Instagram for local businesses: a profile that gets messages

A local business's Instagram profile brings in messages when people can tell in a few seconds what you do, where you are and how to reach you. That gets solved in the profile, not in the posts. A professional account, the right category, the Contact button, an action button and a bio that tells people what to do will do more for you than ten more pretty posts.

Step one: a professional account

Instagram recommends the Business account type for local businesses, retailers and service providers. You switch in settings, under "Account type and tools," in a few minutes. You get the Contact button, the category label, insights and an inbox split into folders.

One thing to know first: a professional account can't be private. For a business, that's what you want anyway.

Name, category and bio

Someone who finds you through a reel or a tag sees three things first: your name, the category under your photo and your bio.

• The profile name says what you do, not just who you are: "salon name · manicure and pedicure" tells people more than the name alone.
• The category shows up under your profile photo. Pick the most precise one: "Nail Salon," not "Beauty."
• The bio has three lines of work to do. Line one: what you do and for whom. Line two: where and when ("by the market, Mon–Sat 9–7"). Line three: what to do next ("Message us 'booking'").

No emoji on every line and no motivational quotes. People are looking for your address, not a mood.

The buttons: Contact and one action

The Contact button sits near the top of your profile. It holds directions (your address), a phone number and an email address. Anyone who taps it can see them, so use the business number, not your personal one.

The action button takes people straight to a booking or an order. Instagram offers three: "Book now" (for appointments), "Reserve" (for restaurants) and "Order food." You can show only one at a time. To use one, you need an account with an Instagram partner platform, and the partner list is limited and varies by country. Check first whether your booking system is on it. If not, the link in your bio goes to the booking page on your website.

Messages: where they land and who answers

A professional account has an inbox with three folders: Primary, General and Requests. Messages from new people can land in Requests. That's often where the most valuable ones are: someone who just found you and is asking about an open slot on Saturday.

A few simple rules:

1. Decide who answers and when they check the inbox, weekends included.
2. Check Requests every day, not just Primary.
3. Keep answers ready for the five questions you always get: hours, address, parking, how to book, how long a service takes.
4. If you can answer right away, do. If not, say when you'll get back to them.

Pinned posts

You get to choose the first posts people see: you pin them to the top of your profile. Pin the ones that answer questions, not your most liked photo: how to find you, what services you offer, what a booking looks like from start to finish. For what to post after that, see our article on posts that don't sound like ads.

If you'd like us to rebuild your profile and connect it to your website and bookings, see what our marketing studio does.