7 Business Owners Share Their IG Journey
Ever wonder if you would be getting more profile views and generating more online leads with a different Instagram handle? Or maybe you have a business handle but are wondering if you need a separate personal account as well. This is a huge topic with a lot of possible answers, so I’ve broken it down into 3 main categories of Instagram handles to help you decide which one is right for your business. To make this more manageable, I enlisted the help of 7 Southern California-based business owners, who discuss how their business has evolved and why their Instagram handle has helped them grow their brand.
The Three Categories of IG Handles:
1) @FirstName_LastName
Handle Type: @FirstNameLastName
Inspo: @bradenadamdrake, @alisonkiney, or @christie__bailey
Best for: Solopreneurs who are service based and confident in being the face of their brand.
Why: You know that people could get your value from many other sources, but they choose you because of you who are and how you make them feel.
“I have two websites, my law firm Braden Drake Law and Your legal GBF AND I have a podcast. I definitely don’t want to manage multiple IG accounts and this way I can use my personal brand to direct people to my different resources based on their needs and interests.” -@bradenadamdrake
Braden has the right idea here. Rather than try to manage way too many channels, he can build a personal relationship with everyone and point them in the right direction from there.
“I love having my name reflected as my business name…it feels personal, friendly, and approachable. However, I’ve often thought to myself, if the business is only under my name, could it really go on and thrive 100 years from now?” - @alisonkinsey
Alison Kinsey is asking the right questions. For now it makes sense to keep using her personal name, since she is known among her community. Her mission is to cultivate amazing friendships among entrepreneurial women through intimate events and mastermind-style experiences. She was the first person who welcomed me into the San Diego networking scene!
“I like using my name because I’m always changing as I grow as a person.” - @christie__bailey
Christie and I went to college together and now she’s killing it as an Online Business & Life Coach, helping driven women build 6-figure coaching businesses. Check out her daily IG stories for motivation and growth hacks.
2) @Business_Name
Handle Type: @BusinessName
Inspo: @createwithgusto, or @lifeeffect_media_
Best for: Product Based Businesses, Partnerships and (sometimes) Freelancers
Why: It’s more professional and allows for consistency across all platforms. Also, it gives freelancers the flexibility to be seen as a single person or grow into a larger business with team members and contractors, depending on the types of clients they want to market their services to.
“I’ve always had high hopes for Create With Gusto that it would expand into more than a one-woman show. I didn’t want the business to be limited by being associated with my personal brand since it could change in the future.” - @createwithgusto
Create With Gusto, is a creative agency in San Diego run by Angela Garzon who specializes in brand photography. I’ve collaborated with her on several client projects and workshops, and though her personality certainly merits her own IG account, we also love her brand name, and it makes sense for her to stick with that as her business evolves.
“I wanted to call my account “sandiegosocialmediaexpert” but that was taken (and quite long). Plus I already had my LLC set up and Life Effect media means a lot to me.” - @lifeeffect_media_
Life Effect media is a marketing agency, specializing in social media management and web design, definitely worth following for weekly tips on IG strategy and follower growth.
3) @Industry_Expert
Handle Type: @Adjective_Industry_Skillset
Inspo: millennialretailsavant
Best for: Freelancers , consultants, and any solopreneur who’s not getting traction with 1) or 2) - try it for a few weeks and see what happens!
Why: If you have a niche audience in a specific industry, you know exactly what you offer, and you’re trying to become a thought leader or subject matter expert, and you aren’t planning to pivot into a new field or audience demographic, this is a great way to quickly communicate what you do to your followers and can often help people find you by search if they are looking for experts in a certain city.
“I wanted to create something that told people what I brought to the table. There are a lot of talking heads in the retail industry…why should anyone give a damn about my perspective? The fact that I’m a member of the demographic that so many retailers are trying to reach automatically set me apart.” - @millennialretailsavant
This is proof that sometimes, it’s more valuable to tell people what you do for them than what your name is, or that you have a fully functioning business with team members, an office etc. etc. In three seconds of reading your handle, the prospective client instantly knows you speak the language of their demographic, you’re in their industry, and you are confident calling yourself an expert, “savant” or similar.
Feel Like You Should Switch Your Handle?
If you feel like you might need to change your Instagram handle to reach your audience better, you’re not alone. When I messaged Cathy of @altcontent about her unique handle she told me,
As I have built my content creation business, I realized that I am becoming an expert in the social media marketing field. When people hire expert coaches, they want to see your name. So I have been working more on building my personal name as the face of my brand. It’s time to pivot! – @altcontent
Consider this:
At the end of the day, you want to balance prioritizing your personal brand, professional appearance, and niche audience. You can do this through posting a variety of content that caters to each goal, for example on Mondays you share a personal story, on Wednesdays you talk about a professional win or client testimonial, and on Fridays you share a blog post with industry tips to demonstrate your expertise. Still, it’s helpful to know which of these three is the most likely to win you clients, and that doesn’t mean you have it figured out from day one. It means you take time to post meaningful content, interact with your audience, and learn from previous efforts.
Your audience will respect you more for making a bold move than being afraid to try something different. - @mwecreative
Never be afraid to try something new, or go in a different direction. If it feels right it will be right and your audience will respect you more for making a bold move than being afraid to try something different.
🙌🙌🙌