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The Virtual Marketer

Digital Marketing for Schools

#TellMeHow … to Convert My School’s Instagram Account to a Business Profile

It’s been a bit now since Instagram launched their Business Profile option, but it came to my mind the other day when Hootsuite announced that you could now schedule posts from their platform, that schools that were early adopters of Instagram may not have converted their profiles.

What are the benefits of switching your school’s Instagram page to a Business Profile?

This blog isn’t meant to convince you to switch to a business profile, but if you are on the fence, here’s a few reason’s why I think it’s worth the switch:

  • Additional Contact Details — one of the biggest benefits is the ability to add additional contact details to your account such as your school’s email address, your phone number and your location. This will allow prospective parents to call or email directly from your Instagram profile. This may not seem like a big deal, but any opportunity to encourage engagement and make a connection easier has got to be seen as positive!
  • Posts Promotion — Open Days and other events can now easily be promoted as ads directly from your account. If you’re considering advertising on this channel, it’s worth watching this <2-minute video to see just how easy that is!
  • Post & Follower Insights — a business profile will give you access to analytics about your followers and posts. Learn what content resonates most with your followers and when they’re most likely to be online. Which leads me on to my next advantage …
  • Post Scheduling — As I mentioned Hootsuite just announced the ability to schedule posts now from their platform to business profiles, but you can use other third-party platforms as well. I came across another tool that is worth checking out and ironically from Vancouver as well (go Canada🍁); check out Later and post when your audience is online!

4 Steps to Updating to a Business Profile

Step 1: Log into your school’s Instagram account and tap the gear icon in the top right corner of your profile

Step 2: Scroll down and tap the ‘Switch to Business Profile’. Ensure your profile is set to public as private accounts won’t allow you to switch to a business profile.

Step 3: Select the Facebook page that you’d like to connect to your Instagram business account. If you don’t see your Facebook account, log into that account and make sure you’re listed as an administrator. If you don’t already have a Facebook page you can create one during the Instagram set-up and later make it private if you’re not ready to go live. Hit ‘Next’ after you’ve chosen your FB account.

Step 4: Update your details! Instagram will pull in your details from your Facebook account but make sure they’re all there, including your phone number, email and physical address.

It’s that easy! That being said, I know things don’t always go according to plan so don’t be shy if you get stuck in the switch — pop me an email and I’ll happily help you out!

Read more from my TellMeHow series.

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