How to create a business profile in instagram


How to create an Instagram Business account

2 min

Instagram serves a global community of more than 1 billion people who are active every month. People use Instagram to share moments, find passions, be inspired and take action. Instagram can help businesses of every size find customers and grow. With an Instagram business profile, businesses can promote their products and services to a global audience of people who are most interested in what they do.

Use this training to:

  • Get started with Instagram business tools to reach more people
  • Prepare to create your Instagram business account

Instagram business account features

Instagram business accounts have features and settings that can help your business reach more people, stay connected with them and boost sales.

Note: If you switch to a business account, you will no longer be able to set your account to private. You'll also only be able to share your Instagram posts to the Facebook Page already associated with your Instagram account. However, you can switch back to a personal account at any time.

Let people learn more about your business and contact you easily

When you create a business account, you'll be able to add an address field and contact buttons to your profile. You can include directions, a phone number and an email address, which people on Instagram can use to get in touch with you.

Build and maintain relationships with potential and existing customers

With a business account, you'll have access to a simplified inbox ( Instagram Direct) to manage the messages people send you on Instagram. You can star conversations that you want to come back to, and filter messages from people you want to follow up with. Additionally, you'll be able to create and use templated responses ( quick replies) so you can respond to common questions quickly.

Learn about your followers and the performance of your posts and stories

Get information on who your followers are, when they're online and how they interact with your photos and videos. By understanding when and how people interact with your content, you can increase opportunities for them to see it and take actions. You can also create more of what resonates with them.

Promote your posts

Use the Promote tool to turn your Instagram posts into ads that can help grow your business. When you promote a post, it will appear as a sponsored post in Instagram stories or feed.

Convert your personal Instagram account into a business account

To get started, you'll need to have the Instagram app downloaded on your phone. Visit the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android) to download the app.

To create a business account, you'll need to have an existing personal Instagram account. If you do not already have an Instagram account, you can create one here.

To switch your account to a business account:

  1. Go to your profile and tap the menu icon in the top-right corner.
  2. Tap Settings.
  3. Tap Account.
  4. Tap Switch to business account.
  5. We recommend that you connect your business account to a Facebook Page that is associated with your business. This will make it easier to use all of the features available for businesses. Only one Facebook Page can be connected to your Instagram account.
  6. Add details, such as your business category and contact information.
  7. Tap Done.

Getting started on your Instagram business account

As you set up your free Instagram business account, here are a few things that you can do to make it easier for people to discover your business.

Profile photo

Simplicity works. We recommend using your business's logo or a graphic symbol. Your image will be cropped into a circle and appear as a small 150 x 150 pixel icon.

Account name

Choose an account name, ideally your business name, that's easily tied to your brand. Keep it short. The limit for usernames is 30 characters.

Learn more about account names in our Community Guidelines and Terms of Use.

Bio

Create a short description of your business. You can include relevant hashtags to make your business more discoverable or add emojis to describe it visually.

Website and contact options

Help people get in touch with your business by adding your website, email, phone number and location.

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How To Set Up an Instagram Business Profile + 4 Benefits

Are you wondering how to get an Instagram business profile? We’ve got good news: Anyone who wants one can have one.

An Instagram business profile is a powerful tool in your digital toolbox. After all, Instagram has approximately 1 billion monthly active users — and many of those people happily follow brands.

In this article, we’ll take you through how to set up your business profile, four benefits you’ll get from switching over, and how to delete it if you change your mind. Plus, we’ve included a handy chart to compare business, personal, and creator profiles.

How to set up an Instagram business profile

Why change to an Instagram business profile

Business profile vs. personal Instagram vs. creator profile

How to delete a business profile on Instagram

Bonus: 14 Time-Saving Hacks for Instagram Power Users. Get the list of secret shortcuts Hootsuite’s own social media team uses to create thumb-stopping content.

How to set up an Instagram business profile

“Sure,” you’re thinking, “You claim switching is easy, but how do you get a business profile on Instagram?”

Relax, we’ve got you. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to change your Instagram profile to a business profile.

1. Head to your Instagram profile page and hit the hamburger menu in the top right corner.

2. Tap Settings on the top of the list.

3. Navigate to Account, then scroll to the bottom of the list

4. Tap Switch to professional account

5. Choose Continue and continue through the prompts, beginning with “Get professional tools.”

6. Choose the category that best describes you or your brand and tap Done.

7. Next, you’ll be prompted to answer whether you are a Creator or a Business. Click Business and Next.

8. Review your contact information and decide whether or not you want it displayed on your profile (if you do, make sure to toggle that option). Hit Next.

9. Connect your Facebook Page. If you don’t have one, you can either create a new Facebook Page or navigate to the bottom of the page and click Don’t connect a Facebook page now. It’s totally fine to have a business profile on Instagram without Facebook, and the next step is the same whether you connect to Facebook or not.

10. Next, you will be prompted to set up your professional account. Here, you can browse your new features and tools.

Get Inspired will prompt you to follow other businesses or creators. Grow Your Audience will prompt you to invite friends to follow your account. And Share Content to View Insights will encourage you to post some new content so you can view your insights. Or, if you hit the X in the top right corner, you’ll go straight to your business profile!

11. Choose Complete your profile and fill in any missing information. Be sure to include a URL here so people know where to find your business outside of Instagram. And voila! You officially have a business account on Instagram

If you’re just starting out or simply curious, here’s a step-by-step guide on exactly how to use Instagram to your business advantage.

Why change to an Instagram business profile

With 90% of people on Instagram following a business, using the platform is a no-brainer.

But, if you are on the fence about whether or not an Instagram business account is for you (no judgment), let us change your mind. A business profile on Instagram has benefits that will help you save time and grow your audience.

You can schedule posts

This may be the most important feature because you can save time as an extremely busy content creator, business owner, or marketer. With third-party apps like Hootsuite, you can schedule posts in batches way ahead of schedule. It’s easy to do, and your audience will appreciate the consistency.

Here’s more on using Hootsuite to schedule Instagram posts and reap the benefits.

Instagram insight access

Instagram’s insights may not be a crystal ball, but they are an excellent tool for understanding your followers.

A business profile gives you access to a deep dive into your audience’s profile views, reach and impressions, along with demographic information about them. You can tailor your posts to appeal to specific interests when you know more about the folks that follow you.

If you’re serious about improving your content, you’re not limited to Instagram’s built-in analytics tools. When you use Hootsuite Analytics with your Instagram business profile, you can track Instagram metrics in more detail than the native Instagram Insights.

The Hootsuite Analytics dashboard allows you to:

  • Review data from the distant past
  • Compare metrics over specific time periods to get a historical perspective
  • Find the best posting time based on past engagement, organic reach, and click-through data
  • Generate downloadable custom reports
  • Look at specific post performance using your preferred metrics
  • Rank Instagram comments by sentiment (positive or negative)

Try Hootsuite for free. You can cancel anytime.

Access Instagram Shop features

If your business is in the business of selling products, you’ll want to access the Instagram Shop features.

With Shops, you can upload a product catalog, tag your goods, and (in some cases) even process sales directly in the app.

You can also create collections of goods (like new arrivals or summer fits), shoppable Reels, and set up brand affiliates who can share and sell your products for a commission. And, you have access to Instagram Shop insights.

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A post shared by INDY Sunglasses (@indy_sunglasses)

Here’s more information about how to set up your Instagram shop. Get your product flying off the digital shelves.

Control who promotes your products

If you’re a business account with an Instagram Shop, you can control who tags your products. And, once you’ve given a creator permission to tag your products, they can allow you to promote their organic branded content feed posts as an ad.

Influencer marketing works — people trust other people over brands. So, partnering up with creators who love your products can be a lucrative marketing strategy.

Here’s more on how to maximize your Instagram advertising strategy.

Bonus: 14 Time-Saving Hacks for Instagram Power Users. Get the list of secret shortcuts Hootsuite’s own social media team uses to create thumb-stopping content.

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Business profile vs. personal Instagram vs. creator profile

Here’s that handy chart we promised you! It has all the features of each type of profile at a glance. If you’re looking for more on what creator accounts really look like, head here.

FeatureBusiness profilePersonal profileCreator profile
Private profile capabilities
Insights and growth analytics
Access to creator studio
Sortable inbox
Ability to create quick replies for DMs
Display category in profile
Contact information on profile
Location information on profile
Third-party app integration
Instagram Storefront with shoppable products and Shop insights

How to delete a business profile on Instagram

Knowing how to delete a business profile on Instagram is pretty easy. But first, let’s be very clear on what you mean — because you can’t come back from some of these.

If you just want to delete the “business” part of your profile, you can always change your account back to a personal one. Simply head back to your Settings (using the hamburger menu on your profile). Navigate to Account. Scroll down to Switch account type at the bottom and click Switch to personal account.

If you would like to delete the entire account, remember that your profile, photos, videos, comments, likes and followers will be gone forever. If you’re not quite sure, you can also temporarily deactivate your account. But, if you’re sure-sure, head here to delete your account.

Manage your Instagram Business Profile alongside all your other social media profiles using Hootsuite. From a single dashboard you can create and schedule posts, engage followers, monitor relevant conversations, measure (and improve!) performance, and much more.

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Easily create, analyze, and schedule Instagram posts, Stories, and Reels with Hootsuite. Save time and get results.

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How to create a business account on Instagram: step-by-step instructions - ppc.world

An Instagram business profile opens up additional opportunities for the account owner. Bloggers, as well as those who promote goods or services on social networks, should start a business page. In this article, we will figure out how to properly create a business page on Instagram and why you need it.

Creating a business account on Instagram: who and why

A business account on Instagram is an account that has more features than a regular one. It is more convenient to establish communication with subscribers, track their activity and the effectiveness of posts. Available in this account:

Statistics. The owner gets access to statistics on user actions, the composition of the target audience, the effectiveness of posts in the feed and Stories. In a personal account, you can only see the number of likes and comments on your posts, on the business page you can also track reach, the number of impressions, profile visits, etc.

Communication with subscribers. Subscribers can write an email, message or call to the owner of a business account by clicking on the corresponding button.

Company address. Users can see directly from Instagram how to get to an offline point, open the address on maps and build a route.

Advertising launch. This is one of the most important features for bloggers and business owners. To be able to run ads, you must connect a business profile. There are two ways to advertise:

  1. Via Facebook Ads Manager.

  2. Through the Instagram app itself. To do this, go to the "Promotions" section, click "Create a promotion" and select a publication to promote. You can also select any post from the feed or Stories and click the "Promote" button.

See also:

  • How to set up Instagram ads in three steps - guide

  • Everything you wanted to know about advertising in Instagram Stories

Switching from a personal account to a business page: instructions

Go to the general menu and find the "Settings" section.

You can switch to a business account in the "Account" section. There you will see a "Switch to Professional Account" button.

Next, select the profile type - author or business.

Now, from the proposed categories, choose the one that describes your type of activity as accurately as possible.

Click "Next" and go to the page where you need to specify your email and phone number. Using them, users will be able to contact the account owner.

The information display can be customized. For example, if you don't want to be called on the phone, leave only your email.

The next step is to link to the Facebook page. It is advisable to set up a business page for the company on Facebook in advance and link it to the account, but this is not necessary. You can skip this step by clicking Don't Link to Facebook. If there is no page, but you want to integrate with Facebook, click "Create a new Facebook Page".

Business profile ready. If you want to switch to a personal account, you can do it right here in your account settings. You can also change the account type there. If you set the "Business" parameter, switch to the author's account and vice versa.

Switching to a personal account is also required if you want only subscribers to see your business profile posts. In this case, you return to your personal account, close it and go back to your business profile.

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how to do it (4 steps + instructions)

To make selling on Instagram more convenient and efficient, the social network has introduced a special profile format for companies — a business account. The transition to it is available to absolutely all users. I will walk you through step by step how to connect and configure it - as well as what features it provides and how they help sales.

A business account is a type of Instagram profile created for business promotion and analytics on the social network.

How to connect

If you logged in through a PC, then you need to make just a few clicks to connect a business account. In the settings, find the "Switch to a professional account" item, then select the "Company" sub-item. Follow the prompts: specify the category of your business and set up its display in the profile.

Connecting a business account in a PC browser

How to switch to another category? Easy peasy! To do this, go to your Instagram profile page and click "Edit Profile". In the “Profile Information” section, select “Category” and change it to any other that is relevant to you.

Change the category at any time

Switching to a business account from a smartphone is also easy: select "Account" from the settings menu, scroll to the end of the list that opens and click "Change account type". The further algorithm is the same as on a PC: read the tips, find the appropriate category and confirm your choice.

Setting up from a smartphone

You will also be offered to integrate your Facebook. This can be done immediately, or at any other time. The condition is now optional, but the integration will greatly expand your opportunities for positioning your business on social networks. By the way, on Facebook it should also be not just a personal, but a corporate page.

Completing settings

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Related:
Instagram Design (25 Cool Profiles + Examples) Instagram Photo Editing: Top Applications + Examples

Features

So, you have switched to a commercial profile. And you will definitely want to immediately try out all the new features and chips. Then I will give a brief overview of the settings and advantages that distinguish an Instagram business account.

1. Profile category

Business profile in instagram allows you to display the subject of your page. In addition to the inscriptions “brand” and “personal blog”, which are now quite common, you can put any other profession or topic, for example: musician, politician, clothing store, cafe, bar, etc. This is important because it attracts the attention of your target audience.

Categories

As advertising

2. Communication buttons

For this setting, first fill in the contact details. Add them to the fields: email, phone, address. Then the action buttons will become available, and they are implemented through integration with third-party applications for business. You will be able to place, for example, an online registration form or online payment. It will look like "Call", "Register", "Order delivery", etc.

A business account makes it easier for users to contact you. For example, when you click on the "Call" button, the phone number automatically appears on the mobile dialing screen, that is, you do not need to copy it to the phone's memory, open the desired section, paste it - everything is done in one click.

Communication buttons

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3. Statistics

Various statistics can be viewed for a business profile. So you get the opportunity to track the reaction of subscribers to a particular content, analyze the effectiveness of advertising campaigns, contests, etc.

Statistics exist both for the profile in general and for individual publications and stories. This feature is useful not only for selling accounts, but also for personal brands.

Statistics
Profile statistics

On a business account on Instagram, you need to click on the “Menu” section on the profile page. Then select "Statistics". Switching between tabs here you can see:

  1. The number of visits to the profile, clicks to the site, coverage indicators;
  2. Information about publications for the week;
  3. Subscriber information: number of subscribers/unsubscribers, subscriber locations, gender, age.
Profile stats

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Publication statistics

In addition to general statistics, track reactions to individual publications. To do this, on the profile page, select any photo or video and click "View statistics" under the publication.

The number of likes, comments, uploads and saves of the selected publication will appear in the window. In addition, the total number of actions performed with this post and the number of transitions to the profile are calculated here.

Publication statistics

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Stories statistics

You can access the statistics of stories from the already familiar section “Menu” -> “Statistics” -> “Content”. Next, you need to find the “History” section. From here, the coverage of each story is available. Clicking on any post will open more detailed statistics, where you can even find out exactly who viewed your story.

History statistics

Related:
Business on Instagram: from scratch in 13 stepsInstagram engagement: what it is + how to increase

4. Promotion and targeting

Instagram has its own functionality to promote your publications. It works in such a way that it allows you to show your posts to the target audience, advertise your profile or drive traffic from Instagram to some external resource. This is more effective than simple cheats, although you will need cash investments for this tool.

Promotion

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Related:
Advertising in Instagram stories: step by step instructions How to make a mask on Instagram: simple instructions

5. Shopping Tags

Shopping Tags allow the audience to view your product cards, read the description, find out the price, go directly to the desired section of the online store. This feature has a positive effect on the growth of sales.

Shopping Tags

Interesting. I also recommend using multilink. It will help to create a full-fledged online store, as well as contact you via instant messengers.

6. Physical address

If you sell goods not only online, but also offline, you are probably often asked how to find you in order to buy a service or product. Business accounts allow you to post exact addresses and hours of operation with access to view the address on a map.

Physical address

7. Additional lead magnet

Posting an address may not be relevant to you if, for example, you do not offer your services offline. Then this place can be used to place an additional lead magnet. The address bar allows you to place a fairly large amount of information, which is very useful in cases where a profile description and biography is not enough.

Lead magnet

Briefly about the main thing

A business profile is relevant not only for selling pages or instagram landings: its wide range of features will find its use even if you do not sell anything.

One of the most compelling reasons to switch to a business profile is free access to statistics that will show, for example, which posts turned out to be the most interesting. And finally, I will briefly list the main advantages:

  • Ability to categorize accounts;
  • Access to profile statistics;
  • Convenient communication with users;
  • Ability to run a full-fledged online store;
  • Ability to promote a profile without third-party services.

And one more thing to help you.


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