6 Reasons Why Every Actor Should Convert Their Instagram To A Business Profile
Social media is one of the few free resources actors can use to their advantage. Instagram is no exception.
The more casting director seminars and Q&A sessions that I sit on with creatives, the more I realize how important social media really is…
But lately, I find that artists often neglect the marketing aspect of their business.
If you’re an actor… and you’re not on social media…
You’re missing out!
I don't say that to make you anxious.
Instead, I encourage you to see it as a really exciting way to get ahead in the theatre industry.
The Essential Guide to Instagram for Actors online course is now available! Click here.
Business vs. Personal Instagram Accounts
Many of my followers DM me asking me if it's worth it to switch from a personal account to a business account on Instagram.
If you’re serious about growing your account on Instagram, the answer is yes.
Instagram business accounts allow you to access a variety of tools and functions, including having analytics on your posts and stories, additional calls to action, and things like buttons that you can put on your profile to allow people to easily contact you or find you.
Here are 6 reasons why every actor should switch to a business account on Instagram.
1. you can Add Contact information directly to your Account.
Before Instagram business profiles were rolled out, the only way people could engage with you outside of Instagram was to click your website link in your profile. Hopefully your website had a link somewhere where someone could contact you. The only other way to get in contact was through direct message.
It’s no surprise that casting directors find dm’ing actors on Instagram inappropriate.
Instead, casting directors want to email you.
A business profile allows you to put contact information directly on your Instagram so that the casting director or creative has to look no further than your Instagram account.
Once you provide contact information for your business account, a contact button will appear in your profile. Instagram users simply have to click that button and then choose whether they want to email you call you send you a message or even find your location.
2. You have More access to important analytics.
Instagram was one of the last major social networks to introduce analytics tools, and they're still relatively minimal, but you'd be surprised how convenient these tools can be for you as an actor. Business accounts provide a quick and easy way to look at how your Instagram content is working for you, or not working for you.
You can get an overall view of your Instagram posts by going to your profile and clicking the insights data listed on the top of your account. When you go to the insights section, you're going to see analytics for impressions, reach and follower information from the past week.
As a business account, you now have access to analytics that pull your top posts of all time. You can also click “more” to see those posts sorted by top impressions, how many times people actually viewed your content. And if you want to see analytics for a specific post, you just click on the post, and you click “view insights.” You can see how many impressions how far of a reach and how much engagement that post received.
Through your analytics, you can gage firsthand which types of content are serving you. If you're seeing more engagement on a certain kind of post, then take a deeper look into why that might be.
3. You can now create Instagram Ads.
Having an Instagram business account also allows you to create ads from within the app.
If you want to promote a post, simply click on it and then select Promote.
In my experience, the time from AD creation to full on promotion can range from a few hours to a day or more. But it just depends on how worth it it is to you to promote a certain post.
The reason why Instagram ads can be so beneficial to actors is because you can use them with a call to action. A call-to-action is a marketing term for any device designed to prompt an immediate response or encourage an immediate sale. It's literally a sentence or button that seals the deal. And as creatives we can use a call to action in multiple ways. Our call-to-action can be to like the photo or video that you post or to follow you. It can direct someone else to your website. It can direct people to contact you via email. With a call-to-action, you’re doing two things: telling someone what they should do, and giving them motivation to do so.
4. You can Designate a category / industry for your account.
Depending on the type of performer you are, you can select the category that best applies to you and that will show right underneath your name. Choose between actor, artist, dancer, entrepreneur, fashion model, musician or band, whatever best applies to you.
But having that little category underneath your name is clean, to the point, and tells us exactly who you are in one word.
5. You can share links in Instagram stories.
Instagram has now given us the ability to add links to Instagram stories, which is so great for actors, because now we're able to find creative ways to drive traffic to our websites and our reels and stuff like that through Instagram stories. Remember, there are limitations to this rule if you've heard before, basically you need 10,000 followers or more and have a business account in order to add links to your Instagram stories.
Previously, this feature was only available to verified Instagram accounts but now all you need is 10,000 followers.
6. You can grow your overall engagement by using all of these features.
Switching to an Instagram business profile is going to unlock more features for you, which you can use to boost your overall Instagram engagement. Instagram continues to roll out new features every few months giving people fun new ways to connect with their audiences. And by utilizing these new tools, you can grow your engagement as an actor and help make sure your posts are seen. By switching to an Instagram business profile. You will be sure to have access to the latest and greatest that Instagram has to offer. Of course, make sure to always keep an eye out for these updates and always experiment with new features. Not only will you grow your reach, but it will also keep you one step ahead of the trends in competition.
ONLINE COURSE
THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO INSTAGRAM FOR ACTORS
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Some of my favorite projects I’ve ever worked on came from connections I made online.