When was the last time you updated your bio on Instagram? What about your settings? Optimizing your profile is important because your Instagram profile acts as a landing page, and you need to make a great first impression!
In this post we’ll cover:
- How to create the “perfect” bio
- Using clear and precise call to actions (CTA)
- How to take advantage of the website link
- Cool tips and tricks to make your profile stand out
The Instagram bio is a place that is often overlooked — add a few lines when you sign up, add some contact info, and then call it day.
However, your bio, and your entire Instagram profile creates a first impression of your unique personality, your brand, community and what you do. You bio should be clear and concise and should turn profile visitors into followers, and followers into clients.
What is an Instagram bio?
Separate from your handle/username, your Instagram bio gives you space to use 150 characters (combination of letters, emojis and punctuation) and a separate external link.
Creating the ‘perfect’ bio and profile
You don’t have a lot of room to work with, so you have to get creative. Alongside your text, you can use other features in your Instagram bio to help visitors quickly see a snapshot of your brand, business and action steps.
Tell your visitors who you are and why it should matter to them
- Highlight the most essential information about your business (name, category, area). All three can be changed by going to “Edit Profile.” Use your name in the name field. Change your category to real estate. Add your address under contact options.
- Side note: If you do not have a physical address or you work from home, add your city and state only. This is a great way to be discovered through the explore pages.
- You don’t have to rely solely on plain text. Stand out by using:
- Emojis that add personality 🏡
- 👇🔽Directional emojis or icons that highlight specific areas of your bio, like your website
- LingoJam is a fun way to customize your font
Use branded hashtags and clickable tags
Your website link is not the only thing someone can click on in your bio. Typing any hashtag in your bio will take interested visitors to a feed of branded or user-generated content
What makes working with you different than anyone else? What is your unique selling proposition (USP)? Add that in your bio.
Include a call to action
Featuring a call to action (CTA) drastically increases the chance that users take the action you are describing because you are showing what to do and how to do it.
Best practices for call to action
- Feature your highest priority CTA at the end of your bio. This is because the beginning should establish who you are. Also, being at the end puts it right on top of your link.
- Simple and precise. Don’t add unnecessary words. Good examples of action words are: start, search, click, watch, view, download.
- It can be changed! Have a Mega Open House coming up? Want to giveaway a free download? Special event? Switching up your CTA makes people remember to look at it to see what is new.
Here are some ways you can add a CTA in your bio:
- Be direct:
- Click here to learn my story 👇|
- 👇 Search homes instantly
- Encourage users to register:
- Register for the X seminar ⬇️
- Provide free value:
- Download the list of X open houses this weekend👇
Take advantage of the website link
Don’t just send people to the home screen of your website. Use your link to send visitors to:
- A signup page for a newsletter
- A landing page for viewing houses
- An event registration page
- Your latest market update, community video, etc.
- Track your clicks using a URL generator shorten links and measure traffic
Best practices for website links
- Create your own Instagram landing page that includes multiple links
- You can use a service likeLinkTr.ee, or you can create your own page of “resources”
Use ‘action buttons’
Provide easy ways to get in touch. You can add your phone number for people to call or text, and add your email.
Go to your profile and click “Edit Profile.” Next, click “Contact Options.” You can setup a custom email for Instagram to know they clicked that email. You can have someone text you rather than call. You can even allow people to book an appointment.
Add ‘highlights’ to your profile
Story highlights allow you to give a longer “shelf time” to your Stories. Since stories disappear after 24 hours, highlights allow you to showcase different categories of your choosing.
Highlights are located directly under your bio and above your feed.
Creating a highlight only takes a few steps:
- Go to your profile and click the + sign that says “Highlight.”
- Once there you can choose any stories from your archive (meaning they’ve already been posted as a story) to add to this highlight.
- Give your highlight a Name (You only have 15 characters).
- Edit the cover image. You can also use a separate image specifically for the cover.
Adding to a highlight:
-
- After you post a story, you will see a heart icon that says “Highlight.” Click that icon, and choose which highlight you want the story to go to.
- Alternatively, you can go to your profile, click the highlight, click “More,” then “Edit Highlight” (this is also where you can delete highlights).
Cool trick: You can use this Fancy Text Generator to change up the font on your Instagram bio.
There are multiple ways to enhance your profile. If you want to leverage Instagram for business, you have to give your visitors action items. Once you reach 10,000 followers, you can also include a link in your Stories and Highlights.
Creating a cohesive brand that clearly states who you are, what you do and that gives people a call to action is the best way to optimize your profile.
Jonathan Hawkins is the CEO of The Hashtag Agent and a real estate agent in Huntington Beach. Connect with him here: TheHashtagAgent.com | JonathanHawkinsOfficial.com.
