Instagram has officially launched its Business Profiles, features it first announced a couple of months back. By converting to an Instagram Business Profile, companies will be able to get insights into their followers and the posts they like the most, as well as promote specific posts directly in Instagram.

The features are rolling out first in Europe, followed by Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. The new Business Profile tools will be available globally by the end of 2016.

We look at how you can convert your personal Instagram account into a Business Profile. We also look at the various features you will have access to with a Business Profile, including various insights on your followers and how to promote your best-performing posts directly in the app.

Set up your Instagram Business Profile

The free Business Profiles feature, allows any Instagram account to be recognized as a business. Followers can then contact you via phone or email by tapping the contact button. Business Profiles can also add directions so followers can find your restaurant, retail store, etc.

Tip: Setting up an Instagram Business Profile provides you access to the new insights feature and the ability to promote your best posts.

• Log into your Instagram account (make sure you have the latest version of the Instagram app installed on your Android or iOS device).
• Tap the cog icon > tap Switch to Business Profile.
• You will see a Connect your Facebook Page screen, from the list of Facebook Pages that you administer, select the Page that you want to connect to your Instagram Business Profile.

Note: At this stage, you can only connect a single Facebook Page to your Instagram Business Profile.

• On the Set Up Your Business Profile page you can review the information that has been pulled through from your Facebook Page, including contact information, location etc. You can change or remove any of the information and then tap Done.

Note: If you want to link to a different Facebook Page at a later stage you will need to change back to a personal account and then follow the process again of setting up your Business Profile and linking the new Facebook Page.

Get insights on your followers

Now that you have an Instagram Business Profile set up, you will be able to use the insights feature to learn about your followers and the types of posts they like the best.

You will be able to see the following insights:

• Impressions show the number of times your post was seen.
• Reach shows the number of unique accounts that saw your post, unlike impressions if a person viewed your post fives times, reach will only count it as a single user.
• Website clicks show how many of your followers tapped the link to visit your website.
• Follower activity shows the average time your followers spend on Instagram.

Insights will also be able to show you demographics about your followers including age, gender, and their location.

Making sense of your Instagram Insights

To access the insights feature, log into your Business profile > tap the bar chart icon in the top right. The insights page is divided into three sections.

Section 1: The insights screen will show the total amount of impressions your posts have received over the last seven days. Swipe left on the impressions heading and you will see the total amount of reach.

Section 2: The second section on the insights screen shows insights from your Top posts. Tap See More to see the top posts on your Business Profile over the last seven days, sorted by total impressions. You can filter your posts by type, metrics, and date.

To get more detail on a single post, select the post > tap View insights. Total number of impressions, reach and engagement will be shown for your selected post.   

Section 3: The third section shows follower activity. Tap See More > you will see the total number of followers and a breakdown of their age, gender, location and the day and time they usually log into Instagram.

Promote your best-performing posts

With a Business Profile setup, you can also promote your best-performing posts directly in Instagram.

• Log into your Instagram Business Profile and go to your profile.
• Tap the post you want to promote > tap Promote, found below the image.
• Set the details of your promotion like the audience, budget, and duration. Tap Next.
• Tap Promote to complete the process.

Your promoted post will be reviewed by Instagram to ensure it meets its ad policies. This normally takes 60 minutes, after which your promotion will start running if approved.

Source: Facebook Advertising Help Center

Image credit: Wokandapix; Pixabay