The moment all social media managers have been waiting for is finally here: Instagram supports account switching. The headache of logging out and in on various accounts is now a headache of the past.
With the rise of profiles dedicated to businesses, pets, professional accounts and any number of other things, the ease of navigating between profiles was an inevitable step for Instagram to make.
But wait, there’s more: you can add up to five accounts with one login. This is an obvious advantage whether you’re a small business managing your personal and business account, a brand manager managing multiple brand accounts or an agency partner managing multiple client accounts.
For marketers, this feature could not have come at a more perfect time (well, except for the fact that we’ve all been waiting for it). Last September, Instagram announced that its self-serve ad offering would be made available to all business, everywhere. And given the platform’s growth – which has doubled from 200 million users in 2014 to 400 million this year so far – advertisers have used the platform to reach its growing, visually-focused user base.
The ability to quickly and easily switch between accounts will also enable social media managers to avoid other problems they faced with the old approach to Instagram account management.
The new functionality allows for the increase in content posted. The easy navigation between profiles will allow individuals to update business profiles without having to logout and log back in. Being able to switch and post could make business owners more active on the platform, and the amount of time saved will be significant for those with active brand profiles alongside their own, personal accounts.
Being actively switching between multiple accounts also allows for more immediate customer service. The app now notifies based on profile what activity is being made on respective accounts. This capability allows for individuals to know who, when and where others are interacting with their content. For brand managers, this ability allows for better responsiveness to their audiences when comments or questions are made on brand posts.
* Note: The update is also important for those who currently use third-party tools to perform similar account switching as Instagram announced recently that they’ll be restricting access to their API (Application Program Interface) as of June 1, 2016.