By Lynn Corbitt, Account Executive
Instagram can be an important tool to have in your marketing strategy, especially if your audience is between the ages of 18 and 44 and lives in a suburban or urban area. There are plenty more demographic insights to explore, if you’re into that sort of thing. If you know Instagram is where you need to be, though, you’ll want to make sure you’re using the app to the best of your ability. That all starts with having an optimized profile.
That’s right, you can optimize your Instagram profile just like you would a page on your website. There are many different things to think about as you’re making changes; we’ve put together a list so you don’t forget anything critical.
Review Your Profile Picture
First of all, take a look at your profile picture. Chances are it’s your logo, so is it easy to see and identify? Remember that on Instagram your profile picture will be very small on your posts. You don’t want people to be confused or have to squint to see it if you can avoid it. Make sure the colors of your logo match the rest of your branding so you can begin to establish that consistency. Also, if it’s possible for your brand, an image of a person is better than a logo, even for your profile picture. That said, it can be very difficult for most businesses to use a personal photo, so a logo will work in that instance. Any sort of personal brand, though, should include the person’s image instead of something generic.
Focus on Your Bio
Then, look at what you have written for your bio. Did you know that your Instagram bio is searchable? It’s one of few things on the platform that is. So, think about it in terms of SEO, like you would for your website. Make sure you include a few keywords that can help you be found. If you haven’t added a category, make sure you do that, too. You can find all of these options when you hit “Edit Profile.” If you have any branded hashtags, consider including them in your bio, too. It will help your followers associate the hashtag with your brand.
While you’re add it, you can also add CTA buttons like “Call Now,” if that would be beneficial for your business. Restaurants can add an “Order Food” button, and anywhere that takes reservations can activate either “Book Now” or “Reserve.” These are easy ways to help convert your followers into your customers.
Add a Link
Until recently, your bio was the only place you could have an active, clickable link on Instagram, unless you had 10,000 followers and had the swipe-up option on Instagram Stories. But now, Instagram offers links in stories to everyone. That said, the bio link hasn’t become any less important. While it can be tempting to link to your most recent blog post or your online shop, think more strategically. Whether you want to use a link-in-bio tool or create a dedicated page on your website, creating a page of resources and linking to that on Instagram is important for a few reasons.
- Your audience can find resources you mentioned weeks ago, even if you’ve published new posts since then. They won’t be confused when they go to your bio looking for a blog on email marketing and instead get something about Facebook analytics.
- You can share multiple things at once, like your blog, products and services page, other social media accounts, contact information and more.
- When you create a page on your website (versus using a third-party tool), you’re bringing people directly to your website to get more information about your business, which is great for brand consistency.
The link in your bio is important, so don’t waste the opportunity!
Make Use of Highlights
Finally, if you post on Instagram Stories at all (which you should), consider using your Instagram Highlights. This can be a great way to capture 101-level information on your business. How you got started, what you sell, who you help, etc. Anything that would be good for a potential customer to see before they follow you.
Improve Your Bio Today
In reality, none of these changes will take too long, so there’s no reason to put them off to tomorrow. Take a few moments and revamp your Instagram bio. Your performance on the app will thank you sooner than later.