For a long time, Instagram has remained “business neutral”, offering only the possibility of adding a verified check mark to public personalities’ profiles. But now businesses can label themselves as such, as their owners can switch from a personal to a business profile.
This may sound like exciting news, but you need to be aware of all the changes which your Instagram posting activity and engagement levels will go through once you take this step. You probably remember the changes that happened to your Facebook™ page, once this social media platform decided to segregate between personal and business profiles.
Since Instagram is owned by Facebook™, it is likely that business accounts may face various restrictions in the future in terms of connecting with others and promoting their posts. But before anything else, here are the key facts you need to know about switching to and using an Instagram business account:
- Making the Switch from Personal to Business Profile
Once you log in to your Instagram account on your smartphone, go to your account settings and you will find the option “Switch to Business Profile”. Once you have done so, you will be prompted to log in with your Facebook™ account.
Attention! You can have a business account on Instagram only if you already are the administrator of a Facebook™ business page. After logging in, you will be asked about the type of information you want to share between the two accounts.
- The Contact Button
The first changed thing you will notice about your new Instagram account is the contact button. This allows your followers to get in touch with you outside Instagram, either by sending you an email and giving you a call.
For this reason, it is important to review your bio and contact details before you finish setting up your business account. Since you are open for business, your customers should be able to reach you with ease.
- Links for Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are short, temporary videos, which are highly engaging for users. In such a story, you can share snippets of work in progress, special promotions, and behind the scenes glimpses into your work. In short, Instagram Stories are perfect for launching a special sale or discount. But, of course, you would need to take people outside Instagram through a link.
Good news then! If you have a business account and minimum 10,000 followers, you can now add a link to your Instagram Stories. Until now, this was a special feature available only to verified public personalities’ accounts.
- Promoted Posts
Do you want to make sure that all your followers and prospects get to see your Instagram posts? You can promote them with a business accounts. The procedure is similar to boosting a post on Facebook™ and has the same measurable results.
- Insights
The number one reason why you would switch to a business Instagram account is the possibility to learn all the essential demographic and behavioural details about your followers. This knowledge will help you adapt your marketing and posting strategies, adapting your content and promotions to your audience’s interests.
Although there are many benefits from switching to a business account, from the ease of creating ads to more detailed insights about the performance of your posts as well as your follower demographics, the switch is not “cons-free”. Some entrepreneurs and small businesses reported an increasingly difficulty in getting their non-promoted posts to be visible to their followers. This is the general approach of all social media platforms with regard to business accounts, so you should take this aspect into account if you decide to get a business profile for your company on Instagram.