How to set up a business profile that brings customers

A business profile is a small storefront. In a few seconds, a stranger decides whether you are real, whether you sell what they need and what to do next. This lesson shows how to set up a business account on the main networks, what to write in each field and how to check that your profile does its job.

A profile has three jobs

When someone finds your posts or your name, they usually tap your profile before they do anything else. In that first look, your profile has to answer three questions:

• What is this? The name, the photo and one line of text should make your business clear.
• Is it for me? The place you serve, the kind of customer and the type of work should be easy to spot.
• What do I do now? A button, a phone number or a link should show the next step.

Most profiles that do not bring customers fail on one of these three. The rest of this lesson fixes them, one field at a time.

Use a business account, not a personal one

Every main network has a business version of an account. It keeps your private life apart from your business and gives you tools for contact details and results. Menus and names change, so use the steps below as a guide and follow the platform's own help pages for the current screens.

Instagram: a professional account

Instagram offers two kinds of professional account. The Business type is meant for shops, local companies, brands, organizations and service providers. The Creator type is meant for public figures, artists and people who make content. A small business should choose Business.

1. Open your profile, then open the menu and go to Settings and activity.
2. Find Account type and tools, under the heading For professionals.
3. Choose the option that switches your account to a professional account.
4. Follow the prompts. Choose Business, not Creator, and pick the category that describes your work. The category shows as a label under your profile photo, and you can hide it later.
5. Add your contact details. They appear behind a Contact button, which can hold directions, a phone number and an email address.

During the switch, Instagram also asks if you want to link a Facebook Page. You can switch back to a personal account, or between Business and Creator, at any time.

Facebook: a Page

On Facebook, a business uses a Page, not a personal profile. You create it by giving a name and a category. A short description is optional at that point. The profile picture and the cover photo come in a next step, once the Page exists. The category you choose can change which features the Page offers, so pick the closest one. After that, fill in the rest of the information the Page asks for, such as your contact details and your website address.

TikTok: a business account

On TikTok you can switch a personal account to a business account in your account settings, in a few taps. A business account has one practical difference you will meet in the lesson on short video: it uses a library of music that is cleared for business use. TikTok keeps the current steps in its help pages, so check them when you switch.

LinkedIn: a Page for your company

On LinkedIn, a company Page is created from a personal profile. LinkedIn asks for details such as the company name, the industry and the website address, then a logo, a cover image and a description. LinkedIn also asks you to confirm your email address, and it may ask for more proof of your link to the company, so check its help pages for the current rules.

Your name and username should match everywhere

Use your exact business name, spelled the same way, on every network, on your website and on your Google Business Profile. When the names match, people know they found the right place and search engines connect the dots.

The username, also called the handle, is the short name after the @ sign. Choose one that is short, easy to say over the phone and easy to spell. Try to use the same handle on every network. If your first choice is taken, add a short word such as your city or your trade, and avoid numbers and underscores in the middle. Claim the handle as soon as you choose your business name, before someone else does.

Some networks let you add a few words next to your name, like "Bakery, Austin" or "Plumbing, Tampa Bay." Use that space. It tells people what you do and where, and the words in your name can help people find you when they search inside the network.

Your profile photo is usually your logo

Profile photos are small, and most networks crop them into a circle. Choose an image that still reads at the size of a thumbnail:

• Use your logo if it is simple, or a clear photo of your face if clients hire you personally, as with a consultant or a real estate agent.
• Keep the important part in the middle, so the circle does not cut it.
• Use a plain background. Busy photos turn into a blur at small size.
• Use the same image on every network. Recognition is the whole point.

Your bio has one job

The bio is the short text under your name. The space is tight, so every word has to work. Use this formula: what you do, for whom, where, and what to do next.

• Bakery: "Sourdough and pastries, baked daily in Austin. Order ahead below."
• Plumber: "Licensed plumber serving Tampa Bay. Same-day repairs. Call or message us."
• Consultant: "I help small clinics organize their schedules and billing. Based in Denver."
• Boutique: "Handmade jewelry from Santa Fe. Ships across the U.S. Shop at the link."

These examples are invented, to show the shape. Write yours in your own words, in the language your customers use. If you serve people in English and Spanish, say it in the bio, for example "English and Spanish." Some networks give you a little more room than others. If you have it, add one thing that builds trust, such as years in business, a license or a guarantee, but only if it is true.

Avoid empty phrases like "passionate about quality" or "dream big." They could describe any business. Be concrete instead: what you do, where you do it and how to reach you.

Your link should lead to a page that helps

Most networks give you a place for a website link, and that link is the main door between your profile and your business. Use it well.

• Link to your own website. Do not link to another social profile, and do not leave it empty.
• Link to the page that fits the offer. If your profile talks about booking, link to the booking or contact page, not to a long home page.
• Keep it short and clean. A short web address looks trustworthy and is easy to read aloud.
• Check it on a phone. Most people tap that link from a phone. If the page is slow or hard to read, they leave.

When you run a special offer, you can change the link for a while and point to a page about that offer. Then change it back.

Add the details people look for

People check a few facts before they visit or call, so put them where they can be found without effort:

• Category: the label under your name, like "Restaurant" or "Dentist." Choose the most specific one.
• Contact options: phone, email and directions, in the contact button or the contact section your network offers.
• Hours: include holiday changes when they happen. Wrong hours are one of the quickest ways to lose a visit.
• Location or service area: a street address if customers come to you, a city or service area if you travel to them.
• Languages: if you serve customers in more than one language, say so.

If you work from home, you do not have to publish your street address. Show your city or the area you serve instead, and give customers a phone number or a form.

Show your best work near the top

A new visitor will not scroll through months of posts. If your network lets you pin or feature a few posts, use that space for the ones that explain your business best: your most popular product or service, your work in action, a short welcome and a customer story. Update them when your work changes.

Before you invite anyone to your profile, publish at least a handful of posts. An empty profile makes people hesitate. A profile with nine or ten clear photos feels alive, even if you are new.

Check your profile with a five-second test

Show your profile to a friend, or to a customer, for five seconds on a phone. Then take it away and ask three questions:

1. What does this business do?
2. Where is it?
3. What would you do next?

If the answers are wrong or slow, change the bio first, then the photo, then the link. Run the test again with someone else. It takes ten minutes and finds the problems that you can no longer see.

Keep your accounts safe

A business profile is an asset, so protect it:

• Use a long, unique password for each network, kept in a password manager.
• Turn on two-step verification, so that a stolen password is not enough.
• Use a business email address that you control for each account, not a personal one that belongs to an employee.
• Give a second trusted person access, so you are never locked out if you lose your phone.
• Write down who has access, and remove people when they leave.

Your website is the link behind your profile

Every profile points somewhere, and that place is your website. It holds the full story: your services, your photos, your hours and a form to reach you. When we build a site, a mobile version and contact forms are included, so the page behind your profile link already works on a phone, and you can upload your own photos and files. When you are ready, you can start your site.

Questions people ask