How to show the world the that you mean business as a social media influencer? Simple! Get a business account. This feature is available on most of the social media platforms. The earliest appearance of this feature can be seen in Facebook when it let small businesses utilize the platform to generate revenue. And now same with Instagram. Any and every business on Instagram must have an Instagram business account.

What is an Instagram business account?

Namely there are three types of Instagram accounts- Instagram personal or individual account, Instagram creator account, and Instagram business account. It is exactly as it sounds. An Instagram business account or as Instagram business profile is a designated account type on this social media platform that caters to brands and businesses of all niche and size.

Instagram creator’s account vs Instagram business account

We all are familiar with the first type of Instagram profile i.e the Instagram personal profile but what’s the difference between the Instagram creator profile and the Instagram business profile?

It could be said that the difference is on a miniscule level but it is so significant that they stand out. For influencers, there are multiple benefits of having an Instagram creator account as it helps them set their identity and get relevant reporting on their content’s performance. One of the top things that you should do to become an influencer on Instagram is to switch to an Instagram creator account.

Coming back to the Instagram business profile, it is ideal for small businesses on Instagram to switch to this account type because they got necessary and quantitative analytical report. For a brand just starting out on Instagram this data can be of utmost importance. Even if you are not doing any influencer outreach or collaboration, you must have an Instagram business account. However, these are not the only benefits of having an Instagram business profile. Furthermore, it is equally beneficial for small businesses as it is for the bigger ones.

But before we dive into exploring these benefits, let’s understand how to switch to a business account on Instagram from a personal account.

Set up your Instagram business account using the following steps:

1. Go to your profile and tap  in the top right-hand corner.
3. Tap Settings.
4. For some accounts, the Switch to professional account option will be listed directly under Settings.
5. Tap Account.
6. Tap Switch to professional account.
7. Tap Continue.
8. Select a category for your business and tap Done.
9. Tap OK to confirm.
10. Tap Business.
11. Tap Next.
12. Add contact details and tap Next. Or tap Don’t use my contact info to skip this step.
13. If you’d like, you can follow the steps to connect your business account to a Facebook Page associated with your business. This step is optional, and will make it easier to use all of the features available for businesses across the Facebook family of apps. At this time, only one Facebook Page can be connected to your business account.
14. Tap X in the top-right corner to return to your profile.

Here are top 5 reasons for businesses to switch to a business account on Instagram:

1. Instagram Insight

We have emphasized enough on this one benefit which also happens to be the top benefit of Instagram i.e. it’s insights. The analytical report is meticulous an can drive your content marketing and influencer marketing. But what all is included in the analytical report of the Instagram business profile? It covers the following aspects:

a. Accounts reached

b. Accounts engaged

c. Reached audience

d. Demographics

e. Content interactions

Furthermore it gives you insights into the number of content shared and how many accounts that interacted with you are your followers.

2. Run Facebook ads

First things first, connect your Instagram to your Facebook account if you haven’t yet. This is a feature available for all types of Instagram profiles but in the case of the business account you will have to create a Facebook page if you don’t have one. You cannot link your Facebook profile to your Instagram business account. You need a Facebook business page to connect it to your Instagram business profile. Now, why should you connect it?

As a business on social media, you want to make sure that you utilize your Instagram as well as your Facebook audience. So instead of posting the same thing twice or even running one same ad separately on these two platforms, if you have linked them, you can do it from Instagram itself. When you run influencer marketing campaigns, you can utilize the Instagram content created by the creators for your Facebook page as well.

3. Get your niche tag on your profile

What difference does it make if it signifies you business industry on you Instagram profile in your bio? It adds to your brand persona. It is one of the most basic aspects that make a huge difference in creating brand recall value. Instagram business account has kept on increasing the categories on the platform to keep up with the diverse business niches on Instagram.

4. Automated posting

With a personal Instagram account you cannot automate your posts. Technically, you cannot do that with an Instagram business account either. But…you can use influencer marketing tools or third-party tools to automate your posting. Since, you can get automated posting feature with a third party app on a business account only, it’s best to switch from a personal profile.

5. Instagram shop

Did you realize we are transitioning from e-commerce to social commerce? If not that, we can certainly witness the coexistence of these two platforms. Social commerce is the attempt of social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest to give the businesses to set a shop on their profile itself. This feature enhances the user experience by multifold as everything from browsing products to checkout can be done on the social media platform alone. With an Instagram business account you can set up an Instagram shop and offer an exclusive experience to your buyers or followers.

These 5 features of Instagram business accounts are the reasons why you should make the switch. Your entire Instagram account including your bio and content makes up for the modern day version of catalogues and business cards. So it’s best to keep it very business-like using the business account on Instagram.