If you still haven’t made the switch to an Instagram business profile, now is the time.
An Instagram business profile gives you access to more Instagram features - and it's easy for anyone to convert their personal profile to an Instagram business profile (even if you're not actually a business).
Plus, since you can now schedule posts directly to Instagram, if you switch to an Instagram business profile you can save hours on your Instagram marketing, every single week.
But that's not all - below is a listing of all the awesome features you'll get by switching to an Instagram business profile:
1. Schedule Instagram Posts with an Instagram Business Profile
As noted, Instagram recently announced major changes to their API - and for the first time ever Instagram now allows you to schedule Instagram posts.
Previously, when you wanted to “schedule” your Instagram updates, you would receive a notification or reminder when it was time to post, with your caption and photo. Now, Instagram's made the process a lot easier by allowing you to schedule posts which automatically publish to the platform - which means no more reminders, alarms, or push notifications needed.
But here’s the catch - auto publishing to Instagram is only available to Instagram business profiles.
Luckily, making the switch to an Instagram business profile is easy. Once you’ve connected your Instagram account to a Facebook Page, you’ll be a few clicks away from scheduling your posts to publish automatically.
Unlike on Facebook, you aren’t able to schedule Instagram posts natively within the Instagram app, so you’ll need to use an Instagram scheduler like Later instead.
Now, you don’t have to interrupt your busy workday or stop what you’re doing just to post to Instagram, which is an excellent reason why you should switch to an Instagram business profile now.
2. Instagram Business Profiles Can Track Performance with Instagram Insights
Taking on your Instagram marketing efforts with a better understanding of what’s working (and what isn’t) will help you come up with a fine-tuned strategy, saving you lots of time and effort.
Instagram business profiles also give you access to Instagram’s built-in analytics tool, Instagram Insights, which provides detailed information about who your followers are, when they’re most active, and more.
Some of the most common performance metrics you can use for measuring the impact of your Instagram marketing efforts include:
- Engagement rate: likes, comments, shares
- Brand sentiment: how people are talking about your brand
- Traffic: customers visiting your website
- Sales: conversions and revenues generated
Having a clear view of your analytics will help you measure the impact of your Instagram strategy to see if there’s something you need to do differently - like target a different audience, experiment with new content, or post at different times of the day.
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And with an Instagram business profile, you can also view analytics for your Instagram Stories.
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To see analytics for your Instagram Stories, head to your profile and select the graph icon in the top right corner. When you open your Instagram business profile, impressions, reach and other metrics related to your Instagram Stories will be included in your insights.
Having access to analytics with an Instagram business profile is key to understanding your audience, optimizing your content, and evaluating your overall presence.
3. Instagram Business Profiles Can Share Links in Instagram Stories
Last year, Instagram gave us the ability to add links to Instagram Stories, which is great news for retail brands and publishers. Suddenly, they were able to find creative ways to actually drive traffic and sales through Instagram Stories.
Instagram now lets all users with an Instagram business profile and 10,000 or more followers add links to Instagram Stories. Previously, this feature was only available to verified Instagram accounts.
Adding a link to your Instagram Stories is a great way to drive traffic or sales to your website, online store, or blog.
Note: Simply adding a link into your Instagram Stories isn’t going to entice your audience to click it. Make sure you tell them exactly what you want them to do:
4. Instagram Business Profiles Can Grow Their Reach with Promoted Posts & Instagram Ads
As you’ve probably already noticed, ads have become a big part of your feed as Instagram becomes more and more of a “pay to play” platform. An Instagram business profile gives you access to promoted posts and Instagram ads, providing you with tools to grow your reach and engagement.
Instagram ads use the same powerful advertising tools as Facebook, so you can set up, run, and track campaigns the same way you do with Facebook ads.
According to a recent report, 75% of Instagram users take action, such as visiting a website or making a purchase, after looking at Instagram ads. If you haven’t already gotten started with ads, it's definitely worth considering adding them to your Instagram marketing strategy this year.
This year, it will become a lot harder to achieve high engagement without any paid support or strategy. If you want to stay ahead of the game, now's the time to really start learning how to optimize your Instagram marketing with paid advertising.
5. Make Money with Instagram Shoppable Posts
Instagram has also now launched Shoppable Posts, which makes it easy to tag and shop products directly from your organic Instagram posts.
But as with ads, shoppable posts are only available to users with an Instagram business profile - so if you’re looking to drive more sales online, it’s definitely time to make the switch.
With shopping on Instagram, you can choose photos you'd like to feature, tag up to five products per image, or up to twenty products per carousel, add filters or captions and you're done. When tagged products are tapped in a post, Instagram users will see more information including product details, pricing and links to the brands’ websites where they can complete their purchase.
In addition to tagged product posts appearing in your followers feeds, Instagram users can also browse the “shop” feed right from your Instagram profile:
Now, businesses can easily connect their audiences with their products and services, ultimately streamlining the Instagram buying journey.
6. Grow Your Overall Engagement by Using All of Instagram’s Features
Switching to an Instagram business profile will also unlock more features which you can use to boost your overall Instagram engagement.
Instagram continues to roll out new features every few months, giving users fun new ways to connect with their audiences. By utilizing these new tools, you can grow your engagement and help make sure your posts are seen.
By switching to an Instagram business profile, you’ll be sure to have access to the latest and greatest Instagram has to offer. Make sure to always keep an eye out for updates and always experiment with new features. Not only will you grow your reach, but it will also keep you one step ahead of the trends and competition.
How to Set Up An Instagram Business Profile
Ready to make the switch? Setting up an Instagram business profile is easy!
Here’s how to do it:
- Go to your profile and tap the “gear” icon
- Tap “Switch to Business Profile”
- Select the Facebook Page that you’d like to connect to your Instagram business profile. If you don’t see your business’ Facebook Page as an option, make sure that you’re listed as an admin in the settings menu. Once the correct Facebook Page appears, select it and tap “Next.”
- On the “Set Up Your Business Profile” page, review your business’s contact information, including your phone number, physical address, and email. Once everything looks good, tap “Done” to save your Instagram business profile settings.
Don’t miss out on an opportunity to optimize your Instagram marketing strategy. With all the new updates and feature launches this year, now's the time to switch to an Instagram business profile.
