How Many Instagram Accounts Do I Need for My Business?

It’s everyone’s favorite question: how many Instagram accounts should I have? 

A personal one and a business one? One big account for everything? An account for every aspect of my business?!

If my business has multiple different branches or audiences, should I create separate accounts for each one? 

Short answer: I don’t know! Let’s find out together, shall we?

We are going on this journey together. There is more than one right answer to this problem, and it’s up to you, your business, what you can handle, and what you need. 

One Account for Everything

This is your single account for everything – personal posts, life updates, business posts, and may even a quick picture of the delicious dinner you made last night. 

The advantage of only having one account is it’s the only one you need to create and schedule content for. You also don’t run the risk of your audience being confused by seeing multiple accounts with your name on it, and you can focus on growing that one account. By pouring your time and energy into one account, you can see faster results than spreading your focus around multiple accounts.

However, if you do a lot of different things in your business, it can be challenging to keep a consistent and cohesive feed. You also have to have a tough conversation with yourself: Does your ideal audience want to see the personal side of your life? Part of being on social media is being social, being human, and connecting with your audience. They want to connect with you on a personal level, but some people who follow you may not want to know your dinner plans or your upcoming vacation. It’s all about knowing your ideal audience and figuring out what they want to see from you. 

Two Accounts: Personal and Business

Having two accounts is probably the most common scenario in the business world. In this situation, you have one account under your name and one listed under your business name where you solely post about your product, service, or offer. You might share about your business on your personal account, but it’s the sole focus of your business account. This is the scenario I’ve chosen for Sarah Catherine Creative – splitting my life into personal and business on Instagram. 

By splitting into two accounts, there’s a better balance of content for both of your accounts. And with two accounts, you know your audience is seeing what they signed up to see. People that follow your business page have clearly indicated that they want to hear about your business, and the people on your personal account are interested in you, your life, and whatever adventures your life includes.

 

The negative side of managing two accounts is twice the content you need to create. With a business account, you can share stock photos or reshare other posts with posting credit. But you still have to take the time to find the pictures, write the captions, and schedule and post them. 

It may not be such a commitment if your personal account is genuinely personal, but I frankly use my personal as an extension of my brand and an opportunity to show and grow my skills. So all of my accounts are basically business accounts, even if it’s my “personal” account. It just means the content I’m sharing on the accounts is different – photos of myself or my most recent blog post.

Another con to this strategy is these accounts can have an overlap in content – I have various posts I need to put on my business account like client work, but I’ll like the post I shared on my business page and want to put it on my personal page. Or, I’ll share a photo of myself on my personal page, and I like the way it looks and want to share it on my business page to continue the brand theme. The cycle continues.

I’ve found myself asking why I have two accounts if I share similar content on both accounts. But I always come back to serving value to my ideal audience and keeping my personal posts separate. And if my audience or clients do end up being interested in my life, my personal account is there for them to follow.

Multiple Accounts

The strategy is for someone who has multiple businesses or various branches or services that are meant for varying audiences. Businesses who have multiple accounts often separate them because the brands don’t go together well enough to fit cohesively into one Instagram feed. 

One example I can think of is a national brand with local account locations that want to show off their local personality or offers. Another example would be for multi-passionate creatives! My sister-in-law does a little bit of everything: a wedding planning business, an online teaching program, and an embroidering company. So, it makes sense for her to keep those brands separate. 

With three or more accounts, you can get laser-focused in your messaging and strategy for each platform. You can intentionally reach and promote your brand to your ideal audience with clear offerings. Similarly, you can get really specific with the content you’re posting, which helps you get your niche and grow within that small community. And if you’re trying to build brand awareness, having different accounts is the easiest way to keep the separate brands cohesive and clear. 

The con, of course, is more Instagram accounts mean more work. Just like in the previous point, you’ll need to come up with content for each account for each week. That content can add up quickly. Unless you have a ton of time on your hands or excellent time management skills, you’re probably going to need to hire someone to help out with content creation or account management for at least one account.

The time it takes to keep 3+ accounts up, running, and providing enough valuable content to be worthwhile to your audience can be exhausting on your own. 

So I’ve covered the three basic scenarios, and now it’s time to decide which one is right for you. 

Some things to keep in mind are: 

• how much time you have to create content? 

• How much time are you willing to dedicate to engaging and growing each account? 

• Are you going to hire someone? 

• And does your business have multiple branches that have different ideal audiences?  

• Do you feel comfortable letting your clients into your personal life? 

• Do you feel extreme pressure to constantly be “on” and curated?

Answering these questions will help you decide what’s right for you and your business. 

The truth is: What works for one person does not work for everyone.

Reflect on your business, goals, and current commitments. If you want to talk through your Instagram strategy, we can schedule a strategy session! Click below to get started.