Instagram with more than a Billion users is the most popular social media site just behind Facebook. Instagram is a great place when it comes to marketing. Big brands promote their products on Instagram. Influencers use Instagram to become popular. So Instagram has got many advantages. Everybody knows about the advantages but we should also know about the mistakes which can cancel out those advantages. If you are a growing business or if you are a new influencer trying to make a place for yourself on Instagram. Then bear with me while I will tell you the Instagram mistakes you should never make.
Instagram mistakes you should not make
Let’s explore some common Instagram mistakes you should not make at any cost.
✱ Paying for likes and followers
It is well known that you can buy likes and followers on Instagram. But what’s the point of that? Those likes and followers aren’t genuine. They are simply bots that cannot make any genuine connection with you. Because by buying likes and followers you are getting quantity and not quality. The quality of response that genuine followers give is more important and comforting. Those paid bots don’t add any value to your content.
It’s same with paid comments, they are not genuine comments. There can’t be any real connection with them. All the big successful social media brands are those who have real connection with their audience. Instead you can direct your money towards targeted ads that would be very fruitful and that will gather genuine audience that are interested in your product.
✱ Number of posts
It is a misconception that posting too much on Instagram helps you gain followers. Likewise, posting too few posts won’t produce any better result as well. So determining the right number of posts is not an easy task. It depends on the kind of profile we are talking about, for a news outlet it is important to post every latest news so they have to post multiple times.
But for an influencer, posting too much will look desperate. So post accordingly your nature of work.
✱ Poor quality pictures
Posting pictures is a necessity for any influencer and any brand on Instagram. People don’t like reading long captions. Posting visual content is very important on Instagram. But make sure that the images you post are beautiful and attractive to look at. You don’t have to be an expert photographer or a photo editor but you can at least make sure that the pictures you click are clearly visible. Try to take photos in the natural light. Or if you can afford buy a good quality camera that will take high quality pictures.
✱ Unnecessary hashtags
Hashtags are really important for your audience in order to find your post. So, hashtags should be correct and right in number. Using too many hashtags will straight up make it look like a spam which is not a good practice. The safe number of hashtags to use is between one to three. Though 11 hashtags are acceptable but still if the post doesn’t demand many hashtags that limit it to three.
✱ Boring posts
Your audience is always looking for something interesting that’s why they are on social media for entertainment. So posting boring or spammy content will not provide you any benefit. In order to make sure that your audience is engaged with your content post interesting things. Also don’t post ‘anything’ try to give out something informative that will add some value to your audience so that they will like and share your posts. If you provide quality and authentic content that will help you build a deeper connection with your users.
Related article: Interesting post ideas to attempt on Instagram
✱ Overlooking analytics
This is the worst mistake you can make on Instagram. Ignoring the analytics will not contribute to any growth of your business. You should track and analyze the stats in order to figure out what your users are engaging in, what they are ignoring. You can check out the things that are trending and the growth of your content. According to that you can make your strategy for future posts.
✱ Irregular Branding
Your instagram handle is just a part of your whole branding. So you need to make sure that your account is in line with your brand. What you show on your website should be shown on your Instagram account. If you show different things on different platforms then it will be difficult for your audience to figure out what your brand is all about.
Your logo should be on your every social media profile. The visual style and editorial tone should match up with the website. Otherwise it would be very confusing for the audience. Obviously some small variations can be present but the basic theme should be the same. All of your social media platforms should feel connected to each other.
✱ Not connecting with followers
Social media is not a TV channel where you will broadcast your brand and it is done. It provides you the opportunity to connect with your audience which is very important. You should take the feedback of your audience. And if you interact with your audience frequently then it helps build a connection with your users. It gives a real image of your brand. It sends a message that you actually care about your audience.
✱ Not taking advantage of Instagram stories
If you are not using Instagram stories or Reels then you are missing out on a huge audience of more than 500 Million who use this platform of Instagram. Post some stories every now and then.
✱ Not proofreading
Typos are common to make while writing content. But if you are trying to build a big brand then you need to double spell check because it gives a wrong impression about your brand.
To wrap up
At the end I will just conclude by saying that social media can be a huge game changer for your brand if you use it correctly and properly. You need to have a strategic plan in plan before you start your Instagram journey. It is a great platform for marketing but it can hurt your brand too if you make these above mentioned Instagram mistakes, so avoid them.