If you have researched how to avoid errors on Instagram, you're probably tired of theory and want to learn an example -- or to avoid making costly mistakes.
Instagram is a social network that does not stop growing, and many companies have realized its potential and how much it can help them increase sales in a business. But you must be willing to put forth the effort to have excellent and consistent results.
This article will teach you some outdated tips and errors that prevent a business or brand from selling or positioning itself correctly on Instagram.
Let's see what they are:
1. Not having an Instagram Strategy
You've opened an account and want to start posting. However, you're stuck because how do you know what will and won't connect with the audience you hope to build? This is where strategy comes into play. And although it sounds obvious, you would be surprised how many independent and large brands lack strategy.
Creating an Instagram strategy is vital to achieving the goals you set for yourself. Think of it this way: Instagram is a 24/7 marketer, just like any call center agent might have a brand. The more reason why you should give it the attention it deserves.
It is necessary to identify critical aspects such as:
What audience is a brand targeting?
What goals do you want to achieve?
Which social media networks, in addition to Instagram, should the business be?
What metrics will be essential when measuring the effectiveness?
Avoid making the widespread error that "you have to be on the networks" and open accounts that will later be abandoned. This will only damage your brand reputation and confuse users as to whether or not your business is active. One of the worst mistakes on Instagram!
2. Not Interacting With Your Followers
It is so easy to fall into the daily practice of consumption over connection. This is just another frequent mistake on Instagram, and one many fail to take advantage of. It's no use having 20,000 followers if you don't have time to interact with them later.
For this, you must have a planned community management strategy in which you consider essential aspects such as:
Responding to comments and questions from your followers.
Following users related to your account.
Asking questions that encourage them to answer.
Your community is everything in your Instagram strategy! Always remember that having committed or engaged followers is more valuable than those who never interact. For this reason, feedback is essential since users spend their time communicating with your brand; they, therefore, deserve a response from you.
3. Buying Followers
I can't believe this is still happening. STOP IT! 😂
Buying many followers who will not interact with your brand is useless.
On the contrary, this can create a gap between your number of followers and your interaction, so your real users will know that you have paid for a community, which can hurt your reputation. Nobody wants this to be the result of their social media strategy, right?
If you want to sell on Instagram or create a vibrant community with your audience, you need genuine followers interested in what you do and share. This is built little by little and with patience, but the results will make you feel very proud.
4. Not Analyzing the Metrics
If you have a business and/or creator account on Instagram, you can access the statistics, a real treasure trove if you are interested in knowing the performance metrics of your strategies.
These are some of the data you will see when you enter the Instagram statistics located at the top of your profile:
Statistics of your audience
They allow you to get to know your followers on Instagram better, which will allow you to take this information into account to make better decisions. Here you will see primary data such as:
How many new followers have you got based on:
Gender
Age
Country and city of origin
Busiest days and times
Statistics of your publications
It also enables you to analyze your interaction on Instagram in the time window you choose, such as:
Number of likes
Number of comments
Number of saves
Profile visits
Clicks on the link
Origin of the traffic
All these metrics will give you helpful information to keep your growth on Instagram on the increase and in proper check. These metrics will also give you creative ideas to keep your audience more active.
5. Not writing anything in the description or caption
Yes, it's true; Instagram is a social network where photos and visual aesthetics do matter. However, one of the worst and most common Instagram mistakes is thinking that the caption is unimportant.
Sometimes, we have put so much effort into the image that it is difficult for us to develop creative ideas to write good captions, but believe me, the effort will be worth it. The description will not only help you contextualize your photo, but it will also help you empathize with your community.
An exciting caption can increase the chances of engagement, so if you're wondering how to write good captions, keep these tips in mind:
Write a motivational phrase at the beginning or something that made you laugh.
Ask questions for your followers to leave the answers in the comments.
Don't be afraid to use emojis (without going overboard). These can help you convey emotions and easily capture your followers' attention.
Provide complementary content to the image.
6. Not having a link in the BIO
As we said, one of the worst Instagram mistakes is missing out on your sales potential.
The Instagram bio allows you to put a link (or two) to your website or any other site you want to promote. What great news for your marketing strategy!
In addition, you can also put links in Instagram stories to constantly remind your users about your website or promote a specific product.
And if you are wondering how to choose between one link or another when you have several links you want to promote. Don't worry! Tools like Linktree or Shorby allow you to collect your links on a single page. So you can take your users wherever you want.
Here are some ideas:
Company Website: If you already have a website, this link is required in your account. One of the most common mistakes on Instagram is to have a website and not promote it in this section.
Other social networks: “cross-promotion” will allow you to take your users to other social networks, such as YouTube, TikTok, LinkedIn, or Twitter.
Products for sale: links created to promote some type of product or service.
Temporary promotions or campaigns: Always a brilliant idea!
Sponsorships and associations: Your IG account offers the possibility to add a sponsor URL for a specific time.
7. Not Using Hashtags Correctly
The hashtag is not dead; it is still more alive than ever. According to Metricool, monitoring hashtags allows you to listen to your potential customers actively and is part of the primary research to develop a good marketing strategy.
Hashtags are just as important as having visually appealing posts. By the way, making your photos look better/more visually appealing can work to your advantage. Using (don’t overuse) them correctly can make your followers fall in love with your brand!
But no matter how many filters or incredible photos you use, hashtags can help boost reach and impressions on Instagram. Sadly, some people use very few hashtags, others don't, and others use hashtag keyword strings that have nothing to do with their target audience.
To avoid misusing hashtags, one of the worst mistakes on Instagram, I recommend studying the hashtags used in your industry and then grouping them according to the posts you consider in your social media strategy. In addition, it will be very useful to you because you will be able to interact directly with the people who use that hashtag and make your community stronger.
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