This post will take you through everything you need to know about Instagram Business Accounts.
What is Instagram Business Account?
If you and your clients are using Instagram for any kind of marketing, you should have an Instagram Business Account. It doesn’t matter if the profile is for a freelancer, a family-owned business, or even an influencer. Instagram Business Account doesn’t require any kind of official business status or verification and they provide enormous benefits that are entirely necessary for anyone marketing on Instagram.
Why do we need an Instagram Business Account?
Basically, an Instagram business account is Instagram’s version of a Facebook Page. It tells Instagram that you’re using the platform for some sort of marketing and it allows you to access a number of features that personal profiles don’t have; these include
- the ability to boost posts,
- the ability to add links to your stories (if you have more than 10K followers),
- access to analytics,
- gaining features like shoppable posts which allow you to sell directly from your Instagram posts,
- add partner accounts as branded partners that can post on your behalf
- potential verification options and,
- clickable CTAs to drive people to your site, to book appointments in-app, and more.
The benefits that come with an Instagram business account are essential if you want to be able to market successfully and track the impact of your campaigns.
How do you Create or Convert to a Business Account?
When you’re looking to set up your business account, you can either create a new business account or convert a personal profile to a business account. To do so, head to the settings and then scroll down until you see ‘Sign up for a Business Profile’ and ‘Switch to a Business Profile’.
Sign up for a Business Profile
If you decide to sign up for a new business profile, you’ll be asked to link to a current Facebook page and provide your contact information including name and phone number. This will create a separate business profile and leave your personal one intact.
Switch to a Business Profile
You can also choose to convert your existing account. If you’re using the current account for marketing purposes, go for this option. You’ll be asked to link a current Facebook Page or create a new page if you don’t already have one. You’ll then be asked to confirm your email and phone number and then once to click through the next screen your account will officially become a business profile.
How to set up your business account for best results?
- The first thing that you should do is ensure that your profile picture, bio, and bio link are all representing your business well. Let it sum up what your business does and send users to your website or a designated landing page.
- Ideally, your profile’s bio should explain to the users what value your account offers and how it benefits them directly.
- Include a Call-to-action. You can add specialized action buttons from the list of options such as Message, Email, Call, View shop, Book appointment, Place an order, and more. Clickable CTAs make it easy for the users to take their desired actions.
- Feature a branded hashtag if you have one.
- Choose a category and sub-category that best represents your business because this can help you show up in the right searches.
- Enter your contact information and determine what clickable contact buttons you want on your profile. Note that you need to enter the email address and phone number that is publicly available.
Instagram’s Shopping Features
One of Instagram’s most popular features is its shopping features.
- You can take products in post content and in stories which when clicked will show users more product information and allow them to purchase.
- You can tag multiple products in a single post. This is a powerful feature since millions of users click on such shopping posts.
- It is a mobile-used app and auto-fills the checkout forms, thereby helping solve the many e-commerce brands sometimes have where customers may be reluctant to purchase on the mobile due to the effort that needs to be put into the checkout process.
Moderation features offered by Instagram Business Account
Community Management is something that many businesses struggle with. It can be a lot to keep you with the comment and engagement happening on your posts as your business grows. An Instagram business account offers an extensive list of moderation features. To access them, go to settings and then privacy.
Customize and automate moderation tasks
You can limit who can comment on your posts, tag your account in their picture and mention your account in their posts or stories.
Set up filters to hide offensive comments
Instagram has an automatic offensive word detector that’s pretty good at flagging common hate speech and swear words. You can also choose to filter comments containing the most reported words on the platform or to set u a manual filter.
Restrict accounts
Restricted accounts can still comment on your posts but no one can see what they said except you and them. This is beneficial to keep vocal customers or trolls at bay.
Determine where messages go in your inbox
When you click on messages you set which inbox, different types of messages will go to. Followers on Instagram for example will automatically go into your request folder or those who have recently chatted, by default will land into the primary. You can adjust this setting as needed. These customizations can be changed anytime.
Best Practices for Instagram Business Account
It’s important to look at some of the details that can help you make a powerful first impression. The following practices will help you better connect with your target audience and see more results on and off-platform. They include,
Have a strong well-written bio
Don’t just tell them what you sell but instead focus on incorporating a unique selling proposition (USP) to explain what makes you different and describe the specific value you can add to their lives. Make sure the bio matches your brand voice.
Use the bio link to your advantage
Unless you running paid ad campaigns, we only get one true link on Instagram and that’s found in the bio. Choose this link very carefully. While you can update it to showcase relevant timely content, it’s always good to keep it consistent and send users to a specific landing page or a relevant page on your website.
Use your analytics
One of the best parts of Instagram business accounts is their analytics feature. Their online platform insights can be found in the app and will show you how your content is performing overall and on an individual basis. You can track follow account growth, see audience demographics, and even see how many clicks on CTA buttons people are making. Use this to decide if your business profile needs some changes.
The ability to have detailed analytics, boost ads, and utilize incredible features like links in stories or shoppable posts is too big of an opportunity to pass up.
