Switching your Instagram profile from personal to business is pretty straight-forward, and absolutely necessary. This 3-step guide will lead you through everything you need to know to get yours set up.
Why do I need an business profile on Instagram?
There are some clear benefits to switching from personal to Business on Instagram.
- You get access to Insights data which shows you who your audience are and how they interact with your content
- You can add contact and location information to your profile that help people to find you
- You can run promotions direct from your Instagram account, without having to use Facebook Ad manager.
Each of these elements is essential to running a successful Instagram account for your business and each one is only available in an Instagram Business profile.
Step 1 – Select ‘Switch to business profile’ in your settings
To access your settings menu, go to your own profile, and click the 3 bar menu in the top right hand corner. A little bar will pop out over a section of your screen, with a ‘Settings’ button right down at the bottom.
Scroll down this menu until you see ‘Switch to business account’. If you’re starting from scratch, using the link to ‘Sign up for a business profile’ to create a separate profile from your personal account.
Step 2 – Enter a business category and contact details
First you need to choose a top level category – probably ‘Local business’. Then choose from the second drop down menu to find a more specific business type to suit what you do. I chose ‘Business service’ but there are lots of other options.
The next screen asks you for your email address, phone number and business address. Adding these details here means people can email, call and get directions to your business. If you work from home, you don’t need to put your full address, you can just include your area, and the first part of your postcode. Although you’re not expecting people to drop by and see you, they may like to know if you’re near to them.
Step 3 – Connect to your Instagram to your business’s Facebook Page
The last thing you’re asked for is to connect to your Facebook Page. If you’re signed in to the Facebook app on your phone, it should pull across the information there and give a list of Pages. You need to be an Admin user of the page you want to connect, so if you’re not, you can choose ‘Don’t connect to Facebook’ and add the right page later on.
If you don’t have a Facebook Page at all, you can also choose to have one set up along with your Instagram. It will have the same name as your Instagram account, if its available, and it can just sit there in the background if you’re not ready yet to start using it. Remember, just because you then have a Facebook Page, doesn’t mean you’re required to start posting content right away. It can sit dormant for a few months whilst you focus on your Instagram page and growing your following there. Be strategic in your choice of platforms and how you spend your time, if you want to see the biggest return on investment.
Your Instagram Business Profile is now ready
That’s it! As you’ve seen, it’s quite a straightforward process to follow, and once you’re set up you can go back and change details like your address and your bio, so that your Profile page looks exactly how you want it. Make sure you get to grips with Instagram’s insights, where you can see who your followers are and how they’re interacting with your content.
