By Courtney
Are you starting a business & creating your business’ Instagram account? Or are you looking to revamp your existing business account? These tips are essential when it comes to attracting your ideal audience.
Optimize your name field. Think of Instagram as Google for a second. When people go to the search bar looking for a Thai restaurant in Raleigh or a hair stylist that specializes in balayage, they are going to search for keywords that will yield the types of accounts they are looking for. Be specific! For example, if you are a makeup artist that specializes in airbrush makeup for weddings, you might make your name field: Ashley | Airbrush Makeup Artist.
This brings us to our next tip.
The actual bio itself. You will want to write a strong bio that specifically states what you have to offer, what sets you apart from others in your industry, or what you help people achieve. This is about your ideal audience, not you! So for Ashley, you might want your bio to say something like, “Making brides feel confident on their big day! Weddings, special events & more. BOOK BELOW!”
Including the call to action at the end of your bio field will help direct customers to click the link in your bio. This can link to your website, a new blog post, your booking calendar– the options are endless! Telling your visitors what they will find when they click the link in your bio helps to drive traffic to your URL.
Okay now that we’ve got your name field and bio optimized to attract your ideal customer, we want to ensure there is ZERO confusion when it comes to contacting you. Be sure you have selected a Professional Business account (& directly link the account to your Facebook business page)! In the public business information section of your Instagram profile, include an email address and phone number. If location is pertinent to your business, like having a single storefront or serving a specific city, be sure to populate an address or city name in the Location field.
Okay, now that we’ve got all of your bio fields populated & optimized, we can move onto a few finishing touches!
Highlights are a GREAT way to show new people visiting your page what your brand is all about. Don’t select a random photo dump and label a highlight as “September.” Use highlights as an opportunity to supplement additional info in your bio and share things that your ideal audience would be interested in. For example, if you’re Ashley, the makeup artist, you might have highlights for “My Work,” “How to Book,” “Favorite Products,” and “Tips & Tricks.” Provide your visitors with value and make them excited at the prospect of working with you!
Bonus: Highlight covers, whether it’s just the brand’s color palette, or icons representing what the highlight is about, are a nice way to elevate the aesthetic of your bio.
This last one might go without saying, but definitely worth mentioning if you are doing a complete bio makeover! You want to select a profile image that is good quality and that resonates with your brand or personality. A clean logo that can easily be read without squinting, or a photo with face(s) and eyes forward is going to be MUCH more likely to capture someone’s attention.
Alright, that wraps up our essentials when it comes to optimizing your business’ Instagram profile! Let us know which tip you’ll be taking away from this and be sure to follow us @thedaily.essentials.co
