Personal Vs Professional Instagram
Instagram Business Account vs Personal Account – Meet Edgar
Whether you’re an influencer, e-commerce shop, or small business, social media can help you build brand awareness and generate leads. In particular, Instagram is an excellent platform for visually appealing brands and products.
Instagram business accounts were launched for this reason. An Instagram business account includes advanced features designed to help you understand your customers and bring people to your website.
So, what’s the difference between an Instagram business account vs personal account?
Keep reading to learn:
The difference between an Instagram business and personal account
The main Instagram business account features
How to set up an Instagram business account
What is a Professional Account on Instagram?
An instagram account for business enables brands to track their engagement and interactions. Instagram business profiles offer more analytical tools than a personal account. These tools can help you better understand your customer and improve your business’ reach.
Instagram Business Account vs Personal Account
Compared to personal accounts, business accounts come with two main advantages — lead generation tools and audience insights.
If you’re using Instagram primarily to find inspiration and connect with friends and family, you only need a personal profile.
A basic account lets you post content and view other Instagram profiles. Furthermore, you can set a personal Instagram profile to be a private account, which means only your followers can see your content.
On the other hand, an Instagram business profile is public and anyone on Instagram can see it. This is great news when it comes to reaching new audiences and expanding your brand’s exposure.
Advantages of a Professional Instagram Account
If you’re using Instagram as part of a marketing strategy, then an Instagram business page also offers premium features to help your business grow.
Here are some of the key features that separate an Instagram personal vs business account.
1. Instagram Insights
Analytics tools are an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. If you want to improve your performance on Instagram, you need to be able to measure it.
In addition to contact information, Instagram Insights is one of the main perks of having a business account.
Image Source
Instagram business accounts provide analytics about your posts’ performance and audience. You can view your insights right on the Instagram app (desktop or mobile).
Instagram analytics include metrics such as:
Reach and impressions
Content interactions
Total followers
Audience demographic information
2. Ability To Boost Posts
If you want more engagement with your content, you can boost business posts to increase your reach.
When you boost your post with Instagram ads, you can select a target audience and set a budget.
Instagram then promotes your post and includes the results of your ad spend in your Insights tab.
3. Contact Button and Quick Reply
With an Instagram proffesional account, you can add your contact information to your Instagram profile. Current and potential customers can visit your profile and use this button to reach you.
When you create your ig business account, there’s a “Public Business Information” section that allows you to include a phone number or email address. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can even include your business’s physical address.
If you don’t have the time to answer every single DM, creating a business Instagram gives you the convenient option of setting up quick replies. These are pre-written replies to common questions that you can send to customers. In your account settings, you should see an option for ‘Quick Replies. ’
Your business account also gives you the option to categorize your inbox, which is great for keeping track of your most important leads. You can filter messages between different tabs.
Source: Instagram
4. Instagram Shopping
Instagram also offers online shops and shoppable posts, perfect for e-commerce websites and retailers.
Image Source.
Instagram users with business accounts can activate the Shop tab on their profile and leverage Instagram as a mobile storefront. They can also create shoppable Instagram posts for users to buy products or even save them for later.
5. Auto-Publish Content
One of the other benefits of Instagram business vs personal is that you can schedule content to auto-publish. With a business profile, you can
schedule your posts using Meet Edgar, and they will automatically post at the time you want them to. You just need to connect your Facebook account to get this up and running.
If you are posting for a personal profile, you need to post your content manually. You can schedule it in advance, and the Meet Edgar app will send you a push notification to remind you when it’s time to post.
6. Swipe Up Links On Instagram Stories
Another perk of the business ig account is that you can include links in your Instagram stories. Great news if you want to include visiting your website as your call to action. You need more than 10k followers for this feature to be activated.
Who Needs a Business Instagram Account?
Anyone using an Instagram marketing strategy should consider a business account, even if you’re only trying to improve your organic reach.
In particular, retailers and service providers will benefit from creating an Instagram business account.
Influencers, freelancers, and artists might consider using a Creator account, depending on their needs. Wait, what? There are more types of Instagram accounts?
Instagram Business Account vs. Instagram Creator Account
In addition to personal and business accounts, Instagram has one more profile type — creator. The creator profile falls somewhere between the personal account and the Instagram business profile.
The primary benefits of a creator profile are:
Audience insights (past seven days only)
Streamlined inbox (separate personal from general)
Optional contact information button
Business accounts offer more analytics, but the creator account has more flexible profile options.
You can set up a creator profile to include a contact button and creator type, or you can remove this information so your profile looks like a personal account.
The added flexibility makes the creator account attractive to some influencers and public figures.
Bottom Line
If you’re already using Instagram as part of a monetization strategy, you should use a business profile. However, if you want audience insights without the business contact options, use a creator profile.
How To Create an Instagram Business Account
Want to know how to switch to business account on Instagram? If you already have an Instagram account and want to change it to a business profile, it’s free and easy.
Follow these steps to set up your business account.
Log in to the Instagram app
Select the Main Menu in the top right corner of your profile
Tap Settings
Select Account
Tap Switch to Professional Account
Select Business
(Optional) Connect to your Facebook Business Page
Enter the contact information for your business
Tap Done
But how to change Instagram to business account on desktop? Don’t worry; it’s the same process as above. Just bear in mind that Instagram is a mobile app, so the desktop experience may not be as smooth.
You may be wondering how to get rid of a business account on Instagram. If you decide the business account isn’t working for you and you preferred a personal account, you can always switch back. How to switch to personal account on Instagram? Follow the same process as above except when you click ‘switch account type’ choose ‘personal account. ’
There is also an option to delete your account permanently, should you prefer.
Tips for Creating an Amazing Instagram Business Profile
Changing your account type to a business profile is simple. But creating a compelling business profile requires thought and effort.
Don’t Ignore Your Bio
Your Instagram bio tells users who you are and what your business has to offer. Think about your target audience when crafting your bio. It should be:
Informative
Concise
Written in the style and tone of your brand
Use a High-Quality Profile Image
Like your bio, your profile should represent your brand. Most businesses use their logo or some variation of it. Remember, profile images are small on Instagram. Choose a high-resolution image that allows you to zoom in on your logo without getting blurry.
Create a Style Guide for Your Brand
The best business accounts have a coherent look and feel to the entire profile. Create a style guide for your account so your brand shines through at first glance.
Your brand’s style guide should include:
A color palette
Rules for fonts
Post templates
Post Consistently
You’ll get the most out of your Instagram Insights if you post consistently. Choose a cadence that works for your team and stick to it. If you’re genuinely trying to grow your Instagram presence, we recommend finding a social media scheduling tool to help manage your content calendar.
Final Thoughts: How To Choose the Best Instagram Profile Type for You
With three profile types, Instagram has flexible options for every kind of user. Choosing the right account depends primarily on your Instagram goals.
Instagram business profiles maximize growth potential for businesses, retailers, and service providers. With premium features, you can turn Instagram into a powerhouse marketing channel.
To learn more about social media management software that empowers your digital marketing strategy, explore MeetEdgar’s features today.
Instagram Business Account vs Personal Account – Meet Edgar
Whether you’re an influencer, e-commerce shop, or small business, social media can help you build brand awareness and generate leads. In particular, Instagram is an excellent platform for visually appealing brands and products.
Instagram business accounts were launched for this reason. An Instagram business account includes advanced features designed to help you understand your customers and bring people to your website.
So, what’s the difference between an Instagram business account vs personal account?
Keep reading to learn:
The difference between an Instagram business and personal account
The main Instagram business account features
How to set up an Instagram business account
What is a Professional Account on Instagram?
An instagram account for business enables brands to track their engagement and interactions. Instagram business profiles offer more analytical tools than a personal account. These tools can help you better understand your customer and improve your business’ reach.
Instagram Business Account vs Personal Account
Compared to personal accounts, business accounts come with two main advantages — lead generation tools and audience insights.
If you’re using Instagram primarily to find inspiration and connect with friends and family, you only need a personal profile.
A basic account lets you post content and view other Instagram profiles. Furthermore, you can set a personal Instagram profile to be a private account, which means only your followers can see your content.
On the other hand, an Instagram business profile is public and anyone on Instagram can see it. This is great news when it comes to reaching new audiences and expanding your brand’s exposure.
Advantages of a Professional Instagram Account
If you’re using Instagram as part of a marketing strategy, then an Instagram business page also offers premium features to help your business grow.
Here are some of the key features that separate an Instagram personal vs business account.
1. Instagram Insights
Analytics tools are an essential part of any digital marketing strategy. If you want to improve your performance on Instagram, you need to be able to measure it.
In addition to contact information, Instagram Insights is one of the main perks of having a business account.
Image Source
Instagram business accounts provide analytics about your posts’ performance and audience. You can view your insights right on the Instagram app (desktop or mobile).
Instagram analytics include metrics such as:
Reach and impressions
Content interactions
Total followers
Audience demographic information
2. Ability To Boost Posts
If you want more engagement with your content, you can boost business posts to increase your reach.
When you boost your post with Instagram ads, you can select a target audience and set a budget.
Instagram then promotes your post and includes the results of your ad spend in your Insights tab.
3. Contact Button and Quick Reply
With an Instagram proffesional account, you can add your contact information to your Instagram profile. Current and potential customers can visit your profile and use this button to reach you.
When you create your ig business account, there’s a “Public Business Information” section that allows you to include a phone number or email address. If you have a brick-and-mortar store, you can even include your business’s physical address.
If you don’t have the time to answer every single DM, creating a business Instagram gives you the convenient option of setting up quick replies. These are pre-written replies to common questions that you can send to customers. In your account settings, you should see an option for ‘Quick Replies. ’
Your business account also gives you the option to categorize your inbox, which is great for keeping track of your most important leads. You can filter messages between different tabs.
Source: Instagram
4. Instagram Shopping
Instagram also offers online shops and shoppable posts, perfect for e-commerce websites and retailers.
Image Source.
Instagram users with business accounts can activate the Shop tab on their profile and leverage Instagram as a mobile storefront. They can also create shoppable Instagram posts for users to buy products or even save them for later.
5. Auto-Publish Content
One of the other benefits of Instagram business vs personal is that you can schedule content to auto-publish. With a business profile, you can
schedule your posts using Meet Edgar, and they will automatically post at the time you want them to. You just need to connect your Facebook account to get this up and running.
If you are posting for a personal profile, you need to post your content manually. You can schedule it in advance, and the Meet Edgar app will send you a push notification to remind you when it’s time to post.
6. Swipe Up Links On Instagram Stories
Another perk of the business ig account is that you can include links in your Instagram stories. Great news if you want to include visiting your website as your call to action. You need more than 10k followers for this feature to be activated.
Who Needs a Business Instagram Account?
Anyone using an Instagram marketing strategy should consider a business account, even if you’re only trying to improve your organic reach.
In particular, retailers and service providers will benefit from creating an Instagram business account.
Influencers, freelancers, and artists might consider using a Creator account, depending on their needs. Wait, what? There are more types of Instagram accounts?
Instagram Business Account vs. Instagram Creator Account
In addition to personal and business accounts, Instagram has one more profile type — creator. The creator profile falls somewhere between the personal account and the Instagram business profile.
The primary benefits of a creator profile are:
Audience insights (past seven days only)
Streamlined inbox (separate personal from general)
Optional contact information button
Business accounts offer more analytics, but the creator account has more flexible profile options.
You can set up a creator profile to include a contact button and creator type, or you can remove this information so your profile looks like a personal account.
The added flexibility makes the creator account attractive to some influencers and public figures.
Bottom Line
If you’re already using Instagram as part of a monetization strategy, you should use a business profile. However, if you want audience insights without the business contact options, use a creator profile.
How To Create an Instagram Business Account
Want to know how to switch to business account on Instagram? If you already have an Instagram account and want to change it to a business profile, it’s free and easy.
Follow these steps to set up your business account.
Log in to the Instagram app
Select the Main Menu in the top right corner of your profile
Tap Settings
Select Account
Tap Switch to Professional Account
Select Business
(Optional) Connect to your Facebook Business Page
Enter the contact information for your business
Tap Done
But how to change Instagram to business account on desktop? Don’t worry; it’s the same process as above. Just bear in mind that Instagram is a mobile app, so the desktop experience may not be as smooth.
You may be wondering how to get rid of a business account on Instagram. If you decide the business account isn’t working for you and you preferred a personal account, you can always switch back. How to switch to personal account on Instagram? Follow the same process as above except when you click ‘switch account type’ choose ‘personal account. ’
There is also an option to delete your account permanently, should you prefer.
Tips for Creating an Amazing Instagram Business Profile
Changing your account type to a business profile is simple. But creating a compelling business profile requires thought and effort.
Don’t Ignore Your Bio
Your Instagram bio tells users who you are and what your business has to offer. Think about your target audience when crafting your bio. It should be:
Informative
Concise
Written in the style and tone of your brand
Use a High-Quality Profile Image
Like your bio, your profile should represent your brand. Most businesses use their logo or some variation of it. Remember, profile images are small on Instagram. Choose a high-resolution image that allows you to zoom in on your logo without getting blurry.
Create a Style Guide for Your Brand
The best business accounts have a coherent look and feel to the entire profile. Create a style guide for your account so your brand shines through at first glance.
Your brand’s style guide should include:
A color palette
Rules for fonts
Post templates
Post Consistently
You’ll get the most out of your Instagram Insights if you post consistently. Choose a cadence that works for your team and stick to it. If you’re genuinely trying to grow your Instagram presence, we recommend finding a social media scheduling tool to help manage your content calendar.
Final Thoughts: How To Choose the Best Instagram Profile Type for You
With three profile types, Instagram has flexible options for every kind of user. Choosing the right account depends primarily on your Instagram goals.
Instagram business profiles maximize growth potential for businesses, retailers, and service providers. With premium features, you can turn Instagram into a powerhouse marketing channel.
To learn more about social media management software that empowers your digital marketing strategy, explore MeetEdgar’s features today.
Using Instagram as a personal or business accounts: pros and cons
In 2016, Instagram launched a new option – converting your instagram into a business account. Fast forward just over a year and a half, and Instagram have 25 million business accounts. Why have so many people converted to business accounts? Well, Instagram report that over 80% of its 800 million monthly users follow a business account, while 200 million daily active users visit a business profile every day. Interestingly, two thirds of visits to a business profile come from those not actually following that business. So it would seem that having an IG business profile would be useful to any business. It is also worth noting that advertising on Instagram has also increased – with two million monthly advertisers, a 100% increase in six months.
So what benefits are there for your dental practice to having a business account? Do you have to spend money advertising on Instagram to see those benefits? Is there an argument to staying with a personal IG profile? The answer to that question lies in understanding the pros and cons of each type of account, how you plan to use Instagram and the goal of your account.
Benefits of A Business Account
With 25 million businesses signing up in less than eighteen months, it stands to reason there are a number of benefits to converting to a business account. Some of these benefits are related to how much you invest monetarily and on a time basis, but there are some basic instant benefits for all business profiles.
Contact Button
This is how an Instagram user can tell if a profile is a business profile – you will be given the chance to include contact details on your profile. This can be an email, phone number or directions. This makes it instantly easier for a potential patient to locate your practice, make an appointment or get in touch with more questions. As this is a feature only available to business profiles, it has also informally become a mark of trust in a profile wit IG users. Having an immediate means of contact is a sign that a business profile is genuine, accountable and trustworthy.
Analytics Tool
This is a benefit to you as a business user and won’t be seen by other users. Rather like Facebook Insights, Instagram have a suite of analytics tools that you can access when you convert your profile to a business account. This means you can see in much more detail how well a post is performing – more than just likes and comments, the analytics tool can help you see:
Which posts perform better than others – so you can see what kind of content your followers are looking for
What time of day it is best for you to post
The demographic engaging with your profile – are they your target patients?
Are people clicking through to your website from certain posts?
Who is visiting your profile – this includes those who like your profile and those who don’t yet – what is attracting them and are they converting to potential patients?
Being able to gather all of this information over time will help you as a practice to understand the kind of content you can share to get your prospective patients’ attention.
Insta Stories – Add Links
Instagram Stories have fast become a popular tool on Instagram with 250 million Instagram story users worldwide, both with personal and business profiles. Instagram Stories allow users to upload content created within 24 hours for a period of up to 24 hours on their ‘story’.
If you are a business Instagram account with 10, 000 or more followers you can now add links to your Insta stories. Instead of directing your users to your homepage to click a link to your practice site, or to book an appointment, you can use this feature. Users are simply directed to swipe up and will be automatically redirected to the link you choose. This is a great way to engage patients with offers, such as teeth whitening or smile makeovers, and is the first time Instagram have offered a direct link from a post to an external site.
You do have to have more than 10, 000 followers currently to get this advantage of being a business profile.
Instagram Advertising
As with Facebook, business pages on Instagram can boost posts and create bespoke adverts, which can also be tracked through analytics. If you are looking to pay for advertising and extended reach this is a great way to reach a specific audience.
What Do You Want Your IG Business Account To Achieve?
Understanding if a business IG account is the right choice for your dental practice starts with clarifying what you want your IG profile to achieve. If your IG profile is a part of your marketing plan – whether to increase followers, raise awareness in the local area of your dental practice, drive engagement with new and existing patients, or even making sales – then there are obvious benefits to having a business profile. The analytics and the authority of having a business profile can help you to increase engagement and build a solid presence on Instagram.
So, that leads us to the question of why anyone would shun the business IG profile. Is there an argument for your dental practice to stay as a personal profile? Are there any benefits to this approach? And do you lose anything by choosing to go for a business profile?
The Benefits of a Personal profile that you don’t get with Business IG Profile
Organic Reach
This is an issue that there are lots of conflicting views about – does your organic reach go down when you switch to a business profile? The answer is – it’s not that simple.
If you google this issue, you will see that some people report a drop in organic reach once they made the switch to a business profile. Which would seem to suggest that if you aren’t willing to pay for advertising, then a business IG profile is a bad idea. However, the trouble is, that it isn’t that straight forward. Depending on when people have switched their profile and the changes in algorithms across Instagram, what the user is posting, video content has naturally seen an increase in engagement for example, it is hard to just say that organic reach is down for one specific reason.
Equally, many others report that business pages that get a lot of engagement have kept up their organic reach. Like Facebook, Instagram prioritses posts that users engage with, so the focus should always be on creating great content that your followers will want to like, comment on and share.
Connecting With Multiple Facebook Pages
If you convert to a Business IG profile, you will lose the ability to connect multiple Facebook pages. Instagram business profiles can only link to one Facebook profile, whereas with a personal profile you can link to as many Facebook pages as you like.
The Personal Touch
Social media is a pretty unique phenomenon. In fact, so are each of the platforms. They all have their own unwritten rules, partly down to their unique original designs and purposes. And fans of each platform respond to accounts, business and personal that respect those rules. For example, Facebook fans love Facebook because you connect with friends, can choose to share content purely with those friends or with a wider audience and can interchange between the two easily. Twitter fans love the interaction between strangers, that you can hear from and have conversation and debate with other humans who you may never meet. Whereas Instagram fans love Instagram because they get a window into another person’s life – often the personal and professional – the curated, voyeur-like aspect of Instagram was one of its initial successes. This is reflected in the most popular post ever, on February 2018 – with 16. 8 million likes, Kylie Jenner announcing the name of her first child, with a picture of the baby.
So if you are personality-based brand (like a blogger or Instagram influencer) and feature both personal and business content on your account, sticking with a personal account may be better, as your followers may engage with your account more than if you limit your content to just business posts. Some of the most popular IG accounts in the dental profession are personal accounts, and focus more on personal posts than business posts.
Should I Go For A Business Instagram Profile Or Not?
If you don’t intend to use any of the features that come with a business profile, then it makes more sense to stick with your personal Instagram account. The flip side is if you do intend to use any of those features, you will need to switch to a business account.
Some examples of popular dentist Business IG accounts:
@DigitalSmileDesign showcases the fast paced world of dentist-trainer, Dr Christian Coachman and his team who deliver educational events around the world, specialising in smile design. The images posted are a combination of upcoming event flyers, video clips and updates from the events, including selfies of Christian with even participants.
@drsamsaleh is an international cosmetic dentist based in Beverly Hills, USA and London, UK. Dr Saleh combines before and after smile photos, with very brief explanations of treatments, with more personal photos of his family and life outside the practice. This gives followers the opportunity to engage both with his work and also him as a person, which is important for gaining trust.
@thedentalpage mainly posts video content of treatments. This page is slightly different to the last as a lot of the content are reposts, credited to the original poster, but also is a personal dental blog of Dr Mackie.
@dr_miguel_ortiz specialises in dental photography, sharing a unique insight with extreme close-ups of teeth and treatments. Dr Ortiz uses his unique position to be able to share a different side of dentistry and has built up a following from these posts.
@dentistsinging is what he says – a singing dentist! This funny, charming and unique account is a professional dentist who records parody songs about oral health. With 2. 6 million views on his parody, Save Your Teeth, although this may sound funny it is also doing an amazing job of educating people about dental and oral health. Whilst the singing dentist is a qualified dentist and does post about his work, he has chosen to keep the informal nature of a personal account.
It’s interesting to note that all of these accounts feature personal photos as well as dental treatments but all have the theme of being professional business accounts. They are easily contactable thanks to the contact button so new and existing patients can make instant contact.
You Can Switch Back Easily
If you are still unsure about making the switch to a business profile, the good news is you can easily switch back from a business profile to a personal IG profile. So why not try making the switch for a month? You can try out the analytics, maybe even boost an ad or two and decide if the Business Instagram profile is right for your dental practice.
Get A Complete Picture
While Instagram and other social media platforms have the potential to be great tools for inbound marketing for your dental practice, they aren’t a substitute for a solid, unique in-plan for your dental practice. If you want to see real growth in engagement to grow your business, find out how you can get a full picture of your digital marketing and online footprint with an Inplan:
Frequently Asked Questions about personal vs professional instagram
What is the difference between a personal and professional account on Instagram?
A basic account lets you post content and view other Instagram profiles. Furthermore, you can set a personal Instagram profile to be a private account, which means only your followers can see your content. On the other hand, an Instagram business profile is public and anyone on Instagram can see it.May 26, 2021
Is it better to have a personal or business Instagram?
So if you are personality-based brand (like a blogger or Instagram influencer) and feature both personal and business content on your account, sticking with a personal account may be better, as your followers may engage with your account more than if you limit your content to just business posts.
What happens when you switch to a professional account on Instagram?
Professional Accounts can be both Business or Creator Accounts on Instagram. Converting to a professional account will limit your ability to take certain actions on Instagram. If you’ve linked a Facebook Page to your professional account, you’ll only be able to share your Instagram posts to Facebook through that Page.
