Instagram tests new business profile features

Instagram has begun testing their business bio feature on a number of accounts following announcements of the move earlier this year.

Currently businesses must list contact information and addresses in their description section however the change brings in a new ‘contact’ button, links to maps and directions, and ultimately will categorise and organises businesses by type.

When you click on the ‘contact’ button a pop-up menu offers directions or direct email to the business.

Most businesses already list their email and so it is a positive addition for brands looking to quickly connect with potential customers. Users can also easily find out the location of a business and get directions using the menu to open a map interface, which is set to most benefit local retailers and restaurants.

Instagram has become a leading social media platform for businesses and over 85 percent of top brands are now users. It is a powerful driver for business, with brands posting frequently reaping greater engagement results than on Facebook and Twitter combined.

Similar to Facebook, business pages will soon be categorised by type and the heading will appear underneath the business name. This feature will be particularly useful as it will inform consumers more about what kind of business is represented and moving into the future it will allow easier curation and search recommendations for users.

The business profiles have yet to be extended to all users but the testing stage is a positive move for businesses looking to improve their presence on the platform.

Having been acquired by Facebook, Instagram has been developing its advertising capabilities including video ads and has announced its mission to improve working with businesses, although it has yet to develop any specific advertising tools for small businesses.

At the moment, over 200,000 advertisers use the platform which has over 4000 million users.

Instagram CEO Marne Levine has said that the platform is working to review and understand the ways businesses are using the platform and thinking about what to offer them in the future.