I’m going to paint you a picture, and this picture is likely all too familiar. Your friend from university shares an Instagram post announcing they have a new dog and two minutes later you get a notification saying “Reggie_the_Labradoodle” followed you!
We’ve all been here.
Reggie, don’t get me wrong, I think you’re really cute, but I just don’t want to follow you back. Won’t I see enough of your stupid, sweet little face on your mother’s feed? A feed I was already following anyway? What if she gets a cat next? WHERE DOES IT END.
These new pet accounts are typically abandoned pretty quickly. As are the knitting accounts, the cooking accounts, and whatever other hobby you start and document for three weeks …. or until you forget (whichever comes first).
There is value in creating a separate Instagram account when you have enough content and a growing niche audience to warrant specific catering. This is what we’re getting into.
WHY IT’S ADVANTAGEOUS
YOU ARE CONFIDENT IN YOUR FOLLOWTHROUGH
Before creating your secondary account, ask yourself “What was your last big personal or business goal?” Did you get there, get close, or fall short? And if you fell short, why? This question isn't meant to make you feel bad, it’s meant to make you reflect on whether or not you will follow through on undertaking a project of this scope. If you’re passionate about being active on Instagram you can make it work, but if you're just going through the motions, I'll save you some time and tell you right now, this path is not for you.
SECURITY
A second account gives you a little bit of extra security. If you can access your audience on two accounts and one is compromised, it’s easier to migrate your audience over to a new home. On this note, if your business account is currently running smoothly, use this as an opportunity to revisit login info and update your password. Oh, and you NEED to turn on two-factor authentication to protect your account from getting hacked or disabled.
YOU HAVE A CONTENT PIPELINE
This is where most people struggle with managing multiple accounts - THERE SIMPLY ISN’T ENOUGH CONTENT FOR BOTH FEEDS. However, if you are a natural shutterbug, who is constantly taking photos or recording videos, you will likely find success here. If you love content planning and photo editing and are comfortable with scheduling software, you will succeed here. Time is a huge factor in running two accounts. If you barely have time for one now, you will get beat down by running two in no time.
PRIVACY
There is some serious “separation of church and state” energy which goes into these two accounts discourse. If you value your privacy, by all means, create a new account for your business. Your personality will inevitably shine through in your social media content (or at least it should), but not wanting a vast audience of people to know what your kids look like and where they go to school, is frankly the smartest line of thinking a human being could have.
Our best advice before you start a second account is to consider what your goals are. Do you truly want Reggie to become a dog influencer so you can quit your nine-to-five and be his publicist full-time, or are you doing this for shits and giggles?
AVOID DIGITAL CLUTTER - STICK TO YOUR MAIN ACCOUNT
If none of the above advantages apply to you, but you’re STILL considering starting a second account, read a little further. Now that we’re done with reasons you should separate your accounts, let’s get into the SHOULDN’TS.
If you just signed up for your first pottery class, congratulations, you’re gonna love it. But please, just post your terrible lop-sided vases on your main. I promise you it's better this way.
If you’re running a small art or creative account, chances are, your personality is going to overlap with your creations anyway, because hey! - your personality is why you have the following you have! Maybe you don’t need to make changes. Authenticity is what makes content memorable, so if you don’t absolutely need to “polish this up and make it more professional” don’t do it.
Meanwhile, if your primary account is growing, rather than create a new business account, create a new personal account. This way, you maintain the momentum of your organic growth, and it’s easier to phase out personal content than to create professional content from scratch. As your professional account grows, you can quietly let your friends, family, and internet pals know all of your personal photos of pretty desserts, sunsets, and stray cats have migrated over to @/_chicken_nacho and you're now posting all of your nonsense over there.
Want to discuss more about how to best run a professional account on social media? Whether you want to launch a LinkedIn, Facebook, or Instagram account, get in touch and we’ll help you set sail smoothly.