Switching to an Instagram Business profile or Creator account as a business or brand might help you better understand your audience and generate traffic to your website.
As a business owner, you’re always seeking new ways to reach your target audience and turn visitors into paying customers. Instagram has been a valuable marketing tool for brands, but it isn’t the only social media platform you can utilize to build your business or brand.
Switching from a personal profile to an Instagram Business account or Creator account may benefit your brand if you want a better understanding of your audience and want to target them through your business account on Instagram.
Not sure where to begin?
We’ll explain what an Instagram Business and creator profile is and why it’ll benefit your Instagram marketing approach in 2023.
Table of Contents
What Is an Instagram Business Profile?
An Instagram Business profile is designed for businesses and brands and offers more features than any other account type.
Making the switch provides users with powerful tools and features, such as detailed insights and analytics, allowing you to understand and reach the right people.
4 Benefits of Having an Instagram Business Account
With 90% of Instagram users following a business, it’s a no-brainer to use the platform.
But, if you’re on the fence about whether an Instagram business account is right for you, let us convince you otherwise. An Instagram Business account can help take your engagement and growth to the next level. Here are its top four benefits:
- Learn About Your Followers Through Insights
- Run Ad Campaigns
- Access Instagram Shop Features
- Control who promotes your products
1. Improve Your Content With Insights
Analyzing how your content is performing is an essential part of any marketing strategy.
Without analytics, you won’t know how your content is performing and what is (and isn’t) resonating with your audience.
An Instagram Business account unlocks detailed insights and analytics about your audience — from demographics to most active times online.
2. Run Ad Campaigns
Spreading the word about who you are and what you do is as easy as a few clicks with your Instagram Business profile.
You can create specific in-app social ads, or you can simply click on an organic post and select “Promote.”
3. Access Instagram Shop Features
You’ve just set up your Instagram Business profile — why not set up shop, too?
An Instagram Shop lets you upload a product catalog, tag products in your posts, and access Instagram Shop insights — all in one.
By clicking on a tagged product, users can see pricing information, other suggested products, and a button that takes them straight to your point of purchase.
Because when you have the opportunity to level up your e-commerce, bringing your products right to Instagram is a no-brainer.
4. Control who promotes your products
If you’re a business account with an Instagram Shop, you can control who tags your products. And, once you’ve given a creator permission to tag your products, they can allow you to promote their organic branded content feed posts as an ad.
Influencer marketing works — people trust other people over brands. So, partnering up with creators who love your products can be a lucrative marketing strategy.
How To Switch to a Business Account on Instagram
Making the switch to an Instagram Business profile is easy.
Here’s how you can maximize its benefits in a few simple steps:
First, head to your Instagram profile and tap the hamburger icon (≡) in the top right corner.
Tap “Settings.”
Then, navigate to “Account,” and scroll down to where it says “Switch to professional account.”
Tap “Continue” and follow the prompts
Next, select the category that best describes your brand or business and choose whether you want to display the label on your profile.
Tap “Done” and you’ll be prompted to answer whether you are a Creator or Business. Tap “Business” and “Next.”
Review your contact information and tap the toggle labeled “Display contact info” to have it appear on your account. Hit “Next.”
You’ll then be prompted to set up your Accounts Center. If you don’t have a Facebook Page or another Instagram account to connect, you can either create one or tap “Not now.”
Next, you will be prompted to “Set Up Your Professional Account.” Here, you can explore your new features and tools.
Finally, choose “Complete your profile,” and boom, you officially have an Instagram Business profile.
Read more: Paid vs. Organic Traffic on Social Media Campaigns: Pros and Cons
What Is an Instagram Creator Account?
Creator accounts (also known as creator profiles) were introduced in 2018 and are specifically built for the platform’s MVPs – Instagram influencers and creators.
This profile category offers creators features to assist them to establish their personal brand and fulfilling their overall social media needs.
Instagram’s creator profile is full of unique tools to help its pool of talent, from streamlined messaging to brand collaborations (more on that later).
Who Should Be Using an Instagram Creator Account?
Instagram Creator accounts are meant for individuals looking to build their personal brand.
Why? Because creator accounts are all about fulfilling the needs of individuals who don’t already have a full-fledged business (yet).
It’s the perfect profile option for those looking to foster community, gain brand partnerships, and build brand awareness.
So, if you identify as a content creator or influencer, this account is for you — established companies and brands need not apply.
What Are the Benefits of an Instagram Creator Account?
By switching to a creator account, you’ll gain access to a slew of features that can jump-start your growth and monetization opportunities on Instagram.
Let’s take a closer look! The top five benefits are:
- Access To Built-in Analytics
- Music Library
- Streamlined Messaging
- Flexible Profile Control
- Shoppable Posts
1. Access To Built-in Analytics
Understanding follower growth and activity on your account is about to get a whole lot easier!
With an Instagram Creator profile, you’ll gain access to a mobile dashboard of in-depth insights such as follow/unfollow data, post-performance, and more.
You’ll be able to see what’s resonating and what isn’t resonating with your followers, so you can tweak your strategy accordingly. Though, depending on how much analyzing you want to do, the desktop could be easier.
2. Full Music Library
Access to Instagram’s full music library is where the creator account really delivers.
Due to commercial music limitations and copyright concerns, it can be tricky for those with business accounts to use trending Reels audio.
3. Streamlined Messaging
Creators are often bombarded with DMs, ranging from “where’d you buy that top?” to collaboration requests, and more.
So, as you can imagine, with thousands of followers, this can get overwhelming.
Thankfully, Instagram Creator profiles make managing messages a breeze with three DM filtering tabs, including:
- Primary: Allows notifications.
- General: No notifications.
- Requests: No notifications. These are from users you don’t follow (you can choose to accept or deny these requests).
This allows creators to prioritize messages from brands and friends, or rank them by relevance or time to make sure they never miss out on an important request!
NOTE: If you don’t fancy these filters you can also change your messaging tab notifications in your settings, too.
4. Flexible Profile Control
On top of having more control over who is messaging you, Instagram Creator profiles also have more control over how you’re being contacted.
Creators can designate (or hide) their preferred method of contact on their profile (including call, text, and email), and have more flexibility on what they choose to include as a CTA on their page.
Translation: You’ll be able to filter out “cold” messages and spend more time engaging in meaningful interactions with brands you prefer to work with.
5. Shoppable Posts and Shops
Creator profiles have access to both Shopping Tags and Shops — opening up a ton of e-commerce opportunities!
With the Shopping Tags feature, users can tap a product tag on a post, where they’ll be taken to a product description page to complete their purchase.
Instagram Creator accounts can also create an Instagram Shop.
In it, creators can curate a list of shoppable products that are directly accessible through the “View Shop” button on their Instagram profile page.
By clicking on a suggested product, users can see pricing information, other products from the same retailer, and how to purchase.
NOTE: Keep in mind that creators can only feature products from brands that have approved access to their products.
How to Switch to an Instagram Creator Account (A Step-By-Step Guide)
Now that you’ve heard all about the bells and whistles of creator accounts, here’s how to officially make the switch from either an Instagram Business or Personal account:
How to Switch From a Personal Account to a Creator Account:
To switch to an Instagram Creator profile, head to your Instagram profile and tap “≡” in the top right corner, then tap “Settings”, and select “Account”:
Tap “Switch to professional account”:
Here, you’ll swipe through Instagram’s prompts and tap “Continue”:
Now it’s time to set up your account.
Select a category that best describes what you do and toggles whether you’d like it to be displayed on your profile:
Select “Creator” and tap “Next”:
Here you’ll be prompted to get acquainted with Instagram’s creator tools, including: “Complete Your Profile“, “Get Inspired“, “Grow Your Audience“, “Share Content to View Insights“, and “Explore Tools and Insights“:
And just like that, you’ve officially made the switch to an Instagram Creator account!
Instagram Business Account vs Creator Account: The Differences
At first glance, Instagram Business and Creator profiles seem similar — but each is geared toward a slightly different user.
Creator accounts work well for public figures, creators, artists, and influencers. On the other hand, business accounts are good for brands, organizations, and service providers:
Conclusion
Creators and business accounts on Instagram are very similar in the sense that they both offer a unique way of telling your story. While some brands might find success in creating beautiful imagery, others might find success in showing the behind-the-scenes of their brand.
Plus, as Instagram continues to grow its video content, it becomes more important for brands to stay competitive.
The switch to an Instagram Business profile or Creator account can happen as soon as you want. However, it might be a good idea to start building your follower base on a personal profile before switching to business or you may lose followers.
