Instagram is a powerful tool when used correctly. The app's community is made up of 300 Million active user accounts. With over 30 Billion photos shared, it is easy to fade into the clutter. Prevent that from happening to your account by avoiding these common mistakes.
No Website Link?
The only place on Instagram you can put a clickable link to your website, is in the bio section. So many users are missing out on this opportunity to drive more traffic to their site and build awareness. Your audience will most likely want to know where they can get your product or services. So make it as easy as possible for them to find it! Entering your site's link in your bio is the easiest thing you can do to improve your Instagram account.
Instagram is a powerful tool when used correctly. The app's community is made up of 300 Million active user accounts. With over 30 Billion photos shared, it is easy to fade into the clutter. Prevent that from happening to your account by avoiding these common mistakes.
Hello? Is Anybody There?!
You must engage with other users and follow relevant users. You can find relevant users by searching hashtags, the discover page, or go through your follower's follows and likes. DON'T binge like accounts. Try commenting on photos when appropriate. Take time to respond to user's comments and engage in conversations. By doing this you will build relationships for your brand.
You're Killing The Hashtag
The misuse of hashtags is a personal pet peeve of mine. Hootsuite sums it up as, "the main function of hashtags are enabling discovery- allowing others to find topics and users of interest thanks to the use of relevant keywords." By overusing/underusing hashtags or by using irrelevant hashtags, you are spamming your posts. Your account will devalue and you'll probably lose credibility. So do yourself a favor #don't #waste #your #hashtags.
Pro Tip! Adweek said that 91% of Instagram posts contain between one and seven hashtags.
Don't Smother Them With Promo
If you want your followers to lose interest in your account, continuously post pictures of your logo, product or brand. If you don't want your audience to lose interest try adding images that display the values your brand has. Shake it up a bit and mix in other visually appealing pictures to attract visitors. Don't bore the eyes of your Instagram community.
No Room For Low-Quality Images
This should be an obvious one considering Instagram's main focus is VISUAL. Users have higher expectations for photos and won't think twice about scrolling past an unattractive or boring photo. I know cell phones don't take the best quality pictures in the world but, there are a crazy amount of photo editing apps and a few guidelines that leave no room for excuses.
- It's not 1 and done. You will need to take multiple shots of the same thing to achieve the perfect one. This means you will have to take pictures without using the Instagram app.
- Beware of shadow phones! Always check your photos to make sure there are no shadows of your cellphone or camera that will distract the user's eyes.
- Don't overdo it with the filters!
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I like to think of Instagram as a photo journal or log for your brand. "A picture is worth a thousand words." So make sure yours are saying all the right things.
