Can You Run Ads And Sell on Instagram Without a Website?

Instagram ads have opened a floodgate through which any type of business can find its ideal customers. Even if your business does not have a physical location, you can still scale it pretty well with just a website and a few social media handles. But what if you do not have a website? Can you still run ads on Instagram? Apparently, you can! Whether you should do that or not is a question for another day. But with this guide, you will be able to understand how you can sell without a website. So, let’s begin!

Is Running Instagram Ads Impossible Without a Website?

Absolutely not! Even without a website, you can run Instagram ads. BUT, your options will be limited when it comes to what a business owner with a website can do. So, first of all, let us understand what you can and cannot do.

What You Can Do:

• You can boost posts that are already in your account.
• You can run campaigns in the Meta Ads Manager and link your ads to your social profiles, instead of a website.

What You Can’t Do:

• You cannot run conversion campaigns without linking a website.
• There is no way for you to track your sales and purchases. This would have been possible if you had a website, since it would be linked to Facebook Pixel, which tracks conversions.

With everything said and done, having a website really opens doors for you. Your clients trust you better, you get better analytics data points by integrating your site with social media. Therefore, we highly recommend you get a website. 

How To Run Instagram Ads Without A Website?

Nonetheless, if you want to proceed with running Instagram ads despite having a website, then this is how you should proceed:

To start running Instagram ads, you need a few prerequisites, which are as follows:

• An Instagram Business account – You cannot run ads on a personal account, so switch it to a business account to proceed.
• A Facebook account – The next crucial step is to have your Facebook account linked to your Instagram Business account.
• Facebook Ads Manager – Once you have the accounts set up, you need to log in to Facebook Ads Manager.

With all that up and running, let’s do a step-by-step tutorial on how you can get your ad set up.

• Go to Facebook Ads Manager and click on the “+ Create” button.

• Select the objective of your choice and click “Continue”.

• On the first page, we have various settings, including the Advantage campaign budget, which is useful for optimizing your ad budget. Next up, we have the option to A/B test your ads, which allows you to test placements, audience, creatives, and so on. You can set it up as per your preference, and Meta will find out which version of your ad works best. When you are done with this, click “Next”.

• On the following page, you can allocate your budget for the whole ad set. You can also alter your audience and placement preferences here. When done, click “Next”.

• On the next page, you can upload your creative, edit it, and preview it from this screen. 

• If you scroll down, you can see the tracking parameter, which allows you to keep note of your conversions, which is not applicable to you without a website.

• So once you are done with the review, you can publish your ad, and that is it!

If you do not want the hassle of Facebook Ads Manager, you can always boost your best-performing ads on Instagram. Although they have limited targeting parameters, they are a quick fix for a busy entrepreneur (and also a quick peek into your audience preferences!).

How To Sell Efficiently On Instagram Without A Website?

When you want to sell on Instagram without a website, ads are not your only option. With or without a website or ads, your business can thrive on Instagram if you follow these simple tips:

1. Make Your Instagram a Business Account

The extensive analytics that come with having an Instagram business account are no joke. 

The Instagram analytics board offers you deep insights into your customer preferences, content performance, and even the age and demographics of your viewers. The catch? You cannot get this kind of insight on a personal account.

So, if you are still using a normal Instagram account, it is time to make the switch (It’s free!) to a business account.

Some of the benefits of having a business account are:

• Extensive analytics on your customer preferences
• Ability to boost your organic posts as ads
• Add Custom CTA buttons such as Contact, Email, and so on
• Utilize Facebook Ads Manager to run ads
• Schedule posts via third-party apps

2. Have Alternate Mini Sites

The world has evolved, even without a website, you can still display and flaunt your products in an organized way. The trick is to know the right tool to use:

• If you want to display lots of links in a single link, then use Linktree. Since Instagram only allows you to display one link in your bio, this can be a major help!
• If you have product catalogues that need to be shown, the Facebook Marketplace and Instagram shops are the way to go. Here you can display your products, add descriptions, keywords, and so on.,

3. Focus on Your Instagram Bio

Your Instagram Bio is where you can put everything about your business in words. Therefore, it is vital for you to use the 150–character limit wisely to catch the attention of your viewer and make your brand attractive to them.

Some of the best practices you need to keep in mind when writing your Instagram bio are as follows:

• You can add only one clickable link to your bio. Use it to display your products, collect client information, or divert them to another form of communication channel.
• Research keywords in your niche (check competitor Instagram accounts) and try to add them to your bio description.
• Add your business contact information for improved transparency.
• Use the bio to convey your business’s unique value proposition.

4. Content is King

If you sell on Instagram without a website, then your socials become your lifeline. This means you have to utilize your socials in such a way that it is helpful, informative for the audience, and aesthetic enough to make sales for your business.

And, Instagram offers multiple types of content such a stories, highlights, reels, carousels, and so on. This allows you to display your products in different ways and formats. So, how do you make the most of them? Here’s how:

• Instagram highlights can act as an album to display your products. Since you do not have a website, this is a great way to categorize and display your products.
• Use high-quality images and videos to retain the attention of your audience.
• Make DIY Tips and Educational content that your audience will find useful
• When choosing thumbnails for your videos, make sure to use relevant and quality images.
• Create guides that make it easy for your audience to understand your business. For example, a guide on how to view your products, place an order, or even submit feedback.
• Create BTS content for your business to humanize your brand.
• And most importantly, be consistent and stay in touch with your viewers by posting consistently.

With Predis AI, this whole process becomes hassle-free because the tool takes over your worry of creating content. With AI generative capabilities and a huge library of templates, Predis AI makes content creation a breeze and social media management a stress-free process.

5. Utilize the full power of Instagram Stories

Engaging and communicating with the audience is vital for every business. Because without that, your product could deviate so much from customer expectations, which could prove disastrous.

But social media platforms have reduced this gap drastically by bridging businesses and customers. And one such great feature that allows you to constantly interact with your audience with minimal effort is Instagram stories.

With Instagram stories, you can do so much. Here are some examples:

• Conduct polls and see which side of the spectrum your audience falls on. For example, you can ask their opinion on the kind of content they like to see.
• Induce curiosity with countdown timers and short promos when you are launching a product. Although these short videos will go on your feed as well, having them on stories increases exclusivity. And countdowns, when tapped, will become a reminder in the viewer’s profile. So, when your product launches, your audience will be reminded.
• And when some stories become particularly liked by your audience, then give them a permanent space in your profile through highlights.

The Final Thoughts

Although Social media platforms are a great way to gain a new audience, replacing them with a website is not sustainable. At the end of the day, social platforms evolve, their algorithms change, and what you might have worked on for a very long time can vanish overnight. When you sell on Instagram without a website, you are taking this risk. This is why having your own platform, aka website, is non-negotiable for a business owner.

That being said, maintaining and being consistent on your socials is not up for debate as well. However, maintaining both the website and other platforms simultaneously can prove demanding. Which is why Predis AI designed its content creation and automation platform to make lives easier.

Equipped with AI and time-tested templates, Predis AI has everything you need to plan, schedule, and maintain your socials, and that too with minimal effort. 

So, what are you waiting for? Sign up for your free account today and start rocking your socials!

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