There are more than 200 million business accounts on Instagram. Switching your account type to Business lets Instagram users get access to a wide variety of features and tools that are not available to personal users.
One question a lot of Instagram users ask is, ‘Should I change my Instagram account from Personal to Business as well?’. Are there any downsides to it?
Did You Know?
Business account users can schedule their Instagram posts with Hopper HQ
In this article, we will take you through everything you will need to know, including the cons of an Instagram business profile in order for you to make the right decision.
What Is An Instagram Business Account
As the name suggests, an Instagram Business account is meant for businesses to market their products or services over Instagram. This gives users access to a number of features that Personal account users do not have.
For example, with a Business account, you could boost your Instagram posts, add links to Instagram Stories, add Action buttons to your profiles, get access to analytics, and so on.
In short, an Instagram Business account adds a layer of “premiumness” to your regular Personal account.
And the good thing here is that an Instagram Business account is free to get, and you do not necessarily have to run a business to get these features. Read on.
Is An Instagram Business Account The Same As a Professional Account?
At the outset, Instagram has two main types of accounts: Personal, and Professional.
If you are someone who needs to advertise on Instagram or get access to one of these many features listed above, then you will need to switch from a Personal account to a Professional account.
Now, there are two kinds of Professional accounts: Instagram Business accounts and Creator accounts.
While there is a lot of overlap with respect to what these two Professional accounts offer, the basic difference is this – a Business account is for businesses that want to promote their brand on Instagram, while a Creator account is primarily meant for artists, musicians, and other individuals who want to promote their personal brand.
What Are The Pros & Cons Of An Instagram Business Account
As we mentioned earlier in this article, Instagram Business accounts are free and offer plenty of benefits to the user.
Let’s take a look at the reasons that make Instagram Business accounts appealing, and also the disadvantages of having one.
Pros of Instagram Business Accounts
Schedule Instagram Posts
Switching your Instagram profile to Business lets you add ‘swipe-up links’ to your Stories, boost your posts, create Shoppable posts, etc. Most importantly, with an Instagram Business account, you can schedule your posts in advance with an app like Hopper HQ.
Schedule Instagram Posts
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Access To Professional Dashboard
As a business, you will want to know how your posts are performing. The Professional dashboard gives you a complete insight into metrics like the number of accounts reached with your content, the number of interactions that your posts received, and also other engagement-related insights for your posts, videos, IGTV, promotions, and Stories.
Linking Permissions With Facebook Page
As an Instagram Business account, you are required to link your Instagram profile with your Facebook Page. When you do this, all the admins and editors for your company’s Facebook Page will now be automatically given permission to handle your Instagram Business account as well. This is very useful when you have a social media team to handle various accounts.
Including Contact Information
Instagram lets Business account users add a contact button to their profile. Here, you can add your email address, phone number, or directions to your store.
Add a Category Label
Instagram Business accounts also have the ability to add a category label to their account. This is essentially the same category you add to your Facebook Page.
While you may hide it if you want, a big advantage with a Category label is that it helps with discovery. You could potentially be referred to Instagram users who follow a lot of other businesses in your category.
Access to Secondary Inbox
Instagram has evolved to become the primary marketing channel for a lot of boutiques and small businesses. This also means a ton of messages between your team and potential buyers. A secondary inbox – with Primary and General tabs can help you organize your conversation better, and thus keep clutter to a minimum.
Sorting Requests
This is one of the more interesting pros of owning an Instagram Business account. You have the ability to sort follow requests based on the time, or by account popularity. This is useful if you want to identify influencers and micro-influencers from within your network.
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All these features make it seem like we should all switch from a Personal account to a Business account. Are there any disadvantages at all?
Sure, here are a few.
Cons of Instagram Business Account
Can’t Set Account To Private
Unlike Personal and Creator Instagram accounts, a Business account cannot be set to Private. If you are someone who wants to switch their account to Business simply because you are curious about the features, then please do know that your account shall now be public.
Limited Facebook Sharing
As a rule, Instagram Business accounts need to be connected to a Facebook Page. When you do this, any post you publish on Instagram can only be shared to Facebook over this connected Page.
If you have a different Facebook Page where your content needs to be shared, the only way to do this would be to switch your Instagram account from Business back to a personal account and set up your Professional account all over again with this other Facebook Page.
Shared Permissions
We touched upon this topic earlier in the advantages – all users who have been given permissions to access your Facebook Page as an editor or moderator will also have access to your Instagram Business account.
While this is mostly an advantage, this can also be a downside if there are specific reasons why you do not want this to be the case.
Follower Baseline for Features
We mentioned earlier that Instagram Business accounts can set up swipe-up links on their Instagram Stories. What you should however know is that features like these are only available to large business accounts with a following of over 10,000 users. You may fail to get access to these features if you are a small business with a limited following.
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Lower Visibility
For a long time now, there has been a debate among Instagram marketers about the possibility of business accounts facing lower visibility. At the outset, this makes sense – Instagram makes money solely from business accounts, and so keeping their organic reach low can nudge more of these accounts to spend money on promoted listings.
However, this claim has been refuted by Instagram, and I personally do not think this is the case, either. However, this is a debate that won’t just go away. And you have a right to feel dismayed if you notice lower visibility and reach for your business account.
Need For Consistent Posting
Instagram ads can be expensive. And if you are seeing lower visibility, then the only way to grow your organic reach is by posting new content on a consistent basis. For a one-person shop, this could mean a lot of work.
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The Pros Outweigh The Cons
All said and done, an Instagram Business account offers features that make running an Instagram marketing campaign a delightful experience. If you own a business and are looking at Instagram as a platform to reach customers, there is simply no reason to not switch to a Business account and take advantage of all the different features that this profile has to offer.
