While you can promote your business on Instagram without a business account, there are several key reasons to make the switch to an Instagram Business Account. Instagram business accounts get in depth statistics on post reach, follower demographics, advertising options, and the best times for posting based on when followers are online, among other useful additions.

Your profile will also be noticeably different to viewers. Including: 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, invokes trust in your company, and offers even more ways for your audience to get in touch with you.

If you have an online shop, you can also tag products in your posts and stories – assuming you have a connectable shop platform (learn more). 

Did you know: Instagram offers three profile types: personal, business, and creator. 

Switching your account – and connecting to Facebook – is very simple and can be done within the Instagram app.

In the Instagram app, go to your profile, and then select the menu in the top right. Select Settings, and then select 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 a Professional 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 and Facebook’s tools.

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 are 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.

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.

You can either connect to an already existing Facebook Page – that is not already connected to an Instagram account – or you can choose to create a new page during this setup process (then you can finalize the new page via Facebook).

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

Some variations you will now see include a “Contact” button which accesses the contact info previously mentioned, the business type you have selected within Facebook, and at the top right next to your settings cog wheel is your access to Insights.

You also now have full and fluid control of your Instagram account, analytics, and posting through Facebook’s tools (i.e. Creator Studio).

• Sign out of ALL accounts in your Instagram app before going through the above steps.
• Only one Instagram profile can be connected to a Facebook Page and vice versa. 
• It is best for the owner of the Instagram account to go through this process, as opposed to a third party or agency who may already have multiple accounts and connections. 
• After you switch and connect your IG profile, any admin, agency, or person granted access to your Facebook page can easily manage your connected IG account via Facebook’s tools (posting, analytics, ads, etc.).

While the process is meant to be easy, we know that sometimes Instagram and Facebook just don’t want to cooperate. If you need help getting any of your accounts created, switched, or connected, reach out to our team today!

You’re now 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 – and Facebook – for your business, reach out to our team today!