Instagram has shifted over the past few years from a place to post pictures to share with friends to a full fledged marketing tool. Creating an Instagram Business account allows your business to reach new clients, share information, and interact with your audience. Want to learn more about how to expand your social presence? We’re here to help!
With a business account, you’ll be able to access insights that can help you understand who is engaging with your business on Instagram. You also have access to the Professional Dashboard, where you can track your performance, access and discover professional tools, and explore educational information curated by Instagram.
Before you create your Instagram Business account, there are a few things you’ll want handy:
- A name for your account. Ideally, your business name, not more than 30 characters. It can only contain letters, numbers, periods, and underscores.
- A blurb about your business. This “biography” describes your business on your profile page. It can only be up to 150 characters.
- A profile photo. Your profile photo appears in the newsfeed with your user name, so make sure it’s something recognizable, even when it’s tiny. It can either be your logo or a picture of you.
First, you will need to create a new Instagram account that you will use for your business on the Instagram app or webpage. You will want to use your business name as the @ as well as the account name. If you already have an Instagram account for personal use, you’ll need a different email address for your business account. If you have a business email, you can sign up with that! Once you have the basic account, it’s time to switch your personal account to a business account.
Adding a bio, profile pic, and contact information:
On your browser, in the upper right-hand corner, you’ll see a little gray circle with a silhouette inside. That will take you to your account page, where you can edit your profile, add your bio, add your website, and upload your profile photo.
- Remember: Your profile photo will be cropped into a circle, so make sure what you’ve chosen looks right! If your business has a logo, you can use it here!
- You can then add in your website url so customers can reach your website directly from your page.
- Under the website, you can input a “bio.” This is where the blurb about your business will go. This “biography” describes your business on your profile page. It can only be up to 150 characters.
The next section you will see is your Public Business Information. This is where you can connect to a Facebook page, choose your business category, and enable contact options and action buttons.
- Business Categories: An Instagram business category is the category that a business can list itself as in their Instagram bio. Instagram business categories are important because they help people to find your business. They do this by telling Instagram’s search algorithm to display your business when people search for businesses in your niche and area.
- Contact Options: This is where your business contact information will go. Your contact info makes it easier for people to email, call, or take an action from buttons that appear on your profile. You can display or hide this info at any time.
- Action Buttons: Action buttons connect your profile with online services, such as booking appointments.
Following these steps should set you up for the start of your business page! Check out these Social Media Marketing Tips for Cosmetologists to help you get started!