How to Format Your Business Instagram Profile

Jenn Herman

May 27, 2014

This is the fifth post in a 12 month series on the use of Instagram for businesses.

If you’re using Instagram for your business, there are a few things to really consider in formatting your Instagram profile. Since Instagram doesn’t differentiate between business and personal accounts, you have to take maximum advantage of the options available to you to promote your business.

Here are the key things to format in your Instagram profile.

Your Name and Username

It is imperative that your name and username on Instagram are accurate to you or your business. They should be as “real” as possible. Whether it’s your business name or your real name, your Instagram name should be as simple as possible. Avoid weird spellings or abbreviations or strings of numbers unrelated to your name.

It’s important to note that the username and name are the only parameters that Instagram looks at in search queries. Consider what people are searching for to ensure you show up in the correct search results.

To take advantage of this search function, you might want to add a relevant keyword or industry term to your name (not username). For example, on my Instagram profile, my name is listed as Jenn Herman | Blogger. This way anyone searching for bloggers will find my name in the results.

Your Profile Photo

Your profile photo is the image by which people will learn to recognize you. Whether it’s a photo of you or your business logo is up to you. It can really be either one.

I recommend you use the same image you use on your other social media sites. This way people can easily recognize you on Instagram and know they have the right account.

Your Bio Description

Your bio description should define who you are or what you do. You only have 150 characters to define yourself (or your business) so make it good!

It should be simple, easy to read, and show your personality. You can add emojis for fun and to add character. Using bullet point style formatting helps with clarity and simplicity. Avoid using hashtags in your bio – they aren’t clickable and just take up valuable characters.

Also try spacing out your bio by dropping down lines, leaving breaks, or using separating markers to define different characteristics.

Website Link

This is THE most important factor in driving traffic back to your website! The hyperlink in your bio is the only place on Instagram where you can place a clickable link. So use this real estate to your advantage!

You should always have an active link listed in your bio. You can put any link you like – your website homepage, your blog page, a product or sales page, a customized landing/lead page, a contest or promotion page, or even a different social media account. This link should direct people where you want to take them.

This link can be changed as often as you like so use it to your advantage.

I also recommend, where possible, using a customized link (like a bit.ly or other link) that allows you to track clicks. This will help you best determine how much traffic you’re generating from Instagram.

There you have the key steps to format your Instagram profile for your business. If you follow these suggestions, you will see higher conversions and more traffic coming from Instagram to your website.

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Jenn Herman

Jenn Herman is a social media strategist and Instagram advocate who writes a blog focused on understanding trends in social media management. She provides tips, resources, and training for small to medium sized businesses that need to structure their social media strategies for success. Her business background includes Administration, Sales, Human Resources, and Marketing. If you would like to learn more about how to use Instagram, you can download "The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Instagram" here.