Should you have separate business and personal Instagram accounts

These days what you put out in the instaverse will always come back to you, so sometimes separating business and pleasure can have its pro's. But before you decide to separate church and state, read this short blog and do what is best for you and your business.

You are important.

• It is important to know that as a stylist or professional/expert working in  the personal services related industry, your personality is what makes people come to you. So, even though you are all about your business, don't forget YOURSELF! You and your personal brand are essentially what makes you stand out.

A business-only Instagram account gives you access to some simple user analytics.

• Knowing about your clients wants, needs and likes is good, knowing their behaviours and demographics is even better. Having a business-only Instagram account can be extremely beneficial because you will know this kind of information.  But be careful not to simply convert your regular Instagram account into a business-only one. Let's be honest, your granny's 73 birthday party doesn't help get closer to your clientele (unless the elderly are your target market).

Advertising helps.

• Advertising helps when it comes to your business, so having access to advertising tools (and the people to advertise too) is important. With a business account you can create ads, promote posts and target and talk directly to interested people.

You will need a Facebook business page.

• If you want to create an Instagram business account, you are going to have to create a Facebook business page too. The two go hand in hand, and because they are both owned by Facebook, it will help with your online presence and will give it some continuity and uniformity.

Privacy regarding your personal life.

• Little ones are always a subject, depending on how you feel about having your kids and family online (and essentially accessible to everyone). So, setting up a business-only account helps create boundaries from the jump. This also helps if you are a naturally private person as well!

Guilty by association.

• Remember the saying, "the internet never forgets," this saying is really important when you think of your personal business brand. If you have pictures of yourself, out drinking and having a good time, way back when, that's ok, but this may not match who you want to portray professionally.  Even though your friends and family play a huge role in who you are today, and might even be some of your biggest supporters, non-business followers who aren't relevant to your current following ( e.g. family members tagging you in non-business appropriate posts) are best kept in a separate page and not with your business-only content.

Ultimately the choice is up to you. Think about what you want to sell people and showcase just that!

We hope this has given you a little insight on why you might want to have separate business and personal Instagram accounts. Remember there is no wrong answer, just what is best for you.

Good luck Homie!