Top 4 Must-Do Steps of Instagram Setup

If you’ve skipped any of these steps while setting up your Instagram account, not to worry – you’re not alone. Many of us skip the profile setup in their eagerness to go live.  We come up with a username and gloss over the rest. It’s understandable. I know the feeling!  But your profile is the first thing people see when they pop onto your account. It’s what tells them who you are and what you do, so it’s more important than it seems. The good news is that your profile can and should change and evolve. So even if you’ve posted 1,000 pics it’s not too late to update and refresh. Let’s go over the basics:

1. Account Name – Your account name should be as close to your actual business name as possible. It’s not always possible to have your exact name — as many boutiques have the same name,— but there are some clever fixes. You can add “the” to the beginning, add an underscore between words (@nina_perez), or add the state or city at the end (@ninaperezCA or @nina_perez_CA). If it’s not possible to have your proper biz name you do have another shot at displaying the correct business name in Profile settings under “Name”. You can change your username anytime but I don’t suggest it. You can lose searchability that way. Create one you love and stick with it.
2. Business Account – Make sure your Instagram account is a business account. You can turn your Instagram account into a business account in Settings. Here’s how:
   

   

   

   

   

   This is important for two reasons:

   • To view the insights on your posts. The insights are super useful to see what your audience responds to so you can do more of those types of posts. To view the insights go to “View insights” underneath the post.  Scroll down further and it will show you what each of those insights mean. When you make your account a biz account, Instagram will want to link it to a business Facebook page. If you don’t have one then pop onto FB and add a business page to your account so you can link it. It’s never a bad idea to be wherever your customers are!
     

     

     

   • As a business account you can add contact info. When your customer sees something she can’t live without, she’ll want to reach you ASAP! You can also automatically share posts to Facebook when posting on Instagram.

3. Fun Bio – Your bio is the first thing a potential follower/customer sees. A clever bio tells them exactly who you are, what you do, and in some cases, where you do it. Give your bio some personality that aligns with your brand. That could include the use of emojis, a unique hashtag for your followers to use, or something personal and quirky about you or your business. And don’t forget to include a stellar bio picture! Your bio photos (and all your photos for that matter) should be high quality, clear, and eye catching. Other notable items for your bio: a bright or high contrast background which is fun and easy to distinguish, include a CTA (call to action) such as, “Join our community! Link below!” or “Use this hashtag when posting about us” or “Shop here.” Here are three examples of great bios:

   

   

   

    
4. Address – If you’re a brick and mortar (I like to say B&M for short!) store, the actual address of the store is important. A prospective customer visiting your area and searching on Instagram for cool spots to visit would, of course, come across your account, but if it just lists the city and state, you’ve lost a customer. Include your full address so they can easily find you and get directions from the app (another perk of having a biz account). Anything to make it easier for a customer to find you!

Creating a name or a great bio isn’t always easy so don’t be hard on yourself if it doesn’t come right away. Use common sense, these best practices, and have fun with it! Be a little cheeky. Try different things and see what your audience responds to!

Once you’ve updated your profile, take a screenshot and share it in the comments below  or tell us about your top two take-aways from this article. Or both! We’d love to hear what was meaningful for you.