Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms on the planet, with over 18.1% of the global population using Instagram as their primary platform (for context, Twitter has 6.1% of the global population as users, while Tiktok holds 12.8%). As a small business, having an Instagram business page can really help your brand grow while also setting down roots for eventual expansion.
But how do you set up a good Instagram business page? Social media platforms are attractive prospects for brands that don’t have a brick-and-mortar storefront, and so competition can be steep, but with a little tweaking, your Instagram page can become one of your biggest assets in no time.
Here’s how to set up an Instagram business page.
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Step 1: Make an Instagram account.
To start with, you need an Instagram account. This part is easy: simply go onto Instagram and click ‘Sign Up’. You can also sign up with Facebook if you choose to, but we recommend keeping your accounts separate: it’s a little safer than linking all your accounts together.
Make sure to pick a name that really encompasses your brand. Ideally, it should have no additional characters, but if your brand name is something that is very popular, you may need to add hyphens and dots to really emphasise the differences. Alternatively, you can consider buying the name from the original user.
Step 2: Switch your profile to business.
Once you’ve made an account, you need to switch over to a business account. For that, you need to;
- Go to your own Profile.
- Click the burger menu in the top right corner.
- Tap ‘Settings’.
- Tap ‘Account’ and scroll down to the bottom.
- There is an option to ‘Switch to professional account’. Tap that one.
- Pick a category for your business.
- Tap okay.
Step 3: Refining your business account.
Technically, that’s the final step for your business account. However, there’s more you can do to refine Instagram as your business platform. Here’s what we recommend.
- Add your location, address, and type of business to your profile. This shouldn’t take up any extra space from your bio.
- Schedule a few posts to make sure that your switchover doesn’t leave you without content.
- Add Quick Replies – these are automated responses to popular queries that makes sure your potential customers don’t spend ages waiting for an answer from you. These can be added underneath the ‘Business’ heading in your ‘Settings’ menu.
Why should I switch to an Instagram business account?
If you’re running a business on social media, you need to know what kind of people are most interested in your content. That means analysing the engagement you get on your page, whether it was a personal page that you turned into a business account or a brand new account that became your business account.
Instagram’s business account gives you valuable insights and very detailed analytics about your business. It allows you to track post performance, gives you additional information about your profile, and gives you the option to learn about your fans. You can also sell your products directly on Instagram, something that can really personalise your brand’s customer journey.
You can also run ad campaigns for greater reach. Instagram ads can expose your brand to new followers and potential consumers through excellent targeting capabilities, and so show you which of your content is performing the best.
An Instagram business account is not going to run itself, so you do need to put time and effort into running your page smoothly (more on that here) – however, it’s a very good way to start broadcasting your business’ potential on social media and a way of building stronger audience connections online.
