By Patricia Lundy
This blog post is a follow-up to one I did a few weeks ago, when Instagram’s Business Profiles were generating buzz but were only available in a limited beta launch.
Different outlets were speculating about what features might be included as part of the Instagram Business Profile.
Last week, Instagram clarified these capabilities and introduced them in what it’s calling Instagram Business Tools. Instagram says it launched Business Tools for the purpose of:
- allowing customers to contact businesses directly on Instagram.
- providing valuable analytics to businesses.
- allowing businesses to reach more customers.
Business Profile Is Just One Component of Instagram Business Tools
Instagram clarified that its Business Profile is just one component in its arsenal of Business Tools. The main goal of the Business Profile is to denote a user is a business versus an individual. Businesses can currently get a Business Profile for free, just like they would a free Facebook page for their business.
That said, it appears that only businesses who currently have a corporate Facebook page will be able to convert their Instagram account to a Business Profile. This is most likely Instagram’s way of fighting spam and impersonators, and also enables their ad platform to work via mobile—billing is tied to a Business Profile’s Facebook page. More on that later.
Businesses Can Choose How Customers Contact Them
With the Business Profile, Instagram has made it easy for companies to eliminate the analog process of searching through comments to respond to complaints and praise, as well as questions—something tedious and time consuming especially for businesses with large Instagram followings, or those who sell consumer goods.
With the new contact tab, businesses can choose how their customers reach them directly through Instagram, and can select from routing to call, text, or email.
Instagram’s Mobile Analytics Is Called “Insights”
Instagram is following Facebook’s lead in acknowledging that post likes and comments aren’t always the best way to tell how engaged your audience is. As part of its Business Tools, Instagram launched Insights—what analytics is also called on Facebook—to help businesses learn more about their customers’ activities.
Because Insights can be accessed right on mobile, it allows businesses to glean the knowledge they need to select which posts to promote as ads, a feature also available via mobile.
With the click of a button, you can add a Call to Action to your post and set the duration of time you’d like an ad to run and the audience you’d like to target. Instagram will also suggest audiences for you.
Business Tools Will Help Instagram Win Big
From what it has promised, it seems that Instagram has built its Business Tools with UX in top of mind. This will most likely allow them to win big when it comes to monetizing their platform because they’ve made the pay-to-play feature easy to use while also providing valuable analytics to marketers.