Should You Have Separate Personal and Business Instagram Accounts?
Okay so you start a small business, but now you have no idea what to do next on Instagram. Should you keep sharing your new business information on your personal page? Or do you need to make a separate page for your business?
This question gets brought up all the time in the business world with a lot of differing opinions. Today I'm going to help guide you through making the best decision for your business as well as your sanity, as managing multiple Instagram accounts can often be overwhelming.
Is this business and expansion of you or something totally separate?
The first thing that I want you to think about is if this new business is something that is more of an expansion of you and a personal brand, or if it's something that is completely separate from you and your personal life.
An example of an expansion of your personal brand doesn't have to be something that is completely about you. Some examples that I like to bring up are photographers, hair stylists, and designers. These type of businesses are very involved in building relationships with their clients and actually showing up face-to-face to meet up. Because of this, these business owners have a personality that matters to their business.
If this is someone like you, I would recommend having one Instagram account that shares both business and personal information/posts.
Is Your business a separate entity?
If you want your business to be completely separate from yourself, not dependent on you running it, or expand to more than just a personal brand of yourself, then starting a separate Instagram account is best.
This allows you to set a personal tone for the business that can be separate from your own. Also, as you introduce potential team members/speakers in the future, you won’t create confusion from viewers that are so often used to seeing your face that they are lost/turned off when they see someone else speaking to them.
Having a separate business account allows your business itself to gain authority in its area. This doesn't mean that you can't share personal things on your business account — by all means do that! I always recommend business owners including personal stories and information on their Instagram account because it allows customers to personally connect with the business or business owners themselves.
Consider the burnout factor
Having two Instagram accounts can often be very confusing and exhausting. There are a lot of questions that can come up, like, which story should you post on which account? Should you post the same stories on the same account? Are people going to follow your business account if they've been following your personal account for years, or did they just want to go to one place to see all things from you?
If you are trying to balance two Instagram accounts as a side hustle alongside a full-time job or role in your household, consider either taking a break from your personal account to focus on your business account, or combine the two accounts to make your life a little bit easier.
One thing I really like about having one Instagram account is the fact that you can continue to easily pivot as your business ideas and interests change. If you are a wedding photographer and decide to be a business coach, slowly pivoting one account existing account can help create already interested customers - and you already have people that love for you for yourself, not necessarily what you provide.
There isn't a right answer to if you should have two separate Instagram accounts or one. What I would recommend is taking into consideration your personal brand versus business brand, what your customers want to see, and also what you can honestly manage in a productive way. Don't let Instagram overwhelm your life; instead, take charge and make an account, or accounts, that serve your customers the best way possible.
