Did you know that 83% of users discover new products or services on Instagram? Are you making the best use of that traffic?

It’s 2020, and if you’re still making these mistakes on Instagram, you’re missing many opportunities for your business. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid and fix those blunders!

Here are some of the most common mistakes businesses do on Instagram.

Focusing too much on numbers

Don’t get us wrong, growing your followers and making sure your posts receive engagement is essential. However, being fixated on these statistics is a huge mistake that could lead to other issues in the long run.

Some businesses, for instance, would buy fake followers and likes to boost their numbers. When you do this, you’ll find it challenging to evaluate your business’s real performance on IG.

Other brands would use bots to get a steady stream of likes and followers over a specific period. If you’re ever tempted to do this, remember that Instagram is actively monitoring their network. They regularly close accounts that they think are not real people. You will just be wasting money for fake likes and followers that Instagram would eventually delete.

Instead of buying fake likes and followers, think about being more visible on the Gram and engaging with your target audience. Use keywords and relevant hashtags on your bio to help you appear on searches on the network. Follow and engage with your target users, and they will do the same.

Posting Low-Quality Content

Instagram is a visual platform. Creating attention-grabbing posts is a must! Unfortunately, some businesses think that for as long as they are posting on the network — regardless of the quality, they’d achieve their social media marketing goals. That’s not true at all!

The network gets an average of 400 million Stories and 95 million posts daily. How is your brand going to stand out against all these posts? Create killer captions and stunning photos, that’s how! Master your storytelling skills to give more value to your posts. Furthermore, make your captions relatable and relevant to your target audience.

For photos, it’s best to create your own images. But if you’re running low on content, you may opt to use royalty-free images. When taking photos, consider using natural lighting and experiment with different angles.  

Using Unrelated Hashtags

Hashtags make your posts visible to a wide range of users — even to those who aren’t following you. This is typically the reason some brands pepper their posts with too many hashtags. They think that the more hashtags they use, the more people will see their posts.

You could use as many as 30 hashtags in a post. But should you?

A better strategy for using hashtags is to use only those that are relevant to your posts and brand. Additionally, using more targeted hashtags than generic ones helps you become visible to your target audience and not just the general IG users. It allows you to gain engagement specifically from the demographics that are significant to your brand.  

It’s also a great idea to create a hashtag for your company. When people click on your hashtag, they will see all of your amazing posts and learn more about your business.

Not Engaging With the Community

Never forget that Instagram isn’t just a photo/video-sharing network. It’s a community, too. That said, you should always reach out to your followers, engage with their posts, and join the conversation.

When you’re active in the community, your followers and engagement rate will eventually improve. You won’t have to use shady tactics to increase engagement and to build your community of loyal followers.

Set a few minutes of your day to monitor hashtags that are important to your brand. Like and leave comments on posts that complement your brand personality and company culture. When writing comments, make sure you are adding value to the conversation. Avoid leaving spammy remarks like “this is awesome, visit our profile and follow us.” Comments like that have gotten old. Chances are, you will be reported as spam. Aim to develop authentic relationships with other users.

Inconsistent Branding

Everything you do on the Gram represents your business. Always stick to your branding, brand voice, and personality. 

The little inconsistencies in your posts and feed could make it difficult for people to remember you. This is why planning your Instagram content calendar is essential. Don’t just create random posts without thinking about things like colours, fonts, and content themes.

How many of these blunders have you done? Don’t worry; it’s not too late to take a step in the right direction. Get back to the planning board and start preparing your next set of Instagram posts.

Not sure if you can do it on your own? No problem, we can help. Get in contact here for more information on our social media services.