Do you want to start a small business on Instagram but don’t know where to start from?
Thanks to social media, now you can create a small business out of any of your creative hobbies.
I’ve come across people who have transformed their creative hobbies into a small business on Instagram.
The new Gen-Z isn’t all for branded items. They are better aware of the environmental consequences of the fast-fashion industry.
Thrift stores on Instagram are gaining popularity for their vintage pre-loved pieces.
People are making a living out of selling their artwork, handmade jewellery, scented candles, etc.
When brainstorming about what kind of small business you can start online on Instagram, think of what you love doing the most.
If you’re good at painting, you can sell your paintings with a frame. If you’re good at finding great pieces of clothing at a flea market, you can flip those at your thrift store on Instagram.
Here are some small business ideas that might tickle your creative brain, or things you can sell:
- A Thrift store
- Handmade items
- Jewelry
- Candles
- Soaps
- Home Decor items
- Ceramic goods like mugs, trays, pots for plants, etc.
- Paintings, doodles
- Baked goods
- LUTs, Presets for photo editing
- Services and coaching
- Online courses and workshops
Also Read: 10 Instagram Hashtag Mistakes You Should Avoid | GarimaShares
Table Of Contents
How to start a small business on Instagram: The Basics
Create an Instagram Business Account
It is not ideal to start small business on Instagram using your personal account.
Keep your personal account and your small biz separate. You can add the tag/mention your brand’s handle in your personal account’s bio to introduce your brand to your circle of friends.
You need the insights and analytics that an Instagram Business/Creator account provides.
With an Instagram Business account you’ll have the access to the following useful features to understand your audience and marketing efforts:
- One-click contact options via email, phone, or DM
- Entering your website address
- Instagram insights for analyzing which posts are performing better and what your target audience prefers
- Create ads to reach potential customers
- Add location and timings
If you already have an Instagram profile, here’s how to convert it to an Instagram Business Account:
- Go to your Instagram profile and tap the 3 horizontal lines in the upper right corner.
- Go to Settings > Account.
- Tap Switch to Professional Account and then Business.
- Once you’ve switched, you’ll be able to add details to your profile (like contact information and business category).
- Simply tap Done when you’re done.
Also Read: More Instagram Story Views GUARANTEED | GarimaShares
Content Strategy for your Instagram Business Profile
Decide on an aesthetic that you want your brand to be associated with.
Don’t start a small business on Instagram without giving it proper thought. Even after you’ve finalized what you’re going to sell, there are plenty of things to sort out.
Your entire content on the feed should blend well with how you want your brand to be perceived by people.
You can have a beige/brown, pastel, gradient, striking bright colors, minimal white, etc. aesthetics on your account.
Having a distinct theme will make your brand stand out and build an identity for itself.
Avoid posting grainy or shaky pictures and videos. If possible, hire a photographer to get professional photographs for your products.
Hire me as a Photographer for your brand!
Instagram is an image-centric platform. The pictures/videos will play an important role in driving sales.
Use apps like Preview to design your Instagram feed. Put on creative stories to talk about your product and give people a chance to connect with the brand by asking the queries they have.
Write descriptive human-captions that your followers can relate to. Something they would more likely to respond to in the comments.
Also Read: 7 apps for making catchy animated Instagram stories
Easy access to FAQs
There are some basic questions that people have for all the businesses they decide to purchase from.
Such as the return policy, availability of COD, deliverable areas, sizes of the product listed etc.
If you have a website, create an FAQ page and add the clickable link to your site in the business account’s bio.
You can also create a story highlight to curate all of the stories in which you answer customer’s FAQs.
When you are planning to start a small busines on Instagram, FAQs are something you can’t skip.
It’s all about the customer experience and you should ideally answer all of the questions they might have.
Check out this account for inspo- @av_aesthetics21. It’s a small business on Instagram that sells handmade candles, run by Avisi Agarwal.
To learn more about this, checkout popular online shopping sites such as Amazon, Myntra, H&M and see what details they’ve put out on their stores regarding purchases, exchange policies etc.
Also Read: What Is SEO On Instagram? Let Me Break It Down For You In 5 Minutes
Ways to accept payments
You need ways to accept payments that are widely used so that your customers don’t have any trouble making purchases from you.
For a website, payments options are Razorpay, Paypal, etc.
In order to use Razorpay, head to their website and sign up. You’ll be asked to enter details such as your name, email, address, verification ID, bank details, etc.
It can take anywhere between 2 weeks to a month to get your Razorpay account approved and ready to accept payments.
And if you don’t have that yet, you can accept payments through Google Pay, Paytm, and UPI.
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