Half a decade ago, had you told your parents that you want to start a business, that too online, I think if I say that they’d reject you straightaway, I would be speaking for almost every Indian small business owner. But were they wrong? No, because the technology was still an unexplored territory in most of the typical Indian households. What about now? Is building a small business still a figment of your daydreams or is it now possible to steer your wheels to success by it?
With around 1.3 billion people using Instagram all over the globe, it is an upcoming platform to start your small business. The onset of lockdown during the pandemic was definitely a loss for many. But to find a silver lining, when everything shifted online, so did small businesses. Many even had their long-coming breakthrough with their businesses that too only in their early twenties. While many others are still struggling and rightly so because starting an online business is nothing like eating cake.
So, we here at YOOF would be happy to lend a helping with few suggestions we might have:
- To begin with, you need to set up a business account on Instagram. It is ideal for business because it allows you to view analytics, connect your account with your Facebook page, run paid advertisements, and it makes it easier for followers to contact you.
You’re given around 150 characters for bio, use that to your advantage. Make it crisp and concise giving a clear idea about your business. Your profile picture can be your logo and it is good to have your business name as your Instagram handle.
- Instagram is a visual platform. As Bill Gates said, content is the king; structure your content meticulously. Plan ahead how you want your account to look and make sure it matches the vibe of your small business. Strategize how you want to put forward your content and when.
- Hashtags are a very important feature for small Instagram businesses. Do not underestimate the power of hashtags as they allow people who don’t follow your content to discover you.
- Make the reels feature your new best friend. It would be wrong not to mention how addictive reels are. Use IGTV for longer videos. Even Instagram stories have many features to engage with your audience.
- Lastly, be you. Your business will reflect your visions and ideas. Don’t shy away from interacting with your audience or promoting it among your peers. At the end of the day, it will grow only as long as you want it to.
Divija Bhasin-Small Business Owner
Some tips we would like to give to small business owners-
Just start the business! I know it can be really scary to do it especially if you’re like us and have no experience/knowledge about it but if you don’t start you won’t know how well it could do. you can actually have a successful small business without a website. Instagram is a great place to start and test out how well your business could do so I would suggest you give it a try on Instagram and then turn it into a full-fledged business if it works well! Make sure to keep adding new styles/products to your store. It’s so important to keep experimenting. Experimenting is one of the key points that has helped us grow sale-wise and also followers-wise.
