How To Create a Business Account on Instagram: A Full Guide

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | May 23, 2024

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Creating an Instagram page for your business is a natural first step to making your brand go big online. But a regular page isn’t going to cut it. Only business profiles get access to features such as ads, post-performance metrics, shopping tools, and more. If you don’t know how to create a business account on Instagram, you’ll miss out on some useful professional tools.

Do you want to make the most out of what Instagram has to offer for business owners? Keep reading this guide to learn how to make the switch from a personal page to a professional business account.

A businessman sitting on his office desk with a laptop, lamp, and other office essentials.

What Is a Professional Account on Instagram?

If you’re new to running brands on social media platforms, you’re probably wondering, “What is a professional account on Instagram?”

The answer is simple, really—a professional account is a type of profile designed specifically for businesses and creators. Anyone can switch to a professional account and declare themselves as one of the two. After that, you’ll be able to use some unique, exclusive tools designed for successful brand-building on Instagram.

Note, however, that if you switch from a personal page to a professional account, your account will have some limitations. For example, you won’t be able to set your account to private mode. Creating a professional page also allows you to link your Instagram profile to a Facebook page. After that, you won’t be able to cross-post Instagram content to any other page on Facebook.

How To Create a Business Account on Instagram in a Few Easy Steps

Are you interested in creating a business profile for your brand on Instagram? We’ve got you. It’s super easy, and we’ll walk you through the process step by step. Just note that in order to create a business page, you must first have a personal profile. Then, you can easily switch it to a business account.

Are you ready to go? Here’s how to create a business Instagram account from a personal page:

1. Open the Instagram app and head to your profile.

2. Click the three horizontal lines at the top-right of your screen to open the settings menu.

3. Scroll down until you see the “For professionals” section. Then, click Account type and tools.

Path Social’s screenshot of the Instagram accounts settings menu with a pink box highlighting “Account type and tools.”

4. Select Switch to professional account. You can also choose to add a professional account here if you want to run more than one business page.

Path Social’s screenshot of the “Account type” menu with a pink box highlighting “Switch to professional account.”

5. Keep swiping left to read all the reminders and features related to switching to a professional account. Once you reach the end, click Continue.

6. Choose your specific business category from the suggested options. You can also use the search bar to look for more niche categories. When you’re happy with your selection, hit Done.

Path Social’s screenshot of the business category options for professional accounts.

7. Select the type of professional account you want—business or creator. Instagram will likely suggest an option for you depending on the category you chose previously. Regardless, make sure you select Business, then click Done.

Path Social’s screenshot of the professional account type options with a pink box highlighting the “Business” option.

8. Add your contact information, such as your business email address, phone number, WhatsApp number, and physical address. Then, tap Next.

9. Optionally, you can choose to link your brand’s Facebook page to your new professional account. You can also just press Skip to do it later.

That’s it! Now, you have a business account and a professional dashboard to help you grow your brand. 

The Benefits of Having an Instagram Business Account vs Personal Pages

There are no repercussions to sticking to a personal Instagram account for your brand. However, there are a lot of features you will regrettably miss out on if you do this. There are plenty of helpful business tools exclusively available for professional accounts, such as business profiles, which personal pages don’t enjoy.

So, what are the benefits of having an Instagram business account vs personal profiles for your brand? Here are just some of the perks you and your brand can enjoy if you make the switch:

1. Instagram Shopping To Sell Products Straight From IG

As a business account, you can set up an Instagram Shop, aka a digital storefront within your page. In this shop, users can browse through your products and buy them straight from Instagram.

When you have an Instagram Shop, you can set up individual product detail pages for each of your offerings. Share all your products’ features and key details, as well as your best photos of them. You can even group your products by collection for easier browsing. Then, people who visit your Shop can purchase them without ever leaving the app!

Instagram Shopping also allows people to tag your products in their photos if they make content featuring them. This is awesome for those who love to make user-generated content showcasing their favorite brands’ products. Plus, it gives you additional exposure to more people—and what business doesn’t want that?

Someone holding their bank card while purchasing something online on their laptop.

2. The Ability To Run Instagram Ads To Promote Your Business

Another perk of having a business account is the ability to run ads. On Instagram, brands compete to win the attention and support of their target audience. But because the competition is fierce, many businesses must pay to play. That means investing in Instagram ads to promote your business and reach the right people on the platform.

Ads allow you to push your content to a specific target audience. This increases your overall reach while ensuring that your posts are seen by people likely to purchase from your business.

Social media ads are still super effective for promoting businesses online today. According to Survey Monkey, 48% of people have purchased something after seeing a social media ad for it. So, if you want to drive more sales, investing in ads is a terrific strategy.

If you want to compete against your competitors on social media, you need to run ads. Plus, Statista predicts that the global social media ad spend will rise by 47.66% in the next five years. That means online advertising is here to stay and is a must for businesses that want to be seen.

3. Post and Audience Insights To Improve Content Over Time

Having a business account gives you access to Instagram Insights. Here, you can see your performance metrics on a page and post level. That means you get to see data such as your reach, engagement, interactions, view rates for videos, and more. It is awesome to see your strengths and weaknesses and tweak your content strategy accordingly.

However, aside from performance metrics, you can also see audience insights about your followers. The Instagram Insights dashboard can show you follower growth trends and data on your fanbase’s age, gender, and location. You can even learn what time of the day they’re most active.

This information can help you see if you’re hitting your marks when it comes to reaching your intended target audience. It also gives you an idea of when it’s best to upload content.

4. Contact Buttons To Let Potential Partners Reach You Faster

Business pages can also choose to add a contact button on their profile. When potential customers and clients click this button, it will lead them to your phone number or email address. So, contacting you can be a click away.

This ease of communication can help boost inquiries and conversions for your brand. Because reaching out to you is easy, there may be more opportunities for sales or collaboration requests. It’s also kind of a statement; it tells people that you’re always ready to serve them.

A businessman taking a call from a client on his phone.

5. Instagram Professional Account Categories in Your Bio

As you saw in our steps for creating a business page, each professional account can display a specific category. These business categories show up at the top of your profile, near your Instagram bio. That way, people will instantly know what kind of business you are and the services you offer. It’s awesome for making a great first impression on potential customers!

The platform boasts an extensive list of business categories brands can choose from. Instagram professional account categories include common niches like beauty, art, fashion, restaurants, marketing agencies, and more. But they can also be very specific. Interior design studios, petting zoos, sports teams, wedding planning services, and other niche businesses can find their categories listed, too.

6. Swipe-Up Links on Instagram Stories

Last but not least, business profiles can post clickable links using the swipe-up feature on Instagram Stories. This is a super easy way to drive traffic to your brand’s websites, blog posts, and other important landing pages.

One way to maximize this feature is by using it to drive sales on your e-commerce website. All you have to do is create an interesting Story post featuring your brand’s products. Then, add the swipe-up link. Write a quick text overlay asking your followers to swipe up to learn more about the product. And boom! With just one swipe, you’ve got them on your website!

Make your Story posts extra engaging and interesting to encourage people to swipe up on your links. Add cute stickers, tell intriguing anecdotes, and use relevant hashtags to help increase your reach and view count.

How To Switch Back to a Personal Page From a Business Profile

While switching to a business account is super useful for brands, it’s not for everyone. Are you stepping down from running a brand or perhaps prefer a personal account as an influencer? Don’t worry—you can always switch back to a personal page from a professional account. Luckily, it’s even easier than learning how to create an Instagram business account. Here’s how to do it in a few easy steps:

1. Go to your business account’s profile and click the three horizontal lines to open your settings menu.

2. Under your professional tools tab, click Business tools and controls.

Path Social’s screenshot of the account settings menu with a pink box highlighting “Business tools and controls.”

3. Select Switch account type.

Path Social’s screenshot of Instagram’s business account menu with a pink box highlighting “Switch account type.”

4. Choose Switch to personal account. Alternatively, you can switch to a creator account using this prompt.

Path Social’s screenshot highlighting the “Switch to personal account” button.

5. Read the reminders from Instagram about the implications of switching back to a personal page. If you’re sure about you’re decision, click Switch to personal account to finalize the change.

Path Social’s screenshot of the confirmation message to switch back to a personal account.

It might take a few seconds or minutes for Instagram to reverse your account and turn it into a personal profile again. After that, you’ll return to the settings menu once more. At this point, you’ve successfully switched back to a personal page.

Make the Switch to a Biz Account on Instagram Today!

Maximize the tools Instagram created specifically for the needs of brand owners by switching to a business profile today. A few steps are all it takes to get access to tools like Instagram Shopping, ads, swipe-up links, and more.

After learning how to create a business account on Instagram, pour all your efforts into promoting your content. This is something you can do by utilizing the professional tools at your disposal. But if you need extra help growing your page, consider working with Path Social.

Our team harnesses the power of AI to promote your page to your targeted niche audience. That way, your content reaches the people they will resonate with the most. More people discover your business profile, which means more users follow your brand. Gain more followers and grow your community with Path Social’s tried-and-tested promotional strategies!