Top Tips For Setting Up And Optimizing Your Instagram Business Profile

Social media marketing is one of the best ways for you to market your business, as well as engage and connect with clients and potential clients. If you don’t yet have an Instagram account for your business, you might want to consider it. As a small business owner, you will want to “hang out” online where your ideal clients hang out. If you are a health and wellness provider, Instagram is most likely where your ideal clients are. If you set up and optimize your Instagram business profile in a way that makes you stand out from the rest, you may see an incredible increase in potential leads!

Setting Up Your Instagram Business Profile

There are many benefits of using a business profile instead of a personal profile. With a business profile, you will have access to the Instagram Insights feature. You can view the analytics on how well your content is performing for your audience. This is beneficial if you want to improve your content creation plan. You can see which Instagram stories, posts, and promotions get the most views and engagement. The insights feature allows you to see the demographics of your audience. You will be able to see the top cities and countries that have the most active viewers. You can also learn the percentage of Gen Z, Millennials, and Baby Boomers in your list of followers.  

Create a compelling Instagram business profile that will speak to your prospective followers. The goal is to provide quality content that will pique their interest enough to follow you and then engage with them to build authentic relationships. You will build their trust over time, and if they need your services, they will know who to turn to. Keep these tips in mind when setting up your Instagram business profile:

• Keep your user name and display name simple. The user name is called your “handle” and should be easy to spell because this is how people will search for you. If you use your name or business name, you may want to shorten it, especially if it’s difficult to spell. Most health and wellness providers use their name or business name as their display name in their profile.
• Be descriptive. Instagram doesn’t provide much space, so keep this short and to the point in 150 characters or less. A simple blurb about what you do and who you help is enough. Add emojis to grab the client’s eye to a specific call to action link or describe what you do in a few keywords.
• Link your website or landing page with your contact information. If you don’t have a website yet, link your LinkedIn account or your scheduling link. If you have multiple websites or social media links you want to attach, you can use linktree to put all of your links under one bio link. Then send potential clients to your bio link in posts.
• Use a profile photo that works with your brand. You can use your company logo or a professional-looking headshot of yourself. 

Optimizing Your Instagram Business Profile

You already started to optimize your Instagram business profile when you completed the profile setup. Both your profile and your content should include keywords for optimization. Using keywords for Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is what makes your profile and your content searchable so you can get discovered! 

Your content should be authentic and add value to your followers. Instagram content is more visual than written text. Use videos, reels, and beautiful eye-catching pictures that get people to stop scrolling. In addition to SEO-optimized keywords, using relevant hashtags will make you show up in searches. Place ten to thirty hashtags pertinent to your business in the first comment below your post (not your actual post description) for a clean aesthetic look. Although, this “rule” changes often. Instagram prefers hashtag placement in the actual post. Whichever method you prefer, it’s best for your caption copy to be the focus. In the actual post, you should use a call to action to tell the reader what you want them to do. For example, if you are promoting an event or course and you want them to register for it, tell them to click on the link in your bio to register!

Managing Your Instagram Business Profile

Creating consistent quality content can be challenging for busy entrepreneurs. And it doesn’t stop there! Engaging with your followers is all part of the magic. When people take the time to check out your content and like or comment on it, it’s a kind gesture to acknowledge it. Reply to their comment and any direct messages that they send to you. If you see someone consistently liking or commenting on your posts, why not follow them back on their Instagram profile? This is all part of being “social” on social media. It’s also a good idea to direct message them to thank them for supporting your business. Leave it as a simple thank you and maybe ask a question to start the chat. Nobody likes those direct messages that are only trying to sell to them. Keep the messaging friendly with a focus on getting to know them. 

Does this sound like a lot of work to you? For most small business owners, your time is valuable, and you want to focus on doing what you do best. Working with a Virtual Assistant (VA) may be a great fit for you. A VA that offers Social Media Management would be a valuable asset to your business for many reasons. Your VA can set up and optimize your Instagram business profile for you. Do you really have the time to research relevant hashtags and keywords that will grab attention? You most likely don’t have time to post content several times a week and then spend even more time engaging with your followers. When you add up all of the hours each week it will take you to do all of this, you realize it’s a part-time job in itself! Your time is best spent working directly with your clients, not on Instagram and other social media. 

Contact us if you are ready to delegate your social media needs to a Social Media Specialist!