It’s pretty safe to say that Instagram has become an unbelievably powerful tool for businesses to connect with their audience and share their latest products. In fact, 83% of users say they’ve discovered new products or services on the network, and roughly 80% says that Instagram helps them conduct research on a product before they make a purchase.
If you’re not already using Instagram in 2021 to reach new audiences or increase your brands awareness, you could be missing out on a lucrative part of your marketing strategy.
If you’re new to the platform, in this blog we’re going to show you how to make an Instagram Business account and the benefits of having one over a personal account.
How To Make A Instagram Business Account
Download the Instagram app.
To get started, head to the app store on your smartphone or alternatively you can use the Instagram website.
Click The Sign Up Button
Fill out the form with your details such as company name and your email address. If you already have a Facebook Business account, you can sign up with this option to save you inputting more details.
Make sure you choose a username that’s relevant to your business as this will be how people find you.
Switch To A Business Account
Now that you’re set up with a profile, it’s time to switch it over to a business account. It’s really easy, all you have to do is click the 3 lines in the top right hand corner, click ‘settings’, then click ‘account’ and at the bottom click on the option titled ‘Switch To Professional Account”
At this point you’ll be asked if you want to switch to a ‘Creator’ profile or a ‘Business’ profile. If you sell a product or service, you’ll want to hit business account.
Complete Your Profile
Go through your profile and make it look great for prospective customers! Add a profile picture, a punchy bio telling customers about your business, add a URL to your bio so that people can find out more about you.
Post some content!
Have fun with Instagram, post eye-catching pictures of your products and use relevant hashtags so new people can find all about your business.
What are the benefits of having an Instagram Business Account?
Having a dedicated business profile gives you access to a number of features that aren’t available on a personal Instagram profile. Some great ones are
Auto Scheduling Posts
A huge time saving benefit if you’re working with lots of posts over the course of the week. Simply spend an hour getting everything in order and let Instagram do the posting for you. It’s really handy in executing your marketing strategy without being glued to the app 24/7.
Analytics
With a business profile, you’ll gain access to insights about the followers you have,. You can see breakdowns by demographic and see what content is performing best on your profile. This is excellent for tweaking your marketing strategy over time.
Ad Manager
One of the most useful features of an Instagram business account is the ability to set up ads. You’ll be able to promote posts based on what audience you think will find the content engaging. You can even work with influencers by directly promoting their branded content. To get more in depth though, you’ll want to have a Facebook business account linked so you can use Facebook’s more feature-rich ad manager.
Action Buttons
With a business account you can add action buttons to your profile such as ‘Book An Appointment’, ‘Make A Reservation’ or ‘Browse Our Shop’. This is great for directing your customers exactly where you want them to go without relying on small, hard to find links.
Getting started with Instagram can be hugely beneficial for your business. If you want to chat to a social media marketing expert, speak to a member of our team now.