It’s no secret that social media, and more specifically Instagram, has become a go-to marketing tool for businesses all around the world. There is estimated to be over 25 million active business profiles on Instagram, with over 200 million users visiting business profiles daily, and over 80% of Instagram’s 1 billion users following at least one business. Instagram provides a perfect platform for brands to engage directly with their target audience in an attempt to increase awareness, exposure, and ultimately drive sales.
As a result of this influencer marketing has become a crucial part of many businesses social media marketing strategy. Influencer marketing has also been a thing, however, the rise of social media has made it easier to access influencers with a large following. As a result of this, Instagram has added a whole heap of features aimed towards businesses who use the platform, however, there has never been a specific focus on influencers, until recently.
Earlier this year Instagram announced the rollout of their new creator accounts that are aimed specifically at influencers. But what exactly are creator accounts and what differentiates them from business accounts?
What are Instagram creator accounts?
An Instagram creator account provides influencers and ‘creators’ with their own profile type that comes with a range of features and tools that are not available to personal or business accounts. Typically influencers would create a business account to differentiate their account from personal accounts, which would also allow them to access the features that are available to business accounts. Creator accounts look to define Instagram users by separating influencers from businesses and provide them with access to tools that are designed specifically for influencers.
Who are Instagram creator accounts aimed at?
When they were first being tested creator accounts were only available to profiles with over 10,00 followers that were connected to a Facebook business account. However, since the full roll out the new profile type is now available to all Instagram users.
Instagram creator profiles are mainly aimed towards influencers who are looking to build and boost their personal brand. As previously mentioned the accounts provide users with a range of features which help users to manage their account. Instagram states that creators profiles are “best for public figures, content producers, artists and influencers”.
What additional features do Instagram creator accounts have access to?
Instagram creator accounts provide users with a whole host of features and tools that are not available to personal or business accounts. These are just a few of the additional tools and features that are available to creator accounts.
In-depth analytics
One of the main features that set creator accounts apart is the additional analytics and insights data available to the user. Creator accounts provide users with an in-depth look at their followers by providing information such as daily follows and unfollows, demographic information, and a new “Creator Studio” that displays all insights in one dashboard. Having access to insights such as these provides influencers will crucial data that can be used to guide any future activity.
Streamlined messages
Another new feature available to creator accounts is the refreshed and streamlined messaging options designed to help aid collaborations. Influencers receive a huge number of messages every day from brands looking to collaborate and fans who want to share their love. Business and personal accounts have access to one primary inbox for all messages with a folder for message requests from accounts they don’t follow. However, creator accounts have access to three folders to help monitor their messages:
- Primary – These are the messages that the influencer wants to receive and be notified about.
- General – These are the messages that the influencer doesn’t want notifications from.
- Requests – These are messages from accounts the influencer doesn’t follow.
Changes to category and contact information
When creating a business profile your account is assigned a category based on the category label from the connected Facebook page. With a creator account, users have greater control over how they choose to label and brand themselves on Instagram. While it is only a small change, being able to go really niche with how you define your personal brand means influencers will be able to pick the perfect label for them.
In addition to this Instagram has also allowed influencers to have greater control over how people can contact them. Business profiles provide a call to action for followers to contact the user by whatever contact information they provide. A creator account allows the user to simply turn that contact information on and off whenever they want to give them more control over who can contact them.
Instagram creator account or business account: which is best for you?
So, now that you know more about Instagram’s new creator profiles, it’s time to decide whether they are right for you. Ultimately, if you are an influencer who is looking to promote your personal brand, not working on behalf of a business, then there is no real reason not to make the switch.
The only downside to making the switch is the fact that third-party scheduling and analytics tools, such as Hootsuite, cannot be used for creator accounts. So, if you like to schedule your content in advance, or if you are managing multiple accounts at once, then it’s potentially more beneficial to stick with a business profile.
Other than that there is no reason not to switch to a creator account. At the end of the day, they are tailored to help influencers with large followings, and those who are looking to increase their follower count. So if you’re an influencer who is unsure whether to make the switch from a business or personal account to a creator account now is time to make the jump and get stuck into all the additional features.
