Why You Shouldn’t Create a “Professional” Instagram Account for Your Business
One of the most frequently asked questions I hear almost every day:
"Should I start a separate Instagram account for my brand or business?”
If you're a service-based entrepreneur, creative, freelancer, or someone who is doing business under their personal name, my answer is usually a resounding no. And this post will tell you why.
You be might be thinking:
"People on my personal account don't want to see my business."
"I don't want to annoy anyone with all of this new content I plan to post."
"What will they think if I do? Will people assume that I’m trying to be an influencer or something?"
It's easy to fall into this mode of thinking, but here's why it won't serve you in the long run and what you should consider instead.
Leverage Your Power Base
The people who are following you on your personal Instagram account are what I like to call your, “power base.” You have to believe they are rooting for you to succeed. Even if they aren't, this is the mindset you must adopt. Never assume someone doesn't want to see your content or doesn’t care what you have to say; these are stories that you've likely made up in your head and are not actually grounded in reality.
Remember, people don’t think about us as much as we think they do. People are thinking about themselves, just like you are thinking about yourself. This means you can afford to be more creative, risky, and inspiring—there’s not as much risk involved as you think there might be.
Manage One Account Really Well
If you struggle to manage one Instagram account, then managing two Instagram accounts won’t be any easier. Do not sever the impact of your time and effort in half, especially if you are a beginner content creator.
Creating a second Instagram account undermines your ability to be attentive, present, and authentic because it pushes you to compartmentalize aspects of yourself which can you leave feeling fragmented as a person, unaligned, and uninspired. You are one person with many interests, experiences, and expertise, when you create a separate account this suggests that you are hiding the personal aspects of who you are. Are you?
Focus your attention on building one account and you are bound to feel better and see the fruits of your labor much sooner.
Don’t Pigeonhole Yourself (You Are Your Niche)
Creating a separate Instagram account for a specific niche, job, or business is pigeonholing yourself: simple as that. While what you’re doing right now may feel permanent, it isn’t. Our lives are always changing.
What happens in 10 years when you don't want to be a nutritionist anymore and you want to go into marketing? Your “professional” account will have thousands of people who are following it for nutrition.
However, when you leverage your personal profile to grow your brand and business, people will follow your account for you, which is much safer because it’s something that will never change. You are your niche, you don’t need to go out and create one.
The Future of Business is Personal
Your Instagram profile should always convey a holistic representation of your life, career, and interests. When you give people an honest view of who you are and how you live your life, it provides them with a deeper understanding of why you do what you do. It builds trust, makes your business more relatable, and helps people feel like they know you, without you having to talk to them.
In all honesty, the personal and the professional can't be separated when you're doing business under your personal name. My advice: don’t fight it. According to Aristotle, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" Let yourself be known by the world, the personal aspects of who you are will sell your products and services much better than any marketing or sales pitch ever will.
The next post in this series will teach you how to use your personal Instagram profile to build your brand and grow your business.
