plus, when customers use this to book an appointment, their contact details (name, email, and phone number) are auto-filled from their Instagram profile.

Instagram Book Button on your Business Profile

How does the Instagram booking feature help you get paying customers?

Earlier, you could make users only discover and love your brand on Instagram through an eye-catching feed. Your feed could even intrigue them to try out your services. But, to book any service with you, they had to go to your website, outside Insta.

But things have changed now…

1) With the Book button, people can now book in fewer steps

Allowing users to book directly within Instagram shortens the buying cycle and gets more people to complete it. Instead of redirecting them to another website or link using the ‘link in bio’, they can complete the entire booking in the Instagram interface itself!

Plus, it also eliminates the step of users filling in their details by auto-filling the name, email, and contact fields from their Instagram profile.

This reduces churn because customers buy more when you make it easy for them to do so. 

The bottom line: The quicker it is for a user to reach checkout, the more likely it is for them to complete their booking. 


2) Customers convert better if you prompt them to book when they are most engaged

A clear action button right when customers are exploring your services on Instagram will nudge them towards buying.

Can you recall how many times you were window shopping online, loved a dress, and ended up buying it? Why did you buy it? Remember the button that said ‘Buy Now!’? That very button prompted you into buying the dress right that instance!

According to recent statistics, 75% of users take action if prompted.

Similarly,  the Book button on Instagram helps! It’s easy to find, clearly says what to do, and pushes your profile visitors towards booking with your business.  


Additional benefits for your business

Apart from escalating the booking process and being at the right place at the right time, Instagram bookings also have the following added perks for your business: 

1) 24/7 bookings:

Clients want to book anytime. In fact, studies reveal that 40% of online bookings happen outside business hours! But you cannot stay up at 2 AM taking bookings, can you? Does this mean you will miss out on clients who wish to book then? 

No, right? So, let them book on Instagram, even when you’re deep in sleep at 2 in the night!


2) Virtual receptionist:

How many times does your receptionist want to leave early? Or wants the day off? 

More than once, right?

Instagram booking manages online bookings for your receptionist and lets them invest in areas that require more human intervention. 

It acts as a virtual receptionist. And you only have to pay the costs of the scheduling software for Instagram. It’s much less than what you pay your receptionist!


3) Reduced human error:

How many times have you lost a client because your receptionist heard Sunday instead of Monday? I’m sure you’ve even lost count of that!

Instagram lets customers self-schedule. So it rules out the possibility of communication errors that might occur, say, on a call or email. That will save you a lot of customers!


4) Decreased no-shows:

When was the last time a client booked with you and ‘forgot’ to show up? Not too long back, probably.

Let them book online on Insta through a scheduling software (such as Appointy). They will get reminders via email or SMS, and not forget to show up again (or at least won’t have that excuse again)!


Why will your customers love Instagram Booking too?

With the routines getting busier day by day, customers prefer booking online – about 70% of them!

Booking online is easy for clients, but Instagram appointment booking will be preferred by your customers because of :

1) Popularity and ease of booking:

Everyone is on Instagram, literally everyone! You, your friends, your neighbor, and even his dog might have an Insta profile (Haha)!

It is easy for people to find you, like you, and book you, all through Instagram! Sweet!


2) 24/7 accessibility from anywhere:

Everyone is busy today. Always! People have their breakfast on the go, take naps in the cab, how can you expect them to have time to book during business hours?!

Give them the freedom to find you and book at their convenience, on the go, in their bed, or even in the toilet, through Insta bookings!


3) Empowered customers:

Did you ever have to deal with choosy clients? You’d say, “Yes, almost always!”, right?

That’s because customers like taking charge of their orders. Booking through your Instagram profile allows customers to take charge of their own booking and handpick the services and service providers of their choice at their preferred date and time.


4) Customers have faith:

When do you go to a new store? When the dress on display stole your attention! Or when your friend got a gorgeous dress from there. Correct?

That’s exactly how your customers will come to your profile – if they like what they see or through a friend!

When they can see what they’re choosing, they’ll have faith in your services. And if they find a Book Now button right there on Instagram …Bonus! It will encourage clients to book right away!

Can it get any better?


Ready to start getting bookings from Instagram?

Now you know the many benefits of the Instagram booking feature. It’s quick, intuitive, and turns one of the most trending social media platforms into a booking engine for your business.  

So don’t miss out! 

You would not want to be the last one to latch on to the trend, do you? So, start using Instagram bookings before your competitors do. 

How to get the Instagram Book button on your profile?

Requirements:

There are only two essential things that would enable you to use the Book Now button:

  1. An Instagram Business profile and 
  2. An Appointy account (a free scheduling software).

Steps to get the Book button:

Step 1: Go to your business profile on Instagram

Step 2: Tap Edit Profile.

Step 3: Select Contact options under Business information.

Step 4: Select Add an action button 

Step 5: Choose Appointy

Step 6: Add the URL to your booking page (https://booking.appointy.com/<your_username>) and click Done.

Step 7: You will find that the “Book” option starts to appear on your profile. Now you’re all set to use Instagram for bookings!

A step-by-step guide on how to add the “Book” button on your Instagram Business profile page.

Watch the full video about how you can add the Instagram Booking Feature on your Instagram Business profile.


If you are not integrated with a scheduling software partner then no worries, we got you covered! 

Appointy provides you with various pricing options for your requirements and you can also start using it for “free”.

So, what are you waiting for? Get the Instagram Booking feature right away!

Go get more clients you deserve and convert your Instagram into a Booking platform. 

Do let us know in the comments below how it works out for you.


About Appointy

We at Appointy, help business owners grow and run their businesses with our online scheduling software. This blog was a part of our ‘Manage your Business’ category, where we provide expert tips, and resources, or simply talk about the challenges that small and medium businesses face every day. 

If you have any thoughts on this blog or would like to chat about your business struggles and achievements, let us know in the comments below. 

We love a good talk!





This post has been updated on January 22, 2020 and was originally posted on July 2, 2019.