I know — it sounds like a petty question. (Especially in 2020, of all years.) But I’m here to tell you: Your brand’s Instagram account (or, suite of accounts) is a big deal.

Several years ago, Instagram was the wild west of social platforms. The platform was seeing hundreds of thousands of new users daily, and grew to more than 500 million active daily users today. During this Gold Rush, many brands had the novel idea to create multiple Instagram accounts under their over-arching umbrella brand. Large companies like Nike, Red Bull, and Target began segmenting their accounts based on focus areas or regions, and the trend carried on and eventually trickled down to smaller brands. New corporate accounts were (and still are) popping up left and right.

Today, especially after a rebrand, a new campaign kickoff, or the launch of a new product line, it can seem like the easiest option is to start fresh with a brand-new, shiny Instagram account. The more the merrier, right? Right?

Well, like most other topics we cover in these observations, it depends. So, to help you make this monumental decision, we’ve outlined some good and bad reasons to create a second (or third, or fourth) Instagram account for your brand or organization:

Good reasons to start a new Instagram account:

A new campaign’s voice or target audience differs significantly from your parent organization. Your brand’s tone of voice might not be a one-size-fits-all situation, so creating a new Instagram account is one way to go all-in on targeting a distinct audience through a campaign. For example: Let’s say you’re an education nonprofit launching a campaign geared toward Gen Z. While you could just use your existing account, the hip young folks will probably see right through your facade and won’t engage with your, frankly, corny parent account. In this case, devoting time to a separate account gives you the opportunity to create more curated content specifically for this group, which will make them more likely to follow. Still, you’ll need to make sure you’re able to devote ample time and resources to this new account, and ensure that the accounts are distinct from one another to make this worthwhile.

You want an internal-facing Instagram. Many large organizations are finding that Instagram is an effective communication channel for current and prospective employees. Personally, I love this idea – this way, there’s a place to put that cute but off-brand group photo or birthday announcement without disrupting the aesthetic of your main, consumer-facing feed. For example, Starbucks has a separate Instagram for career opportunities, employee testimonials, and pertinent information for current franchisees.

You’re a large organization with many different brands or regions. Loyal Tums fans wouldn’t expect to find coveted Tums Instagram content under their parent company, GlaxoSmithKline. If your organization has a number of product lines with distinct brand personalities that are large enough to sustain their own audiences, amp up that social budget and create a plethora of new accounts. This could also include franchisees who have unique sales or offers from their franchiser. Similarly, if you’re a global company or even have unique audiences across the U.S., creating new accounts can help overcome a language barrier (like IKEA’s separate Instagram accounts for locations around the world) or better cater to local communities, cultures, and customs. Note that if you’re handling global clients, however, you’ll need to find people with colloquial knowledge to create this localized content.

Bad reasons to start a new Instagram account:

You’re bored with your old account. Social media managers are no stranger to the age-old “start a new Instagram, I’m bored” message from clients or their team. But — and if it were socially acceptable to get this tattooed on my forehead, I would — proper social media management takes a lot of time. And time costs a lot of money. Just because social media is free certainly doesn’t mean it costs nothing. To strategically roll out multiple accounts, you’ll need to research and set specific goals for each account. You’ll also need to churn out volumes of relevant, quality content (both graphics and captions) for each account in order to keep from falling into obscurity. This likely means doubling your current time and budget allotted for social media.

You want to start fresh on your feed. Don’t love those dated, over-edited photos on your feed from 2013? There’s no need to create a whole new account — just archive the old posts you don’t want. That way, you’ll retain your followers and your position of preference within the elusive algorithm.

Your primary metric is followers. If you’re in it for the followers, creating multiple accounts could dilute your numbers. We probably don’t need a chalkboard to explain the math to you on that one. Of course, if your brand is large enough and has segmented focus areas, a dedicated account might actually help you see a follower spike (as we mentioned earlier). But if you’re a small fish in a niche market, there’s no need to further divide your followers.

You’re not seeing enough traction on your existing account and want a quick win. Sure, you might be driven by the rush of serotonin you’ll inevitably get from your first wave of followers on a new account. But I’m here to tell you: If a quick win is your sole motivation for creating a whole new Instagram, don’t do it girl, it’s not worth it. Numerous accounts can be confusing for your audience and can weaken your message. If your current account already isn’t doing great, focus on yourself first.

While there certainly are situations where multiple Instagram accounts can show a significant payoff (especially for large organizations or those with significant social media budgets), it can be tempting to idealize this as the cure for all of your brand’s social woes. Remember: If you want to do this thing the right way, it will take time. Time costs money. And if you’re going to have to choose between creating a bunch of phoned-in accounts or one, solid Instagram for your brand, I’d take that one account any day.