Instagram business account: 4 simple steps to set up + 4 promotion tips

In the internet era, where every second person boldly calls themselves a blogger and practically every manicure master is a business owner in the beauty industry, not developing your Instagram is a crime.

Fortunately, in our time you can sell products and services without leaving home.

For this you need desire, time, and… Instagram.

You can learn about Instagram trends from our video.

As you can see from the infographic, Instagram is certainly not lacking in popularity:

If during the early days of Instagram's development users most often logged in to show themselves off and look at others, now users read articles and essays, learn reviews of products and services, find interesting stores and businesses, study them, and subsequently become clients.

All successful commercial pages have their own secret: visual design, content, an unusual approach, and other tricks that set them apart, but on Instagram they are invariably united by one thing: a business account.

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What a business page on Instagram is, and how it differs from regular accounts

If you are a newcomer to social networks and don't yet sell on Instagram, this chapter is for you.

Let's figure out what a business account is and why it's worth creating one today.

Initially, Instagram was a social network in the format of a photo album of memories; users showed friends and acquaintances their life, travels, food, and sports activities.

But in 2016 the platform's creators presented something new – a business account on Instagram.

At first glance, everything is as before: photos, likes, comments, followers, and follows.

But if you look deeper, it has many differences and new possibilities.

I'll say right away: the creators of Instagram planned to make the social network a selling one, and it was precisely for this purpose that they released the new type of pages.

For clarity, look at my two pages: one is set up as a blogger's business account, the other is personal.

The main difference of a business page is that it cannot be private.

"Want popularity – be in open access," said the creators of Insta and forbade restricting access to your account.

Next – at the top of the page, statistics are visible, namely the number of profile visits over the last 7 days, while on a personal page there is no such information.

Going lower – the description is standard in both options: 150 characters for a short bio and the ability to add one active link.

The most interesting thing is a little lower – the active buttons.

On a personal page there is only one option – "Edit," by clicking which we will be able to change the bio, login, and link.

But in a business account there are as many as three clickable buttons; let's go through them in order.

• "Edit"

In addition to editing the usual and standard information, we are also offered to change the page category, contact methods, and choose what information we will show to all users.

We'll go through the categories in the following chapters, be sure to read them.

If you click on "Contact methods," we will land on the following menu:

Here we can change the information to which this page is linked (there must necessarily be an e-mail and phone number, even if users won't see them).

• "Promotions"

This is a mini-version of the advertising cabinet in Facebook – you choose the publication you want to promote, set up the audience (or trust Instagram's algorithms in selecting the target audience), and set the budget and duration of the advertising.

• "Email"

This button is the same both for the account owner and for the user who has come to it.

Since only an e-mail is specified in my contact methods, when we click on this button, we are automatically redirected to mail to send a letter to the address specified in the profile.

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Figuring out the statistics and types of business pages

Despite the external similarity of standard and business accounts, their main difference is in the statistics.

What we can learn from the statistical data and how to use it correctly, read in this chapter.

Statistics are important in everything that concerns sales, attracting people, and measuring your own success. Instagram is no exception.

If you keep a blog for yourself and your own pleasure, then you can safely disregard the metrics of reach, engagement, and number of followers and, accordingly, run a regular page on Instagram.

But if you want to see your progress and track what is interesting to readers and what is not, you need to switch to a business account and track the statistics.

So, where is this very statistics located and how do you find it?

• Swipe left -≥ "Statistics"

Now in more detail about the section:

1. "Content"

Since I didn't make a single publication over the last week, on the first screen the statistics for posts are unavailable to me.

But for clarity, we click the "All" button and go to the global data on all posts for the past year:

As you can see in the first screenshot, the photo statistics by reach automatically open – from the most popular over the year to the least interesting in users' opinion.

Reach is the actual number of people who saw the post (unique views, that is, even if 10 users click on your photo 100 times, the reach will equal 10, not 100).

By time, you can choose statistics for:

• 7 days;
• 30 days;
• 3 months;
• 6 months;
• 1 year;
• 2 years.

By type of interaction, you can select statistics by the following parameters:

• Engagement

Engagement = (likes+comments+saves) / number of followers.

Engagement on Instagram is not easy to grow.

Alyona Polyukhovych collected 15 working life hacks on how you can grow engagement on Instagram in stories (and not only)

Three methods work even for young accounts!

• Calls

If you specified a phone number in your contact methods, then Instagram will collect statistics on how many times users pressed the "Call" button.

• Clicks to the site

The number of transitions via the active link in the profile.

• Clicks on the "Get directions" button

For accounts that specified an actual address in their contact methods.

• Comments
• "Like" marks
• Reach

Reach = the number of unique users who saw your post.

• Followers

The number of new followers who went from this publication to the profile and subscribed to you.

• Impressions

The number of views of posts (one user = an unlimited number of views)

• Profile visits
• Reposts

Reposts to one's own stories and to private messages in Direct.

• Saved
• Emails

In case you specified an e-mail in your contact methods.

2. The next tab in "Statistics" is "Actions".

Here the information from the previous tab is duplicated, but here it is shown for a certain period rather than selected by posts.

• "Interactions" – the number of actions in your account during each day of the past week.
• "Profile visits" – how many users visited your account over the week.

3. The next tab is "Audience"

Here we see how the number of followers changed over the week and can look at the chart to see on which day of the week users subscribed or unsubscribed.

Based on this information, we can assume when followers are most active and when they are passive.

In my case, the most active day is Monday, when the working week begins.

But I can easily explain such a phenomenon and the discrepancy with the rule "followers are most active on Friday and on weekends, when there is time."

Every Monday I set the mood for the week and add my new useful habit; this evokes interest and a response from people.

It is precisely here that the location is shown – from where people most often view my page.

This indicator is very important for an offline business, for example, stores that are oriented toward local residents.

We can look at which age category's representatives predominate in our profile.

Also shown here is the ratio of men to women and the activity of followers by hours and days.

Now let's talk about the types of business accounts

Truth be told, the type of business account doesn't play a big role. The distribution by profile types is needed in order to:

• structure all business pages;
• show your page to people who are interested in this topic.

For example, there is a certain Katia Ivanova who loves design and is subscribed to 20 accounts in the "Interior design studio" topic.

And you have a business page of your own interior gallery and you publish beautiful photos, having first chosen the right account type.

And there is a very high probability that Instagram will show your business's page specifically in the "Recommended" tab (provided you have active followers and great content).

All available types of business accounts:

As we can see, the choice is small, but you will have to make it.

A few tips on how to choose the account type if a suitable one for you is not on the list:

• Pick the closest category. For example, if you are a poet and want to make posts with your poems (and, for example, illustrations for them). Choose the "Writer" page type; it is closest to your topic and will attract people who love to read prose, and it may very well be that they will be interested in your creations.
• Choose the account type that will bring you people for whom you write and run Instagram. A striking example: you are an activist in your hometown, you attend all socially important events and want to glorify your city (or simply talk about the latest political events). Then boldly choose the "Politician" category. People who are interested in the topic of political battles and the situation in the city as a whole will see your profile and subscribe.
• Don't look for a 100% match. If you are starting your weight-loss journey and keeping a blog about nutrition, workouts, and lifestyle changes, then don't be afraid to choose the "Fitness trainer" category as the type of your business account. You learn from your mistakes how to correctly build a menu and workouts. And, accordingly, people who come to the profile see in you not only a person who is going toward a goal, but also one who backs up their words with actions. Believe me, personal experience is valued much more than having "trainer" or "coach" diplomas, etc.

Recommended reading:

1. 12 Instagram promotion methods: promotion on Instagram
2. What is SMM Promotion? (Full guide)

How to set up a business account: 4 simple steps

Do you still not have a business account because of the conviction that setting it up takes a lot of time and effort?

I want to convince you otherwise – everything is easy and simple.

In this chapter I'll tell you how to switch your page to business without problems.

Setting up a business account on Instagram step by step:

1. We go to our personal profile and click "Edit profile"

2. "Switch to a professional account"

At this stage you can add personal information, but this is not mandatory.

During further setup, you can specify up-to-date information about contact methods.

3. We choose "Business"

After recent updates, Instagram offers a choice of two types of professional accounts: "Creator" and "Business".

There are no cardinal differences in these account types – all the same available functions, the same statistics; the difference is only in the name and self-positioning.

Therefore, I would recommend choosing a creator page only if you are a blogger who earns not from sales, but from advertising other users and pages.

In any other case, choose a business account and don't complicate your life.

4. Next, you need to link Instagram with an existing Facebook page or create a new business page.

If you only have a personal profile on Facebook, boldly click "Create a new Facebook page" and follow the simple instructions.

Come up with a name for the new page and link it to your personal Facebook account, and everything will be pulled into Instagram automatically.

Explanation: a business page on Facebook is needed for setting up advertising on Instagram – there you can target advertising more precisely and specify a target audience that meets your requirements 100%.

Congratulations! Now you are the owner of a business page on Instagram.

Now all the privileges of a professional account are available to you: statistics, advertising, and contact information.

The statistics will connect instantly, but more precise results will be available in a few days.

Pros and cons of a business account

We already know how and why to switch from a regular to a professional account on Instagram.

But is everything so rosy?

Or, despite the many advantages, does a business page have certain downsides?

Let's figure it out.

The main pros of running a business account on Instagram

1. Detailed statistics

The best engine of progress in sales is understanding to whom, when, and what to sell.

It is precisely these questions that Instagram analytics answer.

If you understand the data correctly, you can build content plans based on it and attract even more clients.

2. Brand building

Detailed information about your business, specified in the bio, will allow people to understand what you sell and promote.

And information about the address (if, of course, you specify it) will make it possible to show your page more often in the search results to local residents.

3. Sales

When a person sees a professionally designed account with photos, a filled-out profile header, contact information, and posts, then brand loyalty significantly increases.

Users are more willing to trust the "Medovik" store located at 23 Palatska Street than a honey store that works online 24/7 and replies in Direct without providing any contact information.

The main cons of running a business account on Instagram

1. High "salesiness"

Although in the first part of the chapter I wrote that a business account helps to sell and does so quite successfully, this feature can also play out as a downside.

If the page owner becomes fixated on sales and earnings, then the main goal for which Instagram was created – aesthetics and a "person-to-person" attitude – may disappear.

2. Paid promotion

Followers come to a business page more easily and more willingly than to a personal page, but the feature of such promotion is that it is almost always paid.

Opinion leaders and Instagram's official advertising are effective methods, but not cheap.

And it's up to you alone to decide whether you are ready to pay for the arrival of potential buyers or whether you are comfortable with the existing number of organic followers.

3. Lack of human touch

Very often the owners of a professional account lose individuality and humanity behind the face of the brand. Photos of people (for example, the team behind the account) disappear from the feed, and trust in the brand inexorably falls.

Opportunities for promoting business accounts

Creating a beautiful business profile on Instagram is only half the battle.

No content will be able to sell without advertising.

Which method is the most effective, read in this chapter.

If you have created a professional account and post aesthetic photos to it and write selling posts, I can congratulate you – the start has been made. But this is not enough.

To attract clients to the page, advertising is necessary.

Tips for successful promotion of a business page on Instagram:

1. Don't economize

Without a budget there will be no traffic. The price of a follower has grown noticeably over the last couple of years.

But the quality of the attracted audience has also grown: if before people subscribed to everything in a row, now everyone is so satiated with an incredible amount of information that they subscribe only to those who managed to delight and impress – with prices, content, or positioning.

2. Choose official promotion on Instagram

If you set up targeted advertising competently, the price of a follower will be no higher than $0.01.

The social network is interested in the effectiveness of your campaigns. The more followers come to you, the more likely it is that you will order advertising again.

3. Turn to opinion leaders

In addition to paid advertising from Instagram itself, you shouldn't forget about advertising with bloggers.

People trust people, and the probability that the followers of some Masha Petrova will believe her positive emotions from visiting your business profile / a purchase made from you, or a consultation you provided her, is very high.

4. Choose the right ad formats

Here I won't say anything, because everything has already been said in the article "5 Instagram ad formats (choosing the best one)".

Approach the promotion of your brand consciously, and then the results will pleasantly surprise you.

Conclusions

We can unequivocally say that the future belongs to professional accounts on Instagram.

This is not surprising, because their expanded functionality makes it possible to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the chosen page promotion strategy.

However, despite the large number of pros of running a business account, there are certain cons because of which many people are not ready to transform their personal profile.

My opinion: it's definitely worth trying, because you can always get your personal account back, and to gain access to statistics and the advertising cabinet, some time is needed.