Over 1 billion people use Instagram every month with over 112 million users in the US alone.
Instagram is a powerhouse social network with incredible reach.
But depending on your business and audience, having one account may be preventing you from effectively marketing to your targeted users.
Instagram users tend to prefer accounts that are focused on a specific niche.
So instead of throwing all your content on one account, you should create multiple Instagram accounts to generate more attention and higher engagement.
In this post, we’ll show you how to set up and manage multiple Instagram accounts, how to switch between them, and what to do to build your brand.
But first, let’s look at all the reasons why multiple Instagram accounts benefit your business.
Why You Should Create Multiple Instagram Accounts
Here are just a few benefits of creating multiple Instagram accounts:
Separate Your Personal Life from Your Professional Life
Many brands have built a thriving audience around their actual lives, mixing the personal with the professional. The Kardashians various businesses, Mark Sisson and the Primal Blueprint, Gary Vaynerchuck…
The list could go on.
But most businesses won’t benefit from showing off the founder’s weekend getaways while promoting an upcoming webinar or new product launch.
The majority of customers want to see what you’re offering them, not the life you’re living.
Of course, much of this comes down to persona marketing. Your brand has to align with your audience’s interests and demonstrate that you can provide real solutions to their pressing problems.
Personality is necessary for building a brand, especially on a social platform like Instagram, but you probably shouldn’t get too personal with your content, much in the same way you shouldn’t bombard your friends and family with business-related posts.
Separating the personal from the professional on Instagram can help you create content that perfectly matches the expectations of your audience. Which, in turn, leads to stronger analytics surrounding engagement and conversions, better ads, and more growth potential.
Market to Different Locations and Cultures
We mentioned earlier that there are over 1 billion monthly Instagram users and 112 million of them are from the US.
What we didn’t mention was that the other 89% of monthly users reside in countries such as:
- Brazil: 70 million users
- India: 69 million users
- Indonesia: 59 million users
- Russia: 40 million users
And more.
If your business targets customers from around the world, you should consider creating multiple Instagram accounts to cater to their culture, language, and preferred types of content.
Ikea is one of the best examples of this.
They have accounts for Mexico, Chile, and Hong Kong among others. For a company as large and internationally known as Ikea, it makes sense to target specific countries with tailored Instagram accounts.
Even if your business isn’t as big, it still helps to have different accounts for different countries because it helps that particular audience better connect with your content and increase the likelihood of them engaging with your brand.
Sell Distinct Products and Services
Growing your audience on Instagram requires consistent focus on the products and services your audience cares about. There are tools like Buffer that can help you schedule your posts across all your accounts.
But if you have multiple product lines targeted toward very different marketing personas, then you may need multiple Instagram accounts for each of them.
You’ve probably never heard of Unilever, but I bet you’ve heard of Axe, Lipton, and Dove. That’s because Unilever owns all of these brands and their product lines, but they’re all marketed separately.
And even companies like Dove have different product lines for men and women, both of which require their own separate Instagram accounts to attract the right kind of customers.
In order to garner the attention you want for your specific products and services, your Instagram account needs to closely focus on one brand or product line.
How Many Instagram Accounts Can You Have?
You can have five accounts per device that you can easily switch between inside the app.
Technically, you could have more if you’re willing to go through these steps outlined by Social Media Pro:
- Log in, log out. Repeat. Tedious but an effective way to manage multiple accounts from your phone.
- Using a second (or third, or fourth) old device for every 5 new accounts you have. iPad, iPod, tablet, old phone; just keep ’em and use them for Instagram – use on Wifi, no need for a service plan.
- Signing up for a scheduling tool that allows you to add more than 5 accounts to schedule posts. Tools to check out include Social Report, Buffer, Hootsuite, AgoraPulse, Later, Planoly, Grum, SproutSocial and Tailwind, just to name a few.
- If on Android, signing up for ParallelApps, or any other cloning app to create a second Instagram app.
Can You Use the Same Email Address for Each New Account?
Only one email address can be associated with an Instagram account.
Every new account you create needs to have at least a new email address or Facebook account associated with the new Instagram profile.
How to Setup Multiple Instagram Accounts
We’re assuming you wouldn’t be reading this if you didn’t at least have one Instagram account.
That’s all you need to follow the steps below showing you how to create multiple Instagram accounts right from your smartphone.
- First, you’ll want to log into your main Instagram account.
- In the bottom right-hand you’ll see a small circular button with your profile picture. Click on it.
- Now you’ll be on your profile. In the upper right-hand corner, tap the “sandwich” or 3-line symbol
- And then tap the gear to go to Settings.
- Scroll down to the bottom and tap “Add Account.”
- You’ll be presented with two choices: “Log Into Existing Account” or “Create New Account.” For our purposes, we’ll tap “Create New Account.”
- You’ll be asked to enter a Username for this new account. Enter the username and click “Next.”
- Instagram will give you the option of connecting this new account to your existing account so next time you log in with your main account, you’ll be able to access your new account. Essentially, your new account will share a login and contact info but remain separate otherwise. We’ll use this option and hit “Next.”
- A popup will appear warning you that anyone who has access to your main account will now be able to access the new account you’re creating. If this is fine, then hit “OK.”
- Next, you’ll see a welcome screen with a bright blue button inviting you to “Complete Sign Up.” Click this button to login and finish the steps of setting up like adding your profile picture, saving your login info, choosing accounts to follow, etc.
That’s it! Now you’ve created a brand new Instagram account using your existing on.
How Do You Switch Between Multiple Instagram Accounts?
Now that you have multiple Instagram accounts, you’ll be able to switch between them in two different ways.
With the first method, you tap your profile picture in the lower right-hand corner to go to your account’s profile page. Then, simply press and hold the profile picture in the lower right-hand corner and a menu will appear showing you which account you’re currently signed into and which accounts you can switch to.
If you haven’t hit the limit of five accounts, you’ll also see a button that says “Add Account,” which you can tap to repeat the steps in the previous section.
The second method also requires you to go to your profile page. Once there, you’ll see your profile name in the upper left-hand corner right above your profile picture. It will have a tiny down arrow next to your name. Tap on it and the same menu will appear displaying the account you’re signed into and the option to sign in to another account or create a new one.
Next Step After Creating Multiple Instagram Accounts? Use Visual Content Marketing to Grow Your Brand
Creating multiple Instagram accounts is an important step toward your bigger goal:
Growing your Instagram following.
Instagram is a hyper-visual social media platform.
Visual content marketing is king and you’re going to need special tools to create a ton of regular content to post to all of your accounts.
Zight (formerly CloudApp) is a free visual communication solution that allows you to create the top forms of content your audience is looking to consume.
Videos are the #1 form of content and our screen recorder lets you capture and share footage directly from your desktop. How-to videos, tips and advice, or anything else can be captured quickly and immediately uploaded.
Our GIF maker allows you to create crisp, HD GIFs for tutorials, product reveals, or fun content of any type.
And our screenshot tool lets you show off products, charts, and even annotate what you capture.
We’ll help you create visual content in a cloud-based, easy-to-use, enterprise-grade app with enough options for startups and enterprises alike.
Zight (formerly CloudApp) is used by over 3 million people and is trusted by top companies such as Uber, Salesforce, and Adobe.
We’ve been ranked by G2 Crowd as one of the top sales enablement tools and we continue to help companies improve communication with all of our solutions.
Discover how Zight (formerly CloudApp) can help you create visual content on multiple Instagram accounts today.
How to get the most out of your Instagram accounts, consider these strategies:
1. Optimize Your Profile
- Profile Picture: Use a clear, high-quality image that represents your brand or personality.
- Bio: Make it concise and engaging, including relevant keywords and a call to action.
- Link: Utilize the link in your bio effectively, possibly using a link aggregator like Linktree to share multiple links.
2. Content Strategy
- Consistency: Post regularly to keep your audience engaged. Find a posting schedule that works for you and stick to it.
- Quality: Focus on high-quality visuals and captions. Use editing tools to enhance your photos and videos.
- Variety: Mix different types of content (photos, videos, Reels, Stories, IGTV) to keep your feed interesting.
3. Engagement
- Interact: Respond to comments, DMs, and engage with your followers’ content.
- Hashtags: Use relevant hashtags to increase your reach. Research popular and niche hashtags in your field.
- Tagging: Tag relevant accounts and locations to increase visibility.
4. Analytics
- Insights: Regularly check Instagram Insights to understand what content performs best and who your audience is.
- Adjust: Use the data to adjust your strategy and improve engagement.
5. Collaborations and Influencers
- Partnerships: Collaborate with other accounts or influencers in your niche to expand your reach.
- Giveaways: Host giveaways to attract new followers and engage existing ones.
6. Advertising
- Promotions: Use Instagram ads to target specific audiences and promote your content.
- Budgeting: Allocate a budget for ads and monitor the performance to ensure a good return on investment. For building a smart and reasonable budget you can always reach out to the Epom company that will provide you with an ad server, DSP, and many other innovative ad tech solutions leveling up your advertising campaign for considerable amounts.
7. Trends and Challenges
- Stay Updated: Keep up with the latest trends and challenges on Instagram. Participate in relevant ones to increase visibility.
8. Authenticity
- Be Genuine: Show your personality and be authentic in your interactions. People appreciate real connections.
- Storytelling: Share stories and experiences to connect with your audience on a deeper level.
9. Community Building
- Groups: Engage in Instagram groups or niche communities.
- Events: Host live sessions, Q&As, or other interactive events to build a community around your account.
10. Tools and Apps
- Scheduling Tools: Use tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule posts.
- Editing Apps: Use apps like VSCO, Lightroom, or Canva to enhance your content.
Implementing these strategies can help you grow your Instagram account and make the most out of it.
10 bonus tips to enhance your Instagram strategy for managing multiple accounts effectively:
- Use a Consistent Brand Voice Across Accounts: Ensure that each of your Instagram accounts maintains a consistent brand voice that aligns with your overall brand identity. This helps in building a recognizable brand image across different niches or regions.
- Leverage Analytics Tools: Utilize Instagram Insights and other third-party analytics tools to track the performance of each account. Analyze engagement rates, follower growth, and content performance to refine your strategies.
- Optimize Posting Times: Identify the optimal times to post for each account by analyzing when your audience is most active. Scheduling your posts during peak times can significantly increase engagement.
- Cross-Promote Accounts: Promote your other Instagram accounts on each account to drive traffic and followers across your different profiles. Use stories, posts, and bios to mention and link to your other accounts.
- Tailor Content to Each Audience: Customize your content to cater to the specific interests and preferences of the audience for each account. This targeted approach can lead to higher engagement and better connection with your followers.
- Utilize Instagram Stories and Highlights: Use Instagram Stories to share behind-the-scenes content, promotions, or user-generated content. Create Highlights to keep your most important stories accessible on your profile for new visitors.
- Engage with Followers Regularly: Actively engage with your followers by responding to comments, liking posts, and interacting with user-generated content. Building a community around each account fosters loyalty and trust.
- Collaborate with Influencers: Partner with influencers relevant to each account’s niche to reach a wider audience. Influencers can help promote your brand authentically and increase your follower base.
- Run Contests and Giveaways: Organize contests and giveaways to boost engagement and attract new followers. Ensure that the prizes and entry requirements are relevant to the specific audience of each account.
- Stay Updated with Instagram Features: Keep up with the latest Instagram features and updates to stay ahead of the competition. New features like Reels, IGTV, and Shopping can offer innovative ways to engage with your audience.
By incorporating these bonus tips into your Instagram strategy, you can effectively manage multiple accounts and maximize your brand’s reach and engagement on the platform.
