Content pillars are 3-5 topics your brand will discuss and create content for on a regular basis. 

Rather than posting sporadically about random subjects, your audience will come to know exactly what to expect from you. 

Essentially, content pillars help you get clarity on your niche, tell your story, and make planning your content in advance easier. 

Content pillars should be specific to your brand (and its story), but can encompass multiple themes. 

For example, Ciara Johnson’s content pillars easily stand out as city recommendations, solo travel tips, and the realities of being a blogger:

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And clothing brand MARY YOUNG frequently post about their products, mental health, and self-love:

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A post shared by Later: Visual Social Marketing (@latermedia)

Positioning yourself as an expert in your given niche will help differentiate you from those in your industry, build credibility, and help keep your posts on Instagram streamlined. 

For more help identifying your content pillars, read this blog post (which includes a free workshop!): How to Use Content Pillars for Your Social Media Strategy.

Okay, you’ve established your identity and content pillars, and optimized your bio – now it’s time to think about what your content will actually look like.

PicMonkey’s Sr. Social Media Manager, Fabiola Millican explains “Instagram is one of my favorite channels. You’ve got carousels, Stories, Instagram Reels – there are so many ways to reach people.” 

This is where being visually consistent with your design is important. Branding on your Instagram should be recognizable regardless of whether you show up on the Reels feed or the Explore page.

Beauty brand Apostrophe usually features shades of yellow or teal on their feed, while Wealthsimple is known for their signature “Money Diaries” illustrations: 

You’ll want to keep a few key design elements in mind when you brand yourself on Instagram:

• Your logo

• A color palette (we recommend creating a mood board that you can reference)

• Any photo or editing filters (use the same or complementary filters)

• Emojis that you’ll frequently use in captions 

• Text you’ll use on Instagram Stories (either use your own branded font or an Instagram Story font that’s customized with your brand colors) 

And there you have it: four tips for branding yourself on Instagram! 

With these in mind, you can tell your story, attract new followers, and grow your brand. So what are you waiting for? Go get them, Simba.

To learn even more about branding yourself on social media, watch Fabiola’s 5-minute tutorial on repurposing content below:

How to Set Up an Instagram Business Profile

When Instagram first launched, personal and businesses had a single Instagram profile format. There were no bells and whistles, just a basic bio and your Instagram feed.

Social media really does change quickly, because in 2016, Instagram introduced business profiles. And since then, the new profile has introduced a new way of social marketing.

And the benefits of Instagram business profiles have been significant.

Since the start of business profiles, contact buttons were born, Instagram shopping became more prominent, the platform launched its own analytics. And now everyone, from corporations to startups to influencers, has an Instagram business profile.

By the end of this article, you’ll understand why you should consider an Instagram business profile and how to set up one up.   Let’s get started!

Learn how to develop and implement your Instagram marketing strategy today.

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Why create an Instagram business profile?

If you’re a brand looking to create a following on Instagram and use the platform strategically, you need an Instagram business profile. That’s because there are features to a business profile that that improve usability as a brand.

Let’s dive into a few of the biggest benefits of using an Instagram business profile versus a basic personal profile.

1. You’re taken more seriously

Take a look at the differences between the two Instagram profiles below. You’ll probably notice a few of key differences.

Ignoring that fact that our Sprout Social business profile has Story Highlights and my personal profile doesn’t (that feature is available on all profiles), what Instagram business profiles have that personal profiles don’t include:

• An industry/niche
• An address
• A contact button right on the profile.

Having more information and a quick contact button gives your business profile a more professional look. And it offers even more ways for your audience to get in touch with you.

Because the differences between the two types are so obvious, Instagram users can automatically tell when a profile is for a business or content creator, and it provides a greater sense of trust.

Another way to build trust is to post and engage consistently on Instagram. But publishing content and engaging with your audience are just two parts of an Instagram marketing strategy. Download our comprehensive guide to learn how to reach your goals on Instagram.

2. You get access to analytics

This is a big one. Switching to an Instagram business account gives you the ability to access built-in insights about your account and its performance.

You’re able to take a look at your post performance, follower activity and audience insights. While this information isn’t extremely in-depth, it’s a great glance at your account success and can give you a basic understanding of how well your content is doing.

And for more details on your analytics, you can always take advantage of Sprout Social‘s analytics options.

3. You can add links to your Instagram Stories

Instagram is infamous for its inability to link directly to blog posts and landing pages from your posts, hence the popularity of “link in bio” and tools designed to collect all your recent or important links on one Instagram-accessible page. However, accounts that have more than 10,000 followers gain access to swipe up links within Instagram Stories, but only if that account is an Instagram business profile.

While it might take awhile to get your Instagram account to 10,000 followers, if you create a successful Instagram strategy, you’ll be linking content in your Stories in no time. Using Story links is a great way to highlight your latest content, highlight short-term deals or resurface timely content and products based on what’s trending.

4. You can take advantage of Instagram advertising

Instagram ads and promoted posts are created through Facebook’s ads manager, which means you must have an Instagram business profile that is attached to your Facebook Page to be able to create Instagram ad campaigns.

To help generate leads, increase conversions and get to that 10,000 follower threshold more quickly, your brand should be taking advantage of Instagram advertising. If you’re struggling to increase your reach and overcome some of the challenges brands face from the Instagram algorithm, paid ads can help you target key audiences.

5. You can schedule your posts ahead of time

Another major Instagram update that’s now a few years old, but had significant value for marketers was the ability for users to automatically schedule their posts instead of having to just schedule a reminder to manually post content.

However, the ability to use a third party tool like Sprout Social to schedule your content ahead of time is only available with Instagram business profiles.

So if you want to make your social media management easier, do yourself (and your marketing team as a whole) a favor and switch to an Instagram business account. With a tool like Sprout, you’ll be able to get a more complete picture of your upcoming content calendar and it will be easier for everyone who contributes to this content to collaborate.

6. You can tag products in your posts

Finally, another great perk that’s only available to business accounts is the ability to turn your feed into an online shop.

Tagging products and turning photos into shoppable posts is a great way to open an entirely new revenue stream for your brand, but you have to switch to or set up your profile as a business account first. Considering that 46% of users make a purchase after seeing a product on Instagram, and even more do further research on that product after viewing, it makes sense to facilitate this type of browsing as much as possible.

How to switch to an Instagram business account

Now that you know the benefits, are you ready to switch your account over to an Instagram business profile? Let’s walk you through the process so you can start taking advantage of these great perks.

Step 1: Go to your Instagram account settings

Go to your profile, then tap the hamburger menu in the top right corner of the app. Tap Settings and then tap Account to get started.

Step 2: Switch to Instagram professional account

Once in the account settings, you’ll see a blue call-to-action at the bottom of the page for you to Switch to Professional Account.

Tap that to move forward with your big switch.

Step 3: Choose a Business account

Selecting Business will allow you to start gathering impressions, reach, and video views within your reporting insights, as well as schedule content ahead of time using third party tools like Sprout Social.

Instagram recently rolled out a new type of business account – an Instagram creator account. These are more specifically for influencers, public figures or other types of content producers, whereas a business account is better for brands and businesses that sell a product or service.

This is a part of Instagram’s effort to further separate influencers and businesses, making it more obvious for its users when a partnership is an influencer promotion rather than an ad.

The tools surrounding a creator account are slightly different from those accessible in a Business account, but they were created with influencer marketing in mind. There are also more features surrounding messaging and profile flexibility.

The core business profile features are still available, including shoppable posts. This means influencers will be able to tag the products they’re recommending directly within their Instagram posts, offering even more streamlined shopping for all parties involved.

If you plan to partner with businesses as an influencer, you’ll want to create an Instagram creator account. If not, including if you plan to partner with influencers to promote your products or services, you’ll want to create an Instagram business account.

Step 4: Connect your Facebook Page

If you’re moving forward in creating or switching to a business profile, your next step is to connect your Facebook Page. You must have admin access to your business Facebook Page to take this action.

Once you confirm which Facebook Page you want to connect, your business profile is ready to go!

If you’re switching to a creator profile, all you need to do is select a category for the type of creator you are.

How to switch back to a personal Instagram account

If you decide an Instagram business or creator account isn’t for you, it’s possible (and extremely easy) to revert right back to a personal account.

You can also switch between business and creator accounts to find the one that makes the most sense for your brand.

All you have to do is head right back to your account settings, and this time the blue Switch to Professional Account call-to-action will be replaced with two different options: Switch to Personal Account or Switch to Creator Account.

Start taking advantage of Instagram business profile tools

Ready to ramp up your Instagram marketing strategy? By switching over to an Instagram business profile, you gain access to so many more great brand tools and perks, allowing you to really wow your audience on the platform.

To learn even more about the power of Instagram for your business, check out our guide to organic Instagram strategies that work.

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 make a business account on Instagram: creating and setting up

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For entrepreneurs, brands and companies, Instagram* has a special type of page called a business account. I will tell you what an Instagram business account is, why you need it and how to create one.

You can skip the equipment and go directly to the instructions.

A business account is a professional account for users who want to promote their products or services. A profile for business differs from a regular account in an expanded set of tools for working with content and additional functionality for registering an account.

There are currently two types of business accounts on Instagram*:

• Author. This option is for bloggers.
• Company. The account is suitable for companies and entrepreneurs.

At the time of launch, "Author" differed in functionality and statistics. Now the functions of "Author" and "Company" are almost the same.

In addition, during the process of creating a business account, the user will be prompted to select a category. At the moment there are about 1000 different categories. Example:

• Artist.
• Fitness coach.
• Athlete.
• Author.
• Musician/group.
• Blogger.
• Designer.
• Tutor/teacher.
• Politician.
• Digital publisher.
• Editor.
• Director.
• Entrepreneur.
• Model.
• Public figure.

The selected category or subcategory allows you to more accurately reflect the direction of the user's activity. But you can change the category at any time or completely prohibit its display in the profile.

In fact, the type of business account and category do not play a special role. Such segmentation is needed to structure all business pages and select the right audience. For example, for users who are interested in fashion, Instagram is more likely to show content from a stylist rather than a restaurateur in the Recommended tab.

Business accounts on Instagram* were created to highlight the pages of brands, companies and entrepreneurs and provide them with conditions for active promotion.

Business account allows users to increase brand or product awareness, increase audience coverage and sales, attract customers through marketing activities.

Sometimes completely unexpected brands are promoted on Instagram — for example, here is the profile of the Saratov Concrete Mix Plant

The Magnit chain of stores is also active on Instagram

Extended description. On the profile page, you can specify the line of business, address and contact details, link to the site, description. You can add eternal stories that tell about the product, methods of purchase, terms of cooperation, customer reviews. As a result, the visitor can immediately understand what kind of page it is and why it might be interesting.

Convenient communication with the audience. The owner of a business account can add "Call", "Contact", "How to get" buttons to his page. Thanks to this, users can find out the contact details of the company and contact it to make a purchase or ask questions.

Advertising and promotion. You can run targeted ads with custom creatives or promote your featured posts. Moreover, you can run ads both from the Instagram* mobile application and from the Facebook* advertising account.

Statistics analysis. The study of statistics helps to analyze the effectiveness of content, identify errors and develop the right promotion strategy.

There are other equally interesting features available to business account holders. For example, you can create branded content in collaboration with a brand or author. You can create a store and tag products with the Instagram* Shopping tag. You can set up saved answers to frequently asked questions and reply to messages instantly.

There are two ways to create a business account on Instagram: register a new account with the "business" status or switch your personal account. Let's consider both methods.

If you already have a personal Instagram account, then go directly to "Edit Profile" - here is the required instruction.

Now to the instructions on how to create an Instagram* business account from scratch.

Open the main page of Instagram. To enter the platform, you can use one of three options: "Login with Facebook *", "Register" or install the application and register on a mobile device. The Instagram* app can be downloaded from the Google Play Store, the App Store, or the Windows Phone Store. When logging in via Facebook*, you need to log in with your username and password. The principle of registration on the web page and in the mobile application is similar. Select "Register" and move on.

Enter your details in the registration form: phone number, first name and last name. Create a username and password. Click Next. Now you will be prompted to indicate the date of birth, confirm the phone number. We perform these steps - your personal account is registered.

On the recommendations page that opens, click on the avatar icon. Here you can go to the profile and further to its settings.

On the profile page, go to the Edit Profile section.

In this section, you can change or supplement information: add information about yourself, specify the website address and email, change the username. But since we want to change the type of account, we click on "Switch to a professional account" on the left side of the page.

Immediately after the click, a page with the benefits of a professional account will open. Click "Next" and proceed to choose the category that best describes your activity. If you want the category to be displayed in your account, check the corresponding box.

Now you have to choose the type of account - "Author" or "Company". There is no particular difference in terms of promotion and functionality. Choose the type that best suits your positioning.

Check or complete contact information.

Your business account is almost ready. Read the platform recommendations, click "Finish".

Account registration and transition to a business profile completed.

Your blank business account on your mobile device will look like this:

You can now edit your profile. Add a photo and description of your product or service. Create eternal Stories with a list of assortment and terms of cooperation, make the first publications and more. View statistics on account reach and content engagement.

However, in order to fully access the business account functionality and use the promotional features, you need to connect the Facebook page*.

Only a Facebook* business page can be linked to an Instagram* business account. So, start by creating a Facebook business page if you don't already have one. Then you can go directly to the connection.

To connect a Facebook* page to an Instagram* business account from a computer:

1.Go to "Settings" of the company's Facebook page*.

2.Select the Instagram* tab from the list on the left.

3. Next, you will be prompted to select the desired account. Log in to your Instagram business account* and refresh the web page. If successful, you will see that the Instagram account is connected.

In the mobile app, you can link your Facebook* business page as soon as you switch to a professional Instagram* account. If there is no business page, you can create it.

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