8 steps to optimize your Instagram profile

I hear this all the time from my clients:

"{Social Media is} is something else I have to do on top of all the other things I have to do as an entrepreneur."

 

I get it - learning how to use a social media platform in order to grow your business on top of growing your business can feel overwhelming.

Most of us don't start a business so that we can be tied down by every aspect of our business.

If you're like me, you started your business for some of these reasons:

• to share your business value with others who find value in it as well
• to create a sustainable customer base that come back and refers people to you
• to make a sustainable and consistent income
• have time freedom and flexibility in your life

So let's be honest - you don't want to spend more time than you have to on social media creating content or scrolling endlessly for ideas.

And truly, Instagram alone can feel like a mountain of confusion.

Does this sound like your brain?

When should I post, what kind of post should I put up, what kind of content should I offer in the caption, should I use hashtags, should I use keywords for SEO, what is SEO, what should I post to my feed, what do I use stories for, how do I use the insights, should it be a business page, should it be public or private, should I include any personal posts, how do I show up without only promoting my product or service and looking salesy or icky...

 

If you can relate to this stream of consciousness, keep reading.

Here are 8 steps to optimize your Instagram profile so you'll have better engagement and feel more confident when you get on the app.

Why do you want to optimize your Instagram profile and what does that mean?

I'm so glad you asked.

Your Instagram profile is FREE ADVERTISING to your audience and a tool to attract more of your ideal clients. Each part of your profile offers a strategic opportunity for you to dial in and attract more people to find you with ease and know what you offer, to whom, and why as soon as they land on your profile.

 

• Your account should be a public and professional account

  • Go to Settings > Account > Switch to professional account
  • Select a category that best describes your industry - Entrepreneur is a great option if you're not sure
  • Choose Business or Creator

• Optimize your Username field

  • Your Username should tell people who you are, whether that’s the name of your business or your name individually - it should be clear and concise with your name or the name of your business.

• Update your Profile Picture

  • Your Profile Picture should be clear, no filters, and a solid background. People are more likely to connect with a face, unless you have a team of people and your faces would be too small, in that case you can use your logo for the Profile Picture.
  • If you have Canva Pro, you can use the Background Remover under Effects on any picture that you have.
  • If you don't have Canva Pro, you can use www.slazzer.com to remover any background from a photo for free.

• Optimize your Name field (you can only change this twice every 14 days)

  • The Name field is one of the most important parts of your IG profile because it is set up for SEO (search engine optimization) - this is PRIME real estate to attract your ideal client.

  • That means you want to use a phrase to describes your business that someone would type into a search engine.

  • You don’t want this to be your entire value statement or the full description of your business, you want it to be a soundbite that gives people that land on your page an idea of what you do and the value you offer

• Update your Bio field

  • The Bio field should give more details about who you serve and the outcome you offer (a shortened version of your "I Help" statement)
  • It should NOT have hashtags, other account names, or too many emojis

  • You can talk about yourself in the about me section of your website or an about me/start here highlight bubble

  • This part is also going to take some time because you have a limited amount of characters that you can use, but you can update it without limited attempts

• Include a CTA (call to action) in your Bio field

  • The last line of your Bio should include a CTA that tells your ideal client exactly what to do next
    • to sign up for your email, SMS/text campaign, a lead magnet, a free course, a free recording - something low-risk that offers value toward their pain point or desired outcome

• Include a Link (website link)

  • Your Link should take your ideal client directly to the free offering you mentioned above OR can include a SHORT LIST of links with offers
  • If you have too many link, a confused mind will always say no, so make sure you are thoughtful with the links you include and make sure that your free offering is at the very top

• Update your Highlights

  • Your Highlights should reflect topics that align with your content pillars as a way to give more context to the content you're sharing and guide them to learn more about you and what you offer
  • You should update these regularly so they are relevant and timely