Instagram Business Account: 5 Reasons Why You Need to Switch
[Originally published on the Dash Hudson blog.]
Spoiler alert: if you’re doing brand marketing on social, only an Instagram business account will lead you to the top. The game is maturing at the speed of light, which means that social marketers increasingly need the right empowerment tools.
If you’re still resisting the biz profile, it’s time to make the switch. 🧠
Ok ok ok. We’ve been harping on about the importance of companies switching to an Instagram business account for some time. And it’s not for naught: Instagram is the primary visual touchpoint of our times, and it’s where most consumer businesses allocate the brunt of their marketing spend. All target markets live on Instagram and use it to discover what they consume and interact with, from shopping wishlists to choosing restaurants, activities, vacation destinations, hotels, celebrity news, the list is literally endless.
We even recently declared Instagram to be the new brand homepage, seeing as user behavior has shifted from visiting a web browser to opening Insta to learn more about a company. In the wake of this new-yet-obvious concept, along with the commotion of early April’s data drama, the benefits of switching to an Instagram business account are multiplying by the day. Why not give yourself access to its benefits?
That said, some folks are still struggling with the decision of committing to it. While rumors of crippling engagement have been plaguing biz accounts since their inception, we’re here to confirm that these are just rumors indeed. No correlations have been found between identifying as a business and few user interactions.
We’ve seen both ends of the spectrum, where some accounts have low numbers to begin with (we have a solution for that), while others are straight up thriving. So let’s debunk this thing once and for all: if you’re an incorporated entity or just someone who uses the ‘Gram for personal branding, making the change to a biz profile is incredibly advantageous and will in no way hurt your reach or engagement.
Below, we’re laying out five really important reasons to make the switch. Take heed.
1. Legitimize Your Business
Now that Instagram for business is widespread, users expect companies to provide all the relevant info they’re looking for on their brand profiles. If your bio doesn’t have the proper 411 or if your facts aren’t displayed in an official capacity, you’re simply not maximizing the tools at your disposition.
Showcasing your brand profile by way of an Instagram business account is the optimal way to make your company look legit, especially if you don’t have that coveted blue checkmark deeming you verified.
2. Give Dash Hudson Full Access
As we all know, there was a pretty dramatic turn of events in early April as it relates to Instagram’s data policy around user privacy. A lot of things changed overnight about what third parties are allowed to access, which resulted in many a busted service.
Of course, all is well here at DH HQ, but to be able to bring you our full scope of services, an Instagram business account is now required on your end. There’s no way to get the stats we need without one. We’re talking the most granular data used to inform strategy and gain priceless, actionable insights. You don’t want to miss out.
3. Link in Your Stories
In case you hadn’t noticed, the swipe-up feature in Stories is only available to Instagram business accounts. And if you’re a brand, that means a chance to insert a link to redirect your followers to anywhere you want to take them, whether it’s to give a webpage additional reach or to a product for potential sales conversions. So, like, it’s a big deal.
If you have a business profile and over 10k followers, this tool is your oyster. Send your followers to a product page, an article, your company blog, or literally anywhere else that serves your brand journey. It truly would be silly not to jump on that opportunity.
4. Gain Additional Insights
For when you’re on the go and not actually sitting down to dive into your granular DH insights to devise big picture strategies, the Instagram business account stats are really helpful. They reveal things like post reach, stats for your stories, audience demographic info, how many profile visits you’ve received, and link in bio clicks.
This information is not disclosed to regular users and can be super useful to get in front of when you want a quick overview, and incredibly powerful when paired up with all the additional details that Dash Hudson provides.
5. Use Instagram’s Native Shopping Function
Are you a retail brand trying to increase sales and product discovery? IG’s native shopping function is now a widespread tool used by — you guessed it — Instagram business accounts. The app is a prime way to grow your brand, acquire new consumers, and drive sales, albeit often in very indirect ways.
People use Instagram as a means for discovery, not necessarily to pull the trigger on items. It serves as a path to purchase, where people can inform themselves on a product they’re interested in, although they may not ultimately buy it right then and there.
Instagram’s native shopping functionality is the ideal vehicle for discovery. While conversions through these posts might not be excruciatingly high, they act as an information medium for those who are interested in learning more, ultimately helping to assist in their decision to buy.
It comes back to Instagram now being the new homepage: lay out all the information that your consumer might need on your profile page, which includes revealing product information in your individual posts. And it’s something only biz accounts have access to, sooooo…..
There are so many advantages to switch to an Instagram business account if you are, in fact, a business. We actually can’t really think of a reason not to. And you should listen to us because real talk: we only have your very best interest at heart. ❤️
Want to learn more about how Dash Hudson can help you succeed at visual marketing? Hit us up today.
