November 3, 2020 
With some social media platforms, the need for marketers and business owners to have a website to sell has come into question, and well-known platforms like Facebook and Instagram are giving website developers a good run for their money.
Social media has gone beyond the instant messaging platforms we all knew it to be, and there are now huge possibilities that come with it, especially to marketers and advisers.
Social media marketing is popular nowadays, and there are a handful of prominent platforms that make it possible to sell products on them.
The e-commerce website has been known to be a common strategy for businesses when they want to sell their products. Still, with the emergence of business features by Instagram and other social media platforms, the need for a website has been strongly put into doubt.
Although many people feel Instagram being an image and photo-sharing platform negates the possibilities of selling on there, it is actually an advantage. And with its instant messaging feature, it is one of the best places to sell.
Most businesses that sell on Instagram use its image and video sharing capabilities to showcase products and services, using it to convince customers to visit their sites.
Therefore, this where the dilemma comes; what if you do not have a website, and you also want to take advantage of and sell on Instagram?
Since there is no website to redirect to, will it be possible to sell on Instagram? The answer is YES. Yes, without a website, you can successfully sell on Instagram, and this blog will show you how.
Why Should I sell on Instagram?
The fact remains that not every business may do well by entirely running their store on Instagram. However, if you learn to do it properly, you can achieve record-high sales on the platform.
There have been many cases of how businesses who did not have any website were able to sell their products successfully on Instagram; you too can be part.
Recent studies have shown that the monthly active users on Instagram are around 1 billion. To put that into perspective, that is about an eighth of the world’s population!
Therefore, the first and obvious reason why you should sell on Instagram is the possibilities that the size of the platform’s users give you.
Yes, not all of them will patronise you. Another recent survey from Facebook inc. on Instagram usage gathered that about 83% of the respondents use Instagram to research businesses’ products and services.
Another study showed that about 90% of all active Instagram accounts follow at least one business account.
The only logical explanation to this is that Instagram has now become a must-use platform for any 21st-century business.
Whether you have a website or not, as a business owner or marketer, you should sell on Instagram.
Another reason why you need to sell on Instagram is because it is a visual platform. This means it is the perfect platform to share images and videos of all your e-commerce products.
Whatever you are into in today’s marketing, be it in the food industry, clothing, real estate, designing, and many others, your existing and potential customers need to see your products and services first before purchasing.
With about 500 million confirmed daily users of the Instagram stories feature, you are missing out on the possibility of placing your market to large numbers of people.
Another interesting fact about these half a billion people who open Instagram stories daily is that 200 million of them check out at least a business profile daily!
Also, a third of the daily most-viewed Instagram Stories are from businesses, and one of these could be you! Although, some of these business profiles already own an e-commerce website, many of them do not, and they still successfully sell on Instagram every day.
This means you can also be a part of these hugely successful businesses, and although you do not own a website, you can sell your products on Instagram – but how do you get started?
How to Sell on Instagram Without a Website
Now that you know even without a website, you can sell on Instagram; let us move on to how you can achieve this.
- Ensure you have a Business Profile
- Selling Via Direct Messaging
- Selling Via Comments
- Using Shoppable Posts
- Using Instagram Stories
- Ensure you Integrate Common Payment Methods
Ensure You have a Business Profile
The first step to selling on Instagram, whether you have a website or not is to have a business account. There are a lot of benefits that come with it.
If you already have an Instagram account, converting to a business profile is easy and straightforward.
After logging into your account, navigate to settings by clicking on the button at the top-right corner of your profile page.
Next is to scroll down and select “Switch to Business Profile” and voila, you are set. Although you can still switch back by going to the same place you switched, you have little or no reason to do so.
Selling Via Direct Messaging
If you do not have a website, and you want to sell on Instagram, one of the commonest ways to do this is by marketing your products via the platform’s instant messaging feature.
Your feed will be your product catalogue where your customers or followers can browse your goods and services.
Therefore, to proceed to make a purchase, you will ask them to reach you via the platform’s Direct Messages. You can therefore accept bank transfer payments, PayPal or any other convenient payment platform.
When you do not have a website and sell via the instant messaging tool of Instagram, you will admittedly go through some tedious work.
However, with the advent of chatbots, this barrier has been eliminated. Chatbots like Zebrabuzz can be integrated into your Instagram to help you sell your products and services.
It can sell your products at any time of the day and is always available. You can make sales even when you are sleeping with the help of the Zebrabuzz chatbot.
Selling Via Comments
Another way you can sell on Instagram without a website is through the comments. Some of your customers may leave comments that show interest, and from there on, you can sell your products.
With Zebrabuzz’s comment reply enhancer feature, you also do not need to be online to do this. Having to shuffle through hundreds and thousands of comments can be tiring and tedious, and this feature helps you reply to every single one of your comments.
Your customers can be directed to your Zebrabuzz e-commerce store to make a purchase. However, to do this, you should have a Facebook Messenger account linked with your Instagram profile.
Using Shoppable Posts
Generally, Shoppable Posts on Instagram are for businesses who have an e-commerce website. However, there is a way you can use it without having a website.
A Shoppable Post on Instagram looks very much like the normal post but with a tiny white shopping bag in the corner. By clicking on the image, you get to see the details of the product as well as a link to buy.
This link is usually to the website, but if you have a Facebook Messenger business profile, you can create a Zebrabuzz e-commerce virtual store that will be linked with your posts and customers can visit to make a purchase.
Thankfully, as you can integrate it to your Instagram, users do not have to leave the platform to complete a purchase.
Using Instagram Stories
Remember, about 200 million people check Instagram business stories daily, and it is important you become part of these.
You can use your Instagram stories as another of your product catalogues. Also, unlike under posts and in bios, you can as well place the link to your e-commerce store. Remember an e-commerce store is not a website.
You can also tag shoppable products in your stories!
Once the products are tagged, your customers will be able to get a link to view the item’s details on Instagram as well as another link to your storefront page to make a purchase.
Ensure you Integrate Common Payment Methods
If you do not have a website, and you want to sell on Instagram, you may have in one way taken convenience away from some users.
Therefore, you need to give it back in one important way, and this is through your payment methods.
Ensuring you integrate the most common payment methods is very important. Coupled with the tips to sell above, allow your customers’ payment to be seamless and convenient, and you will be on your way to harvesting great sales on Instagram despite not having a website.
