5 crucial steps to perfect your Instagram profile
Instagram is a must to use in your social media strategy.
It has evolved from a picture sharing platform to a hub of business activity.
But why should you consider Instagram for your business?
- Instagram is the fourth most used social media platform. YouTube, Facebook, and Whatsapp are the only ones ahead.
- 1.22 billion people use Instagram every month.
- 1 in 2 people have used Instagram to find out more about new brands.
It’s clear that investing in Instagram makes good business sense.
But when you’re starting out it can be confusing knowing where to begin.
What should you post? How often? What about Instagram stories? Should I include videos?
These are crucial questions. But before you even get there you need to do one thing.
Set your profile up for success.
Prior to someone following you, they will likely check out your profile. This can be make or break for a potential new lead.
To stop the guessing game, this post will tell you what you need to do to ensure your business Instagram profile is perfectly optimised.
Follow these steps and you will gain new followers, build your brand, and ultimately make more money.
1. Make sure your username (@handle) is the name of your business
This can seem obvious.
However, as a platform hosting so many users, the availability of certain usernames can be minimal.
You might find that the name of your business has already been taken.
If this is the case then you want to keep the first part of your username as your business name followed by a keyword that summarises your company.
For example, maybe you sell soy candles and your company is called Pretty Candles, but you find that has already been taken. You could then try @PrettyCandlesSoy.
2. Use a profile picture that reflects your branding
For most businesses, this will be their logo.
For freelancers or one-person companies, you may opt for a photo of yourself.
Ensure that the image you choose reflects who you are and what you do.
For example, you may be a photographer. An image of you holding a camera instantly communicates your job.
It’s important to note that Instagram crops your image into a circle of 110 pixels. You’ll want to ensure that whatever image you choose can be held in this shape and size.
3. Craft a compelling bio
Your bio is one of the first things people see when they visit your profile.
You therefore have an excellent opportunity to make the best first impression you can with the words you use.
You have a maximum of 150 characters so choose carefully.
It’s important you cover:
- Why people should follow you
- What you do
- Who you are
It’s not a set formula and you can experiment with different combinations.
If you’re just starting out however it’s best to stick with something simple before you tinker around.
A quick tip to make your bio more compelling is to avoid talking about yourself too much, and instead, direct it towards your potential followers.
Now that sounds a bit counter-intuitive, “this is my bio, of course I need to talk about me!”
However, people don't care about you, they care about themselves. And if you direct your bio in a way that highlights that, you’re more likely to get someone pressing follow.
For example, going back to Pretty Candles, something standard a lot of people would write is:
Beautiful soy candles to use at home.
Now it’s fine. But you can make it better. Instead of talking about yourself, frame it towards the visitor. So how about:
Transform your home with beautiful soy candles.
Do you see how it can draw people in more? You’re putting them in the picture. They are visualising their homes with your candles.
It’s a simple switch but effective.
4. Use emojis and line breaks to increase engagement
Once you’ve got the words nailed down, you can go an extra step and make sure your bio is formatted for maximum engagement.
Line breaks are perfect. It makes the text more readable and just gives a final polished look.
You might also want to include a few emojis. This is not essential, and if you feel it doesn’t represent your brand to include them, then don’t. But it can sometimes add a bit of personality and lifts the text by including some visuals.
Our eyes are naturally drawn to symbols so it can be a good method if you want to highlight something.
However, don’t use too many. You run the risk of looking spammy and a bit amateurish.
5. Use a call to action before the link in your bio
A call to action (CTA) in your bio tells visitors what you want them to do next.
Your bio is one of the few places Instagram lets you direct people away from the platform.
This is where you can drive people towards your website, blog, or special offer.
However, you can specify what exactly it is you want people to do and what it will get them.
For example, maybe you have a new offer that you want to draw people towards. You could put something like,
“50% off all candles 👇”
With a call to action, you’re just increasing the likelihood of someone actually following the link and getting them where you want them to go.
Your Instagram profile for your business will be in excellent shape if you follow this advice.
Once you get going, feel free to play around with these steps and see what works best for your audience.
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