Consider this… How many times have you visited a business profile on Instagram just to be left with questions such as ‘what does this business do?’ and “what do they offer?’? Your Instagram bio is an important tool in answering these questions for Instagram visitors who are new to your brand and is one of the best ways to convert these visitors to followers.
Your brand’s Instagram profile/bio is the first impression visitors will get of your brand and essentially sets the stage for your brand’s presence on the platform. Think of your bio as your business card, elevator pitch, and the home page of your website all rolled into one.
In many cases, your Instagram profile may be the first point of contact someone has with your brand on any platform. This is why it is important to create a business profile that effectively portrays your brand and creates that first step towards brand recognition. To make crafting the perfect Instagram profile easier, we have listed some of the most important elements to include, and some tips for writing the perfect bio for your brand.
Choose a relevant and eye-catching profile picture
Your profile picture isn’t only the first thing an Instagram visitor will see, but it is also one of the first things they are going to associate with your brand in their mind. We’ve all heard the saying ‘a picture speaks a thousand words’, and in terms of your profile picture, you want this to work in your brand’s favour.
For a business on Instagram, using your (current) logo, or a variation of your logo, as a profile picture is a great first step in creating that brand recognition in your viewer’s mind, or triggering it with viewers who are familiar with your brand. It will also help to create a sense of consistency across your brand and your other online channels, an important part of branding. Just make sure your logo is designed to fit to make sure it looks professional.
On the other hand, if you are trying to sell yourself as the face of the brand, such as for a business coach or photographer, using a photo of yourself as the profile picture is a great way to make an initial introduction to your profile visitors.
Include a goal-oriented and simple bio to attract your ideal audience
A good Instagram bio gets straight to the point and outlines what your business does in a few short sentences. With a simple and relevant bio, you can target your ideal audience by making it clear to new visitors what it is you do. If they are interested or can relate, they will be more likely to follow.
Think of your bio as a business pitch that you have to fit into 150 words. You want to make it clear what you do, speak directly to your ideal audience, share your unique value proposition, and express a little bit of your brand’s personality.
Here are some important things to remember when writing your bio:
- Know and understand your goal: With such a small word limit, it is important to know what you want to get from this bio and have a clear sense of direction on how you will use this to guide visitors. Knowing the result you want from your bio will make it easier to narrow down and craft what you are going to publish.
- Express your brand personality: Include some of the language and tone consistent with your brand and its other published content. This will help to showcase the personality of your brand, therefore making it more relatable to visitors.
- Ensure it is easy to read: As we have established, you don’t have many words to fit into your bio, but it is important to be able to convey what your business does/offers. Because of this, it is crucial to make sure that the content is easy to read, follow and process. Improving the readability of your bio may involve line breaks or spacing to showcase the important information at first glance.
Stay tuned for more helpful tips to optimise your Instagram Profile in Part 2!