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December 9, 2024
There are many factors to optimize your Instagram Profile. It’s vital to post great-looking images, write interesting texts with a clear call to action, and post engaging stories and fun videos. There are many things to attend to which may be why many business owners neglect to invest in optimizing their profile home page and the information that appears there. Focusing just on posts and stories ignores that most users will usually look over your profile before deciding whether to follow you. This brief glance is your chance to impress them and give them as much information as possible about your product or service.
So what can make people stop and look at your profile, and what details should you include?
Here’s a list of what you should know:
Profile Photo
In most cases, the best choice for an Instagram profile photo shows a face’s closeup – the most attractive image for the human eye. When possible, choose a clear, well-lit photo of yourself—no accessories or sunglasses – just your smiling face. If the profile belongs to a corporation or brand, consider choosing a picture of a representative persona that can embody your brand. If you selected a logo, make sure it’s clear and look good in the profile image’s small, round format. If the logo includes text, it might look small or hard to read, so go for a clean version.
Username
The Instagram username is the handle that appears at the top of the profile. It must be a unique combination of letters, underscores, and periods that’s not used by any other account. Despite this limit, try to choose a memorable and straightforward name identified with your brand. If your business changes its direction, you can change the username, but you will lose your tags on other accounts and will have to find another unique combination available.
Profile Name
While your username is unique and unchanging, the profile name, which appears in bold at the top of the bio, can be frequently edited and altered. It should reflect the essence of your business so that a visitor to your profile can understand it in one glance. And keep in mind that the words included in this headline should be the most important keywords or hashtags you want to appear for in the search results. So instead of just writing your name – include a description of what you do.
Bio
For businesses, the text in the profile bio is especially important. This is your chance to explain to users why they should be interested in what you offer. Since you have only 200 characters for this task, the bio text should be concise and converting. It should also include the most crucial keywords and hashtags for your business. Note that if a prominent persona is associated with your brand, it may be a good idea to tag their account in your bio.
The Link in the bBio
The bio is the only place in your Instagram profile where you can include a clickable link that will send users to your website. Since the bio has such a crucial role, it’s essential to approach it strategically and aim to make the most of it. One way to do this is to periodically replace the link you use to align with your marketing goals. If you want to promote a new product or collection – add a direct link to the product page. Have a gift you can offer? A free downloadable? A coupon or a special offer? Add them here to invite as many users as possible to your account.
The Highlights
Instagram Story Highlights appear on your profile homepage as a row of circles and can be used to save stories for longer than 24 hours. For business owners who want to capture the attention of profile visitors, they provide a great opportunity to introduce their brand. While posts disappear down the feed, the highlights remain on your page as long as you want. When deciding which highlights you need, consider the tabs on your website. Showcase product collections, answer frequent questions, etc. It’s also important to take into account the appearance of the highlights. Designing a custom image that’s cohesive with your brand for each circle will give your account a more professional and memorable look.
The Grid
To stand out on Instagram, you need great-looking photos, but don’t forget to consider how these images work together. The rows of images that were posted to your account are called the Instagram Grid. It’s an overview of the visual content on your account. Creating a unique grid that will communicate your brand’s essence and send a visual message to the visitor is the best way to turn random users into followers. There are many ways to achieve this: employing a limited color palette, applying the same filter to all your images, or incorporating graphic elements. Choose the right visual effect for your business by analyzing your brand values and messages. Planning the content you post in advance will allow you to build a grid that tells a story and demands attention.
Optimizing your Instagram profile can be compared to dressing the windows of a shop on a busy street. The end goal is stopping people in their tracks and seducing them to enter to learn more about what you offer. Just as you wouldn’t leave your store window empty, don’t let your Instagram profile homepage go unattended.
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