If you’re using social media for business in 2020, specifically Instagram or TikTok, you need to have a bio link.
Social media is no longer just about gaining lots of followers and posting the most trendy photos. While both of those things are still good to do, you need to have a plan to get people off of your social media platform and onto your website.
You can’t control social media. We could wake up tomorrow and all of our followers could be gone. (Hopefully, that won’t happen!) So, what’s your plan for bringing your followers to your website, your email list, your online shop, or even your other social platforms? If you don’t have one, here’s the secret: it’s a bio link.
Social platforms like Instagram and TikTok don’t allow you to have active links in your posts. (Although, Instagram might be changing that eventually… but you’ll likely have to pay for clickable caption links.)
Instead, you can have one clickable link in your bio. How many posts do you see that end with “link in bio for more information” or something to that effect? Probably a lot.
That’s the only place you can consistently direct your followers to access content from Instagram – and the same goes for TikTok.
The benefits of having a bio link
There are a few key benefits to taking advantage of the link in your bio.
Drive Traffic
You can use your bio link to drive traffic to the pages you want to promote. Maybe this is your online shop, or maybe it’s your latest freebie. No matter where you direct them, though, your bio link can help you bring your followers off of social media and onto the pages you control. This gives you the chance to capture their contact information so you can better connect and follow up with them in the future.
You can promote any page you want with your bio link. If you’re trying to grow your followers on another platform, you could promote that account. You could also link to your blog, podcast, or YouTube channel if you want to talk about the content you created recently.
Or, link to your product page, online shop, or services page to make sales directly. Finally, add a link to the contact page of your website, or any resources you’ve found recently is helpful for your audience, too.
For example, here @asboldasbritt uses a direct link to promote her newest freebie.
Convert Followers to Customers
Social media is a marketing tool. All good marketing tools should have a strategy and way to convert those who see it into customers.
In this case, you want to use your social posts as a way to warm up your followers and then encourage them to make a purchase.
While there are ways to sell directly within Instagram, you might not meet the necessary criteria. Instead, bringing people off the app and straight to your shop or services page is a much better way to sell.
You can talk about your product or service in an Instagram post and then end with “click the link in my bio to learn more” or “head to the link in my bio to grab yours now.”
You can also talk about whatever you’re selling in your Stories or Live videos and always direct your audience back to the link in your bio to purchase.
Here, @_thetaylorlee has the link in her bio pointing to her private coaching landing page, where interested people fill out an application for coaching.
Track Traffic
Analytics and tracking are critical in marketing and sales processes. After all, you want to make sure you’re putting your time, energy and money into the right platforms.
You want to be able to see what kind of traffic you’re getting from Instagram and other social platforms. Unfortunately, tracking your traffic can get a little tricky.
There’s one way you can make it much easier: use a bio link tool and sync it with your Google Analytics. You’ll be able to see how much traffic came from social media and what they did once they landed on your targeted pages.
Optimizing your bio link
Now, there are a couple of different ways you can use this link. You can link it directly to the page you’re promoting. If you do that, though, you’ll need to remember to come back and change the link whenever you change your promotion or whenever you mention a different link in your most recent post. And, because of the algorithm, someone might not see a post until a few days later. If you’ve already changed your link to match your newest post, they’ll be out of luck.
I briefly mentioned your other option earlier: use a bio link tool.
Implementing a tool like this can help you in a few different ways. First, as I said earlier, you can link it to Google Analytics to track your traffic. Beyond that, you can use a bio link tool to include multiple links in your bio.
No more deciding which blog to include, and you don’t have to worry about what people who see your post in the future will have to do. You can include your most popular links in your tool so you can easily refer to your blog, services page, contact page, YouTube channel, podcast, or anything else you want to promote, and your followers will know right where to go!
The 12 best bio link tools
Now that you’re ready to choose a bio link tool, let’s take a look at the best tools you can choose from.
1. url.bio
Free and unlimited links? With url.bio, it’s not too good to be true.
You can add as many links as you’d like, so there’s no shortage of promotions. Url.bio is also highly customizable, so your landing page can look like it fits your brand’s voice.
You can also track your analytics directly within your dashboard so you know which content is performing best.
2. Lnk.bio
Promote your best links, and even temporarily pause certain links, with Lnk.bio. Get started in under a minute, and choose from over 50 icons to make your link look unique.
You can link to your social platforms easily, and it’s all web-based, so you won’t need to download anything.
Begin with a free plan, or upgrade to $0.99/month for a custom URL, tracking, and external analytics.
Want to only pay once? For $9.99, you can get those upgrades permanently. If you’re looking for more, the most advanced plan is $24.99 and offers the removal of the Lnk.bio logo, the ability to change colors, and add a background image.
3. Bio.fm
If you’re looking for a more robust bio link tool, consider bio.fm. You can add multiple types of content to your page, including links, information about you, your social media feeds and more.
With a drag-and-drop software, you can move your email collection form to the top, or choose to highlight your Facebook Group instead.
Use bio.fm for free and get four content blocks, or upgrade for $10/month for a premium account to add unlimited blocks and types of content to your profile, remove their logo and create a custom URL.
4. Linktree
Another bio link option is Linktree. Drag-and-drop your links to create your ideal layout. Make sure your favorite or most important link is on top and easy to see.
Join for free to get unlimited links and a QR code. Or, upgrade to the PRO account for $6/month and add priority links, link scheduling, video links, thumbnails, social icons, and more.
The PRO account also gives you more detailed analytics, while the free plan shows you your total views and link clicks.
5. Sked Social
Sked Social is more than just a bio link tool. It’s also an Instagram scheduling platform that offers full analytics, Story scheduling, and more.
Its link in bio tool, only available for Instagram, lets you add buttons to your layout so you can easily capture your viewer’s attention. You can even add a shopping link to make sales sooner.
Add your branding and view your analytics so you’re in complete control. Because they offer so much more than just the link, Sked Social’s Fundamentals plan is $25/month, Essentials is $75/month and Professional is $135. You can get started with a 7-day free trial.
6. Link in Bio by Later
Another multi-use platform is Later, which allows you to schedule your posts, plan hashtags, and view analytics. Along with it, though, you can turn on the bio link tool to take advantage of those benefits. You can even link specific Instagram posts to particular articles or web pages, so your audience will know right where to click.
Create a shoppable Instagram feed within your link, and monitor your analytics so you know what’s working. Begin for free at linkin.bio to get one link per post, or upgrade for $12.50/month to the Growth Plan or $25/month for Advanced to add multiple links, remove the Later banner and add a Shopify integration.
Both of the paid options offer additional features in the scheduling portion of the platform.
7. Link in Profile
Set up your Link in Profile in seconds, add to your existing workflow, and watch your ROI grow. It works with your Etsy, Shopify, Amazon, WordPress, or other existing accounts.
Begin with a free trial, and then after 30 days continue with a $9.99/month personal plan. You’ll get a dedicated, branded landing page, easy management, and integrated commerce links.
8. Campsite.bio
Create a simple, beautiful landing page with Campsite.bio. Add it to your social media accounts or even your email signature.
Control how your branding looks so your followers know they’re in the right place. Upgrade to Campsite Pro for use on other social media sites by adding images, removing the branding, and adding your own domain.
Its basic plan is free forever, and Campsite Pro is $7/month.
9. Contact in Bio
Here’s your one-stop-shop for a micro-landing page. With Contact in Bio, you can add multiple links, enjoy the rich features offered, collect leads, and send followers to your social media accounts.
Give your followers access to payment links, music services, and contact forms, as well as messenger options.
Choose from the free starter plan, the $7/month business plan with added benefits like video uploading, shoppable feeds, and more, or choose the $28/month agency plan to manage up to five accounts.
10. Tap Bio
Create your own Tap Bio easily and choose your cards. Add a profile card, easily link to many different sites and show your followers exactly what they want to see.
The basic plan with one card is free or upgrade to the Silver plan for $5/month or $36/year to get three cards or unlimited cards with the Gold plan for $12/month or $96/year. Silver and Gold plans also offer stats.
11. Milkshake
Milkshake lets you create a mini website for your Instagram account quickly and easily. Share more and use your Insta Site to jumpstart your business.
Pick a card, add your content, and customize your look. Then publish your link and monitor your analytics and insights. Your followers can swipe through the cards of your site like Instagram Stories. Milkshake is a free app available on iOS and Android.
12. Shorby
Finally, Shorby is designed to supercharge your YouTube and Instagram. Automatically feed your most recent posts, videos, and blogs into your Shorby page. Add messengers, a title, blocks, and social links to create your custom look. You can even add a countdown to create a feeling of excitement.
Pricing for Shorby begins at $12/month for the Rocket plan, $24/month for Pro, and $82/month for Agency. Pro and Agency both have more pages, 5 dynamic feeds per page, Google Analytics, and a custom domain. Agency also allows more projects and teams.
Convert your followers to customers with bio links
Now you’ve seen the 12 best bio link tools that are currently available. Each one is a little different, but one of them is sure to offer just what you’re looking for in your business.
Adding a clickable link to your bio, and especially using a tool to expand the number of links you can have, is a great way to grow your business and convert your followers to customers.
By Rafaella Aguiar
Rafaella Aguiar is the Marketing Manager at Kicksta. She specializes in content and social media marketing. You can find more daily marketing tips from her at @kicksta.co.
