Before you sign up: three questions
Most empty business accounts appear because a person first created a profile and only then started thinking about why. Answer three questions on paper; it takes ten minutes.
- Who is your client? Batumi residents, seasonal visitors, tourists, owners of flats and hotels? Language and tone depend on it.
- What do you sell and what do people pay you for? In one sentence, as you would explain to a neighbour.
- What should a person do after visiting the profile? Message on WhatsApp, call, come to an address, order. One main action.
If you cannot answer the third question, it is too early to design the profile: settle the answer first.
Before you start, prepare: an email address you use yourself and have access to, a phone number with WhatsApp, a logo or a good photo, and a list of five to seven services or products.
Step 1. Create the account and switch it to professional
Sign up in the Instagram app with an email or phone number. Then open Settings → Account type and tools (the path differs slightly between versions) and choose Switch to professional account.
A professional account comes in two types: Business and Creator. A business account suits those who sell products or services, a creator account those building a personal brand. For a technician, shop, salon, café or agency choose Business.
What it gives you: access to Instagram insights, extended contact details and advertising. Instagram may offer to link a Facebook Page: only one Instagram business account can be linked to a Page. To start, a profile without a Page is usually enough, but you will need the link for scheduling posts and ads. If unsure, skip the step and come back later.
Step 2. Choose a name and an @username
A profile has two "names", and this matters.
- @username is the profile address. Keep it short, in Latin letters, without extra numbers and underscores. Ideally it matches the business or website name.
- Name is what is shown in bold above the bio and is used in Instagram search. It has about 30 characters. Put in not only your name but also the words people search for: for example "Tariel | Computer technician" or "Café Name | Batumi".
Step 3. Use a clear profile picture
The profile picture on Instagram is round and very small, so a close-up face or a simple logo works better than a complex image. For a personal business (technician, lawyer, beautician, photographer) your own photo is better: people find it easier to trust a person than an icon. For a shop or café a logo works.
Check how the picture looks on a phone: if small details are unreadable, simplify.
Step 4. Write the profile bio
The bio has only 150 characters, including spaces, emoji and punctuation. Every word must work. Fit in four things:
- who you are or what you do;
- for whom;
- where (city, district or "I come to you in Batumi");
- what to do next.
An example for a service:
Home-visit computer technician in Batumi. Windows 11, laptops, Wi-Fi and routers. Message me on WhatsApp ↓
Do not write "the best", "professional", "quality and cheap": these are empty words nobody believes. Specifics are better: "since 2006", "any district", "reply within an hour" (only if true).
Step 5. Contact buttons, link and address
This step turns the profile from a "pretty picture" into a working tool.
- Contact buttons. A business account lets you add contact buttons to the profile, and they are free. Enable Call and Email. Check that the buttons actually appear on the profile page.
- Link in bio. Links do not work in Instagram captions, so the only link you can always count on is the one in the bio. Put your website or a WhatsApp link like wa.me/995XXXXXXXXX (your number instead of the Xs) there. Short links are better than long ones.
- Category. Choose the exact business category: it is shown under the name and helps people understand what you do.
- Address and hours. A business profile can show location, opening hours and contacts. If you work on visits and clients have no address to look for, do not give your home address: the city name is enough.
Step 6. Pin Highlights
Highlights under the bio are your shop window for a new visitor: they come in, scroll, understand. Four to six highlights in one style are usually recommended.
What people usually put there:
- Services: what you do and for whom;
- How to order: your process in three or four stories;
- Work (or products);
- Reviews: screenshots of messages with clients’ permission;
- Questions: frequent questions and honest answers;
- Contacts and area: where you work.
Covers can be one colour with a simple icon; what matters is that they look neat.
Step 7. The first nine posts
An empty profile does not inspire trust, so before telling everyone about yourself, publish at least nine posts. Here is a clear set for a service or small shop:
- Introduction: who you are, what you do, since what year.
- Service 1: what is included and how it goes.
- Service 2.
- What it looks like in practice: a photo or video of the process (with the client’s permission, without extra data).
- A useful tip: a short guide on a topic you know well.
- A frequent question and answer.
- Clients’ mistakes: what better not to do.
- A review from a real client with their consent.
- How to order: address, phone, hours.
Good photos and videos for posts can be shot on a phone. I described how in a separate article.
Step 8. Reels and stories without burning out
Instagram shows short videos (Reels) to a wider audience than ordinary photos, so they are good for meeting new people. Stories are for those who already know you: show your working day, answers to questions and behind the scenes.
The main rule: choose a frequency you can actually keep up. Two or three posts a week and a few stories are better than ten posts in the first week and a month of silence. I will not promise any "guaranteed" growth figures: they depend on the niche, content quality and how well you respond to people.
Ideas for short videos that need no studio:
- one tip in 20–30 seconds;
- an answer to a frequent client question;
- "before and after";
- how you prepare for a job (tools, materials);
- one day of your working life.
Step 9. Language, geotag and hashtags
In Batumi clients speak different languages, and that is worth considering.
- Decide which language the profile is mainly in (for example Russian), and add a short English version in the bio or at the end of posts if you want to attract newcomers.
- Add the Batumi geotag to posts and stories related to the city: people browsing posts by place will find you. But do not tag your exact home address.
- Hashtags do not need to be written in dozens. Three to five precise ones related to the post’s topic and the city work better than a cloud of thirty.
- Reply to comments and messages. Nothing builds trust faster.
Step 10. Protect the account — it is part of the business too
Business accounts get hacked just like personal ones, and losing a profile with followers means losing clients and money. What to do on day one:
- Create a unique long password and do not reuse it anywhere.
- Turn on two-factor authentication: Accounts Centre → Password and security → Two-factor authentication. An authenticator app is better than SMS alone.
- Link a work email and phone number that only you have access to.
- Check Where you’re logged in and end unfamiliar sessions.
- Do not give your password to "promotion specialists" and do not buy followers: neither works, and the first often ends with losing the account.
More on protecting accounts and phones in my articles.
Common mistakes
- Keeping a personal profile instead of a business account and then wondering why there are no contact buttons or insights.
- Writing "everything about everything" in the bio and not saying what exactly you help with.
- Not adding a link or button showing where to write.
- Posting whatever comes to mind, without a theme or value for the client.
- Buying followers: they do not buy from you and lower engagement.
- Not answering messages for days.
- Not protecting the account.
A short checklist
- switched to a professional Business account;
- the name contains the words people search for;
- the profile picture is readable at a small size;
- the bio says who you are, for whom, where and where to write;
- contact buttons and a link (website or WhatsApp) are set up;
- there are four to six Highlights;
- at least nine posts are published;
- two-factor authentication is on;
- you reply to messages and comments.
When to call a technician
If you need the profile itself rather than training, I will help with the technical side in Batumi: registering the account, switching to a business profile, setting up buttons and a WhatsApp link, account protection and two-factor authentication, plus a business card website and a Google Business profile so clients find you not only on Instagram.
Author: Tariel, Batumi. Updated: October 2026
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