How Many Instagram Accounts Should I Have?
If you have a personal Instagram account, run a business, are pursuing a side hustle, and are passionate about gluten free baking, decorating with plants, or home brewing kombucha, you may be wondering, how many Instagram accounts should I have? One for each venture? One business and one personal? Or maybe I can get away with combining everything? And that’s the complicated answer- it could be any of those options, so let’s dive in and see what makes the most sense for you.
How many Instagram Accounts Should I Have if I Run a Business?
You May Want One Account If:
If you are the sole proprietor of a business like a real estate agent and work with your clients one on one, you likely only need one Instagram account. Thanks to my background as the Director of Social Media and Agent Services for a Keller Williams office, I work with countless real estate agents who have asked the very question, “how many Instagram accounts should I have?” and I tell them, “one”. Real estate agents do not need a business account separate from their personal account. If you will be consistent with sharing your listings, sales, and behind the scenes content to your personal grid and if you don’t mind having your more personal content public, you can move forward with just one account. Ensure that one account is public and set up as a Business account. Doing so allows you to gather analytics and schedule content using third party platforms.
You May Want Two Accounts If:
If you want to keep your personal account private or if your business consists of a team of people, you may want to have a separate business Instagram account. If you do decide to have two separate accounts, be sure to share professional content to your personal account. Your business and how you serve people should not be a secret. Likewise, share personal content on your business account. People want to work with other people and personalities they relate to- not just a logo or a brand that is constantly trying to sell to them.
While I often give examples relating to real estate, this holds true across industries. From individual designers and instructors to content creators, stylists, sales people, amongst others. If you fit within any of the industries and you run or are part of a team, consider creating a separate business account where each team member can be featured and contribute content.
How many Instagram Accounts Should I Have if I Run a Business and a Side Hustle?
You May Want One Account If:
If you have a side hustle that supports your business’ mission, you may want to maintain one Instagram account and integrate posts relating to your side hustle to your content plan. For example, you could post something personal on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, business related on Tuesdays and Fridays, and side hustle shares on Wednesdays and Sundays.
You May Want Two Accounts If:
If you have already decided to have a separate personal account and your side hustle supports your business’ mission, you may want to have two Instagram accounts (one personal and one for your business and side hustle). If your side hustle’s message conflicts with that of your business or your target audience is different from that of your business, you may want to have a separate Instagram account just for your side hustle. If the latter is the case and your personal account is separate from your business account, you may want to consider having three Instagram accounts.
How Many Instagram Accounts Should I Have if I am Pursuing a New Passion?
Instagram is all about sharing your passions! Unless your passion for baking bread, reading literature, visiting defunct historical sites, or knitting slippers for puppies becomes its own venture, share that content to your personal account! You can even share photos of your bread or pup in slippers to your business account. People want to work with people and your passions make you relatable. I often share what I’m reading or my latest gluten free recipe to my personal Instagram and get new literary suggestions and recipes in response. It’s a great way to engage with my community and find people who share similar interests.
When I first started Ink & Olive, I already had a personal Instagram account and decided to create an additional account just for my business. After sharing content to two separate accounts for a little over a year, I focused on one account and stopped using (but didn’t delete) my @inkandolivemedia handle. Another year passed and I decided to refocus on my separate, professional account with the intention of being more consistent with my branding. Ultimately, it comes down to which option will allow you to be most consistent with your posting schedule, your message, and your branding.
Need help with your content or want someone to run your Instagram account for you? Let’s connect.