So you want to get your business on Instagram but you don’t know where to start.
On this Blog we're going to be showing you how to set up and optimize an Instagram profile for your business in 2024.
Specifically, we will go over opening a business account, choosing the best profile picture and username, crafting a compelling bio, adding your links, and highlights.
Plus, we’ve got a special bonus at the end, so be sure to stick around.
Setting up your business profile page is a very important part of getting your business on Instagram so that you can see tangible results by making a positive first impression and attracting the right type of audience to your page. If you follow along and apply these steps, I promise you that you’re going to transform your Instagram profile into a tool for quality lead generation. So grab a pen and paper, take some notes, and let’s get to it!
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1) Opening an instagram account
The first step to getting your business on instagram is to open an account, so let's open one up. But before opening an Instagram account it's important that you thoroughly know and understand your brand and along with that your mission statement, target demographic, and brand guidelines. If you need help with this, check out our huide on Discovering your Brand Identity.
The first thing you're going to need to decide on is your username.
You can consider this the trademark of your business.
It needs to be memorable, inviting, and totally on-brand.
Imagine your username as a key element on Instagram that distinguishes you for who you are. So it's got to be creative but also very clear. Avoid using overly long names, multiple underscores or periods. Basically, the shorter the better.
Step by Step Guide- Awake Abroad Media on YouTube
2) How to Set Up a business account on Instagram
Instagram offers three profile types: Personal, Business, and Creator. All Instagram accounts start as Personal profiles but you can choose to convert a Personal profile to a Business or Creator profile at any time.
You may be wondering, what's the difference between personal and professional accounts? Well, the differences are quite significant, but can be summarized to what features you have access to.
If you stay with a personal account you won't be able to schedule posts, use Facebook Creator Studio to manage Instagram, or get third-party access to analytics. Additionally, you can't use contact buttons on your profile, gift cards or delivery stickers, or the link sticker.
If you're a business owner, those are big disadvantages. So we are going to go ahead and switch this account to a business account so we have access to all the business features. If you want to learn more about the pros and cons of each account type, check out the link in the description.
How to start a business account on Instagram:
- From your profile tap = in the upper right corner --> Tap Settings and privacy
- Tap Account type and tools --> Switch to professional account --> Continue
- Select Category --> Done --> OK --> Business --> Next
- Add or skip contact details --> follow the prompts to complete process.
3) Choosing the best profile picture
Let's start by getting clear on what makes a good profile picture. Your profile picture isn't just a photo; it's the first visual impression of your business, and it matters.
So, make it count. Choose a picture that clearly represents your business. If you're a company or an agency, you can safely stick to your logo, but for personal brands like momsfitnesscoach we want to make it stand out with personality.
I highly recommend getting a professional headshot taken, otherwise, you can take the best photo you’ve got and enhance it in photoshop or Canva. Make sure you can clearly see your face and bonus points if you're making eye contact.
If possible, include your brand colors in the background or in the clothes you wear. For this example I went ahead and edited our profile picture on canva and this is what we got.
For personal brands, use a headshot. For product brands, use a logo.
4) Crafting an Engaging Bio
Next on our list is our Bio! This is something many businesses overlook so pay close attention. If you’re following us from our last video, you should have an outline of your “i help statement” ready. In this case, since we are opening a page for a fitness coach, our mission statement will be “I help busy moms get fit quicker so they can focus on what matters most. Let's break this down a little...
Busy moms = your target demographic
Get fit quicker = desired result
So they can focus on what matters most = what the result of your work will do for them (your benefit to your customer)
If you need some help, you can use this formula and fill in the blanks:
"I help ________________ that want to/the ______________ so they can __________________."
Here's a bonus tip, if you're a local business and want to focus on serving that specific area you can also include a specific location in your statement.
Just remember to keep it concise, structured, and memorable. Don’t be afraid to infuse your brand personality into it and make it pack a punch! Oh and, if you have an offer, a newsletter, or are launching a new program, definitely add a call-to-action. For our fitness coach example, this can look like “Join my 8-week fat loss program” or “DM me if you’re ready to change your life.” Make sure it's an offer people won't want to miss!
5) Link in bio and Category
Your link in bio is an important part of your buyer's journey that should lead them straight to doing business with you. To you this could mean booking a call, downloading a freebie, purchasing a product, or directing traffic to a specific page.
Our recommendation is to use 1 to 3 links with your main offer or service. So, choose wisely, my friend, and you'll see the traffic roll in.
Now, before we move on, let’s quickly touch on your business category. If you wrote a compelling bio, showing a business category is redundant, and if someone clicks it, Instagram will suggest similar businesses to explore, showing them your competitors. This is just our preference but you can do as you wish.
6) How to use Instagram highlights
Instagram Highlights allow you to save and categorize your Stories on your profile so followers new and old can still view and interact with past Stories well after those first 24 hours expire. This is useful as it’ll help improve your brand story.
When it comes to designing your Instagram highlights, think of them as your mini website or landing page, especially, if you’re a service based business. They provide you the benefit of taking your prospect through their buyer’s journey. So what highlights you should include?
- Your first highlight should be About You - where you share your story about who you are, what you do, and why people should care.
- Your next one should be Your Services - where you proudly tell people about your offer, how you can potentially help them, and how they can work with you.
- And the next one should be some form of Social Proof, either Client Results or Testimonials - where you show how you’ve helped your past clients and how you can do the same for potential clients. Using case studies and adding written context or even a video testimonial is the best way to go about this.
Essentially, you want to make your ideal client feel like it’s a no-brainer to work with you, and that you’re exactly the person or business they’ve been looking for. If you can achieve that, you're serving your audience a curated experience they'll resonate with and go “Where have you been all my life?!”
As time passes and you share instagram stories, you can add Stories to your highlights in their relevant categories.
Bonus: Use keywords in your name to be searchable
And for the promised bonus tip - a small but important part of your overall profile, your name! What most business owners overlook is that your name on Instagram is actually the perfect place to inject important keywords relating to your niche. And that’s because your name is the first thing that comes up in search on Instagram. Keywords are like the breadcrumbs leading interested people straight to your brand's doorstep. Going back to the fitness coach example, you’d want to use something like “LA Fitness Coach | Samantha Smith” so that whenever someone is searching for an LA fitness coach, you’ll be one of the first to come up. Pretty neat, huh?
In conclusion
Alright, so that was a lot. If you’re still with me, and taking notes, I salute you. To summarize, we went over the 7 elements of optimizing your Instagram profile and the steps you can take today to build a solid foundation to set your business page up for success. They may seem like small changes, but I promise you, if you apply them today, you should start getting more of the right leads finding you and inquiring to work with you! It really is as they say - first impressions can make or break your business. Most importantly, you're now ready to start building an instagram content strategy for your business!
Thank you so much for joining us today! If you found this blog helpful, don't forget to give it a thumbs up and share it with your fellow business owners. We'd love to hear your thoughts, so don’t forget to connect with us on instagram for more tips on utilizing social media for your business. All the links are in the description box below. Until next time!
