Have dreams of making it big on Instagram? Want your business to gain followers all over the world? Fancy being looked to as an example to others on how it should be done?
Well, join the queue!
There are two clear camps on Instagram and social media as a whole. Those who use to stay up to date with friends and family and have a few laughs, and those who are using it with an objective. The problem is that many of those who are in the second camp can’t seem to make it work for them.
If that’s the case for you, what could you be doing wrong? Well, you may be committing some basic Instagram mistakes that are stopping you from getting there without even realizing it!
If you want to know what they are to make sure that you steer clear, then read on!
1. Having No Strategy
Have you ever got into your car, with a full tank put your hands on the steering wheel, turned on the ignition, and then thought to yourself just at that moment…”Where should I go?”.
It is unlikely, but so many users trying to grow their pages are doing that on Instagram and social media in general.
The problem for you is that people are able to cotton on to this pretty fast. We decide to follow pages that when having a general feeling for what they are about and what we will start to see on our feed. So when someone posts content that seems to contradict that message then a swift unfollow is the usual result.
For businesses interested in Instagram marketing then having clear objectives is essential, otherwise, the world of Instagram and social media as a whole can become a pointless exercise.
Do you want to generate more customers? Improve your brand image? Drive traffic to your website? Social media can do all of this, but having a priority and not stopping until you reach your target is the best way to take advantage of this great resource for your business.
If you are interested in selling products, are you using the Instagram shop features? Is your bio optimized to include a link to where you really want people to go?
As with any plan, as time moves on so can your objectives, so it is good practice to check-in if you need to adapt your content. But trust us, by sticking to this you’ll end up channeling your inner Hannibal from the A-Team and saying “I love it when a plan comes together” more than once.
2. Not Using Hashtags Correctly
Hashtag this and hashtag that, those starting off and even ones that have had a business page for years seem to fall into two camps. Either you pepper your post with some because you heard that it works or you try and use as few as possible because you think it looks ugly.
And both are wrong.
Let’s start with what you need to know first. Hashtags equal exposure. So if you are sacrificing their use for the sake of aesthetics then be clear, you can’t be concerned about growth. Just one hashtag has been shown to gain at least 12.6% more Instagram engagement for a post, so not taking advantage of them just isn’t an option if you are trying to grow your page.
So that’s it! Just fill your posts with hashtags and job did! Well not exactly. It is important to have a hashtag strategy, as hashtag overdrive on Instagram and social media is another common pitfall.
Think of how people use hashtags. Hashtags are a searching feature, so make sure you use ones that are only relevant to the audience. Choose correctly and your posts can become the bait that gets them to bite onto your content.
Next, it pays to be smart about the reach you aim to achieve. While it may make perfect sense to use the most popular ones, in reality when you get into the million post category whatever you put will be gone in a heartbeat. Try to be selective and choose ones with high, medium, and low amounts of posts, as choosing those with less will mean that your content will remain there for much longer and be seen by more people.
As you grow you can start to depend on them less but be make no mistake, hashtags are vital to organic growth on Instagram.
3. Posting Below Par Content
Be honest. You knew this would be on the list. And if you are doing it you already know that you are.
When trying to grow a page you can get into a content frenzy, thinking just getting anything up is better than nothing.
But it isn’t.
We all use social media for different reasons, but at its core, we look for three things, informative, inspirational, and entertaining content. Sometimes a post, story, or live video can do just one of them, others can achieve the holy grail of all three but not doing any just can’t cut it with so much competition out there.
Gone are the days when an influencer could just get away with uploading selfies (and let’s be honest, good riddance!). Even the most self-indulgent ‘grammar is quickly learning that they need to show their followers something that will keep them hooked. Maybe it’s their exercise routine, a prank, or some insight into their lives.
If you’re a business then half the battle is already won. Let people know what you are doing and keep it snappy. Introduce them to your staff. Offer them Instagram freebies. Teach them how to do something or show them a sneak peek behind the scenes.
All of these are failsafe ways to keep yourself growing on social media.
Before deciding upon acting out on any ideas you may have for photos or videos, ask yourself, what value is this providing. If it is providing none then give it a rethink or start again. This also applies to picture quality. While your friends may excuse a shadowy, blurry pic, the 1.16 billion other users of Instagram won’t. Doing it on a regular basis will only get them tapping the unfollow button.
If you make great quality content your main manifesto then it will be a matter of time until you find people looking for you, and not the other way round.
4. Not Posting Consistently Enough
Some people use Instagram every day. Others less frequently. But no matter who they are, they will notice if they don’t see.
If you are interested in growing your page, the majority of your followers won’t know you on a personal level. People only really accept that perceived lurker activity from their relatives and close friends. If they follow you it’s because they want to see something. So if you keep on turning up to the party empty-handed then it is understandable if your invitation gets revoked.
But won’t people get bored if you are posting so much? Put simply, if it’s good then no. In addition, if you take advantage of the various options available to you, such as reels or IGTV then it won’t feel like such an all-out attack to your followers. We all have habits, some check stories first, others will never click on a live video but just knowing that the people you follow are active is enough to keep you connected.
But it is difficult to come up with ideas so regularly.
This is why it is good to sit down and come up with a plan that you can stick to.
Write down all the ideas that you can. It may be possible to turn one or two of them into more than one piece of content. If so, start to batch create on one or two days of the week or even the month and your content will keep you going for longer.
One of the best social media tips is using scheduling software apps. Hootsuite, Buffer, and others will change your life from slapping your head when you have forgotten for the 10th time to post at the optimum time to resting easy while you are getting on with your day-to-day activities.
Instagram and Social Media Tips That Will Take You to the Top
It can be frustrating to feel as if you have hit a wall on your Instagram account. The good news is that turning a corner is in your hands!
We are sure that there are at least one or two of our tips can help you reach your goals. Which Instagram and social media tips will you use?
We hope you enjoyed this informative post. If you did be sure to share it with a friend and check out the other great digital marketing content we have on our site!