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Many of us have personal Instagram accounts to document our lives and interests and to keep an eye on friends, family and the odd celeb! But did you know there are two other types of accounts you could be using? Namely, business and creator accounts. If you’re wondering which is best for you, then we’ve got all the answers in our handy guide.

Keeping track of all your social channels can be hard – that’s why our helpful team at Gadget Cover are constantly working to make our mobile phone insurance as easy and straightforward as possible.

What is a Personal Instagram Account?

A Personal Instagram Account is pretty self-explanatory and there are no bells and whistles here. This fuss-free option provides users with the basics they need to create and view content and stay up to date with friends and family.

Key features

Privacy settings

A big draw for those who want to use Instagram but without the worry of being on show to the rest of the world. It’s the only account you can set to ‘private’.

Connecting Facebook pages

Personal accounts allow you to link multiple Facebook pages and profiles to your account.

Personal touch

A personal account is the most authentic way to engage with other users.

Basic features

Many of the basic features of tools like Instagram Stories are pretty much the same as for business or creator accounts so you aren’t losing out.

Close friends list

Almost like a group message, this lets you share information – such as a change to your relationship status – you might not be keen to share with everyone.

Who needs this type of account?

Perfect for the average Instagram user who just wants to share Instagram stories and posts about their day-to-day life and don’t think of it as a personal brand or business. It’s really all about having fun and connecting with people.

Instagram is so much fun it’s tempting to update your profile even while on the move – just make sure you’ve got mobile phone insurance in case of accident or theft.

What is a Business Instagram Account?

Business Instagram Accounts are meant for brands and other businesses, with features to help brand management, conversions and marketing. They’re a great way to make your business brand look professional and trustworthy.

Key features

Instagram ads

These are scheduled posts or Stories a business pays to promote to users’ Instagram feeds. They look just like normal Instagram posts, but with an added “Sponsored” label. They can also include a call-to-action button to drive traffic or sales conversions. Instagram offers several ad formats: from Stories and Photo ads to IGTV and Instagram Shopping ads.

Instagram Insights

If you ever hope to grow your business using Instagram then the Insights tool is essential. Instagram Insights lets you quickly and easily see important information about your account and performance, relating to content, activity and audience demographics. By seeing what’s working and what isn’t, planning your Instagram marketing strategies has never been easier!

However, if you’ve been enjoying using Instagram Stories to engage your audience then be warned. You can only view Insights on past Stories for up to seven days after they’re created. Another possible disadvantage is you can only view Insights for content you’ve shared since you converted to a business or creator account.

Call-to-action buttons

The ability to add call-to-action buttons on your profile is an important one. It means visitors can interact with your business without having to leave the app.

Current call-to-action buttons available for business accounts include:

• Book – Book an appointment
• Reserve – Make a reservation at a restaurant
• Get Tickets – Get tickets for an event
• Gift Cards – Buy gift cards for a business
• Order Food – Get food delivered or order a take-away from a restaurant
• Donate – Share a Facebook fundraiser link for a business

However, only one action button can be displayed on your profile at a time. Also keep in mind that you need an existing account with a partner to select them. For example, if you want a Get Tickets button then you’ll also need an account with Eventbrite.

Swipe-up

A highly coveted feature many businesses aspire to on Instagram. Swipe-up lets accounts drive traffic to an external link. This is a huge deal on a platform where you’re limited to a single clickable link in your Instagram bio. However, it’s only available to accounts with 10,000+ followers or that are verified. It’s the easiest way to boost traffic and sales with a single tap – no wonder it’s so sought-after!

Instagram Shopping

A real game-changer for businesses is the Instagram Shopping feature. This lets followers purchase products from your product catalogue without leaving the app. You can share featured products through your posts and Stories, or encourage your followers to find out more through Search & Explore.

When a user taps a product tag on your post or a product sticker in your story, they'll be shown a product description page which includes the image, description and cost of the product and a link to your website, where they can complete their purchase. A great way to boost sales and reach a wider audience.

Display business and contact details

Make it easy for followers and potential customers to get in contact with you by adding your business category and contact information to your Instagram profile.

Branded content

One of the most effective routes for businesses to connect with users is by partnering with creators to promote their products and services. To bring transparency to this process, Instagram has developed the Branded Content tool. This tool helps you easily identify which posts of yours are paid partnerships. When you add branded content to your Instagram posts, you’ll see a “paid partnership” tag. You’ll also have access to Insights to help you assess the performance of any branded content campaigns.

Minimum age

There are many businesses which require their audience to be of a minimum age (such as those selling alcohol or tobacco). As a business user you have the ability to control the age of your Instagram content’s viewers by setting up a minimum age for your account. You can choose to set up a default minimum age that will be applied everywhere, or you can set up country-specific minimum ages to follow local restrictions.

Account verification

Getting the blue badge of verification is something many small businesses aspire to have on Instagram. That little blue tick next to your account’s name signals authority and trustworthiness to your audience – a priceless benefit in an online world.

However, if your business account does not have a verified badge then don’t despair. There are other ways to prove authenticity. You can:

• Tell potential customers more about your business in your profile bio.
• Use Stories to give a behind-the-scenes look at your business.
• Encourage customers to tag your business. If users see someone in their network using your product or service then they’re more likely to trust you.

Who needs this type of account?

From sole traders to large corporations if you plan to advertise, grow and connect with your customers then you will benefit from having this type of Instagram account. From the ability to run ads and gain valuable insights to that all-important verified badge there is a huge amount this account can do for your business.

Successful business is all about building up a strong network of connections and being able to call on them whenever you need. If you don’t have mobile phone insurance then damage, theft, breakdown or loss of your device could threaten this.

What is an Instagram Creator Account?

Reacting to the needs of the numerous public figures, influencers and creators on the platform, Instagram added this new type of account in early 2019.

With greater flexibility than regular business accounts, Instagram Creator accounts are designed to meet the needs of those that might not yet have a business but need greater control over their profile. Perhaps they are trying to maintain or build fan communities, manage brand partnerships, or share within a specific industry.

Key features

Flexible profile controls

Creator accounts can be adapted to your requirements more so than a business account. As you would expect you can make your account have a similar look and feel to a personal profile. For example, you can hide your Instagram business category along with your contact details (handy for those who work alone or from home). You can also choose a different category to be displayed on your Instagram profile than that shown on your linked Facebook page.

Quick replies and direct message filters

Without the budget to hire a PA, it doesn’t take long for the inboxes of many influencers, freelancers and creatives to become overloaded with messages. And you don’t want to spend your valuable time dealing with an avalanche of correspondence, no matter how welcome!

By allowing creator account users the ability to limit who can message them, Instagram lets creators have more time for their fans and their work.

Unlike personal or business accounts, Creator accounts have access to three message folders:

1. Primary - Messages the creator wants to receive and be notified of
2. General - Messages the creator doesn’t want notifications for
3. Requests - Messages from people the creator doesn’t follow

Creator Studio

Just like the business account, a creator account also has access to Instagram Insights. However, as a creator you can also view them on a desktop computer using the Creator Studio platform.

The platform helps creators to:

• Monetize and manage their accounts
• Monitor Instagram accounts
• Track their profile’s Instagram Insights
• Simplify messages
• Edit their videos with soundtracks
• Schedule posts and IGTV uploads

An additional benefit of a Creator account is that you’re also provided with a daily update on the number of follows and unfollows. An invaluable data tool to let you know which posts have a positive or negative impact each day.

Other features

Just as with the business account, Creator accounts can also:

• Create ads and boost posts
• Set a minimum age for those able to view their profiles
• Display branded content
• Get a verified badge

Who needs this type of account?

If you’re trying to make a career being an influencer, public figure, or a content creator then there are lots of benefits to this type of account. It’s also perfect if you’re trying to develop your Instagram presence and hope to monetize your content or work with brands in the future.

With Instagram such a vital part of your profile you’ll need mobile phone insurance to make sure you have back up if something happens to your phone.

How to switch your profile type in three easy steps

Step 1: Click the three horizontal lines at the top of your profile page and choose Settings.

Step 2: Select Account.

Step 3: If you have a personal profile, you’ll be given the option to switch to a ‘Professional account’. Select that and you’ll be given the option to choose between Creator and Business. If you have a Creator or Business profile you’ll be given the option to switch to a Personal or Creator/Business account.

Mobile phone insurance from Gadget Cover

Whichever type of account you decide upon, life without your smartphone is difficult to imagine. That’s why mobile phone insurance policies arranged through Gadget Cover are designed to include protection against accidental damage, liquid damage, theft, breakdown and unauthorised usage. For an extra premium, we can also cover your tech against loss.

But the benefits don’t stop there. If your gadget is stolen, we will refund the cost of unauthorised transactions made using your e-Wallet facility (up to £500). And if you’ve got some accessories, we’ll replace them (up to £150) if they are lost, stolen or damaged at the same time as your device.

If you’re taking your phone abroad, cover is also automatically extended to include use of your phone anywhere in the world, up to 180 days in any one year. Great if you’re a jet-setting influencer!

Get a quick quote for mobile phone insurance today.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.