Instagram is one of the most popular and useful social media platforms out there, if not the most popular. With over 1.3 billion users in 2022, Instagram has the potential to gain you and your business followers and clients that you never could have dreamed of. To do that, though, you need to know how to use Instagram correctly and that means knowing what kinds of mistakes not to make.
So, let’s talk about five of the most common Instagram mistakes that people make so you can avoid making them yourself.
Buying Likes and Followers
Buying likes and followers only have initial and artificial benefits that don’t last. It might feel good to see that followers number grow, but you won’t get the kind of engagement from those followers that you need to have to be successful on Instagram. Those bought followers aren’t real people and aren’t going to be active. They boost a single number–your follower count–and that’s it.
“Instead of obsessing over the number of followers you have, try looking at your engagement rates for each post. You may be surprised by how many likes you are getting considering your number of followers, especially if you compare that to accounts with hundreds of purchased followers.” – Like A Voss
Plus, it’s really easy to fall into the traps of scams when you’re trying to buy followers. Frankly, it’s not a risk worth taking. Organic likes and followers are what matters in the long run.
Not Finding Your Voice
To be successful on social media, you need your followers to feel a connection with you and your brand. This means finding an authentic voice for yourself on social media.
“A brand’s voice is the personality and emotion infused into a company’s communication. The voice defines how a brand communicates with its audience and it influences how the audience perceives the brand.” – Like A Voss
Your voice is imbued with your values and personality and helps you stand up in the crowd of millions of businesses on Instagram. Through it, people will be able to tell if you’re the right brand for them and fall in love with what you have to offer.
Forgetting About Instagram Stories and Reels
No longer are the days where your Instagram feed is all that matters. Most content and engagement nowadays comes from Instagram stories and reels. If you’re not posting on those features, it’s likely your Instagram is going to be ignored by most people.
“Pictures of the manufacturing process, live videos involving team members, short-term special offers, polls, and other first-hand things build the personality of your brand, and making it more accessible to your customers.” – Neal Schaffer
Instagram stories are where you show off the behind the scenes of your business and your life. It’s where you give some of the authenticity that people crave on social media. Authenticity is a must on social media in 2022.
Neglecting Engagement
Engaging with your audience is vital to have a long and successful life for your business on social media. Instagram isn’t just about showing off your life like some catalogue of photos, it’s about starting conversations and building connections. This is one of the most common Instagram mistakes that I run into, and also one of the things that clients love most about working with an agency – no comment unanswered.
Just like followers who don’t engage with you aren’t as beneficial to you as engaged followers, brands and influencers who don’t engage are equally as unbeneficial to followers and clients.
“Engage with your audience. Reply on comments promptly and ask your audience the questions they would want to answer. Keep your account public so that more and more people can visit your profile and start a conversation. And then, keep the conversation going.” – Bulk.ly
Not Learning How Much to Post
It is completely possible to post too much on Instagram just like it’s equally possible to post too little. If you start posting tons and tons of Instagram stories every single day–we’re talking about numbers in the tens and twenties–people are going to stop clicking on your content as much. If you post too little, people are going to forget that you exist. When they are reminded by a single post once in a while, they’ll be less likely to engage with you as they won’t feel as connected to you.
It’s a good idea to post no more than once or twice a day on your feed, often less than that. For Instagram stories, it’s best to post 4-9 times a day.
“By posting at least once a day, you’re showing your followers that you’re dedicated to your account, and also have a lot of interesting things to show them. If you’re posting schedule is less frequent and more sporadic, followers will often lose interest and eventually unfollow if they feel like they can’t expect regular content or brand updates.” – Dash Hudson
Avoiding these mistakes is going to help you find success on social media and to learn what things you do need to do to build your presence on Instagram. They’re easy mistakes to avoid once you’re aware of them.
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