Instagram profile, and tap or click Edit Profile.2 In the Name field, type the new name.
3 Save your changes.To do so, tap the check mark, Done, Save, or Submit button (depending on the device you're using).
Choosing a profile photo that attracts customers
The profile photo on your account, as well as your username, is associated with all your activity. When you post anything to Instagram or engage with other users in any way, your profile photo is visible.
Your profile photo should represent your brand and be recognizable to others. If your company is actively using other social media platforms, its Instagram profile photo should be the same as the one used on other platforms. In this way, you create cohesion across your online media and assure your customers that they found the correct account when searching for you.
The profile photo on your profile page appears larger than anywhere else on Instagram. When interacting with others, the profile photo is a thumbnail (small) version. Choose an image that isn't too busy, overwhelming, or cluttered with text, because the image will become difficult to decipher as a thumbnail.
The best profile photos are high resolution so that they have a clear object of focus, contain a simple background, and don't pixelate. (In a pixelated photo, a low-resolution image is enlarged too much and the individual square pixels become obvious, making the image blurry.)
Writing a Bio That Draws in Followers
Your Instagram bio is a short description on your profile that tells people about your business. This description is similar to a 30-second elevator speech and is how you convince new visitors to follow your account.
Most people will read your bio only the first time they visit your profile. Your bio is the first impression you give to new viewers and should accurately convey the message you want to share.
Deciding what information to include
Before you start writing your bio, choose at least two or three key aspects of your business to highlight. These should be traits that will connect emotionally, in some way, with your ideal target audience, such as the examples shown in Figure 2-3.
You also need to determine the voice and style of your bio. If your brand is known for being humorous and witty, your Instagram bio should reflect that same style through words and relevant emojis. In contrast, if your brand is professional and classy, your bio should not be silly and humorous.
© Stephanie Carls/@stephanie.carls (right)
FIGURE 2-3: Effective Instagram bios immediately convey value to the visitor.
To market effectively on Instagram, you must know your target audience and how they're using Instagram. Your bio should be written in a way that connects with the people in that specific demographic. Determine the characteristics that you most want to connect with in that audience and write your bio accordingly. For example, in Figure 2-4, the target audience is people who want to learn about video marketing and how to create their own videos. The bio is written to appeal to that audience.
The Instagram bio is limited to 150 characters, including spaces. The bio is designed to be one single paragraph of information, but you can use formatting techniques to add spaces and line breaks.
Include the emojis and symbols on your device’s keyboard in your bio to create visual appeal and to better connect with your audience. To add emojis, you must open the emoji keyboard on your mobile device. An iOS user should tap the smiley face at the bottom of the keyboard. An Android user can tap the smiley face to the left of the spacebar. (If you don't see a smiley face, tap and hold down on the globe icon to display a pop-up menu, where you can select the smiley face icon.)
Instagram is a visual platform, and having icons in the bio helps yours stand out from others. You have many emojis to choose from. If the traditional funny face and cartoonish emojis don't translate to your brand's style, use simple emoji symbols such as squares, diamonds, triangles, and arrows to add color and visual content without detracting from your professional style.
Generally, hashtags are not a good idea in Instagram bios. If people click the hashtag in your bio, your profile page closes and the hashtag gallery results appear instead. The exception is if you have a unique branded hashtag. For example, @shopgifted encourages followers to use the #thisisgifted hashtag to have their photos showcased on their account (see Figure 2-5). We talk about using hashtags on Instagram in Chapter 8.
© @owenvideo
FIGURE 2-4: The Instagram bio for @owenvideo is designed to appeal to people interested in video marketing.
Formatting your bio
You can edit or create your bio by tapping the Edit Profile button in your Instagram profile. In the Edit Profile screen, shown in Figure 2-6, go to the Bio field and insert the text for your bio. Save any changes when you're finished. Please note that Figure 2-6 shows the setup for a business profile.
Android users can format a bio completely in Instagram. If you want to include line breaks and spacing, tap the Return or Enter key (on the keyboard of your mobile device) at the end of the line.
© Gifted
FIGURE 2-5: A hashtag in your Instagram bio can be helpful for branding.
