As one of the fastest-growing social media networks with the most engaged user base, it's no wonder that 89% of influencers believe Instagram is the most popular influencer marketing channel.
The days when only popular celebrities could affect consumer behavior are far behind us. Today, people crave authenticity, so they pay close attention to recommendations from friends and family, so there's a rising demand for nano-influencers. No matter how many followers you have, everyone can become an influencer these days.
Instagram has realized the power of its channel for influencers, so it rolls out new features that can help both brands and opinion leaders make the most out of their collaborations.
Back in early 2019, Instagram introduced an Instagram creator account, an alternative professional account type to separate businesses from influencers.
Instagram Business vs. Creators Account: What’s the Difference?
Instagram evolves recognizing that different types of accounts have different requirements, especially when it comes to social media management and strategy. As you probably know, there are Business and Creator Account types on Instagram, which serve different purposes and have unique features and tools catered to specific needs of businesses and creators.
So what is the difference between Business and Creator Accounts?
According to Instagram, the Creator Account works best for public figures, content producers, artists, and influencers. On the other hand, the Business Account is more suitable for brands, organizations, retailers, and service providers.
In this article, we're going to find out why influencers should switch to an Instagram creator account.
5 Reasons for Influencers to Set Up an Instagram Creator Account
If you want to measure your online presence, understand your growth, and manage your messages, switching to an Instagram creator account is right for you. But if you want to learn more about five reasons why it's worth giving it a try, keep on reading.
Attracting the right audience
Having a solid following is great, but this means nothing unless your followers are engaged. As an influencer, it's more likely you want to make sure you have a community of like-minded people who will be interested in starting a conversation with you.
Thus, it's important to attract the right audience, and an Instagram creator account is here to help you.
When setting up a creator account, you need to choose a category from over 45 options that best describes what you do. The category will appear below your name, so it will be easy for visitors to decide whether they are interested in learning more about your profile or not.
Here's how it looks:
Source: Instagram @colecarrigan
NB: Instagram creator accounts offer a flexible profile display option that allows people to choose whether they want to make this category visible or not.
Better understanding of your account growth
With a great variety of influencer marketing tools like HypeAuditor, it's easy for brands to identify influencers based on reach, demographics, and audience. To secure collaboration with brands, influencers need to measure the performance of your account and its growth.
Switching to an Instagram creator account can help you understand your target audience better and produce content they love to grow your following and engagement. Why? You can learn more about the gender, age range, and location of your followers, and see what content (both posts and stories) your followers love the most. Plus, you can also see net follower changes (the number of followed and unfollowed accounts).
Communicate with fans and brands with ease
When choosing an influencer to follow, we pay attention to people who share our interests and have similar goals. Having a community of like-minded people increases user engagement, and it's no wonder that followers want to interact with these followers. This means influencers constantly get direct messages from followers. What is more, influencers also get requests from brands that want to collaborate. Simply put, the more followers you have, the more direct messages you can get.
Luckily, an Instagram creator account has a 2-tab inbox that makes it easier to communicate with fans, brands, and friends. The Primary tab is aimed at gathering messages you'd like to see first and the general tab is made for messages you'd like to get back to later.
Plus, you can get quick access to the inbox, unread, or flagged messages.
Optimizing your account management
Today, being an influencer is a full-time job that requires much time and effort. Opinion leaders work hard on content creation, monitoring, and engagement. Thus, it can be easier for influencers to manage their accounts via desktop.
Switching to an Instagram creator account, you have access to Creator Studio, a desktop dashboard management tool that allows you to view all of your Instagram content and insights without third-party tools.
Selling featured products in-app
The popularity of Instagram shopping is on the rise. People discover new products on the platform, and they are ready to buy products in-app. In fact, 130 million Instagram users tap on a shopping post to learn more about products every month.
Now, influencers can show off sponsored products and sell them in-app. With access to the shoppable tag feature, creators can improve customer experience on Instagram as they can sell featured products in-app. Whether you have your product or collaborate with a brand, you can create a product tag post, just like Dave Gilboa did it:
When a creator adds a product tag, companies can also see insights like product views and product button clicks to get a better understanding of content performance. Not only can these posts increase sales, but they can also help to understand whether an influencer is right for the business.
How to Switch to a Creator Account on Instagram?
To switch your personal or business account to a creator profile, follow these simple steps.
Head to your account and tap the three horizontal lines icon.
Select Settings and then > Account.
Depending on the type of profile you currently have, perform one of the following steps:
You have a personal account: choose 'Switch to Professional Account' and tap 'Creator.'
You have a business profile: choose 'Switch to Creator Account.'
Select a category that best describes what you do.
If needed, you can also connect to your Facebook Page.
Review your contact information. You can either display or hide this on your profile.
Finally, select your profile display options. You can showcase or hide your category and contact information on your profile.
Will Your Engagement Rate Drop When Switching to a Creator Account?
The thing is that Instagram creator accounts help influencers make money, and the platform wants to get a slice. Also, the Instagram algorithm prioritizes content from friends and family, so an Instagram creator account can be at a disadvantage in terms of organic reach. However, insights give you an opportunity to understand your audience better, so you can create interesting content that will keep your followers engaged over the long haul.
Before you switch to an Instagram creator account, it's important for you to know in advance that many creators complain that their engagement rates drop after they have switched to the new type of account.
Your Turn
Switching to an Instagram creator account has many benefits for influencers who want to improve their Instagram presence and secure collaborations with more brands. Obviously, it can result in a lower engagement rate, but you can improve it with time if you pay attention to advanced insights and adjust your Instagram marketing strategy to your audience's needs.
So, are you ready to set up a Creator account?
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