Instagram mistakes that you can avoid.
Indulging in follow for follow
You have probably run into these requests on random Instagram posts. A lot of users desperate for followers put these #followforfollow hashtags with their images. You follow them and they simply follow you back irrespective of whether they like your content. You tap a button, and you get a follower instant follower. All are good?
Although sometimes there are smarter ways to go about a task, every approach needs some logic. If you simply follow somebody despite not genuinely being interested in their content, do you really think you will comment on their posts and stories? There will come a time when you will start seeing their content as spam and hence, unfollow them. Your followers will experience the same in your case.
True, we all need engagement on our posts. But that engagement comes from people genuinely interested in your content. And to make people interested, you need to create engaging content. So don’t fall for it folks. Don’t fall for it.
Follow me because I followed you
These days posts are flooded with comments by people who request the poster to follow them just because they did the same to the poster. Don’t do it. It’s desperate, annoying, and it’s begging.
Instagram is a platform that builds engagement by way of social interaction. If you want someone in your target market to follow you, you must interact with them. Post interesting comments on their comments, compliment them and ask them anything related to their post. They’ll mostly be glad to reply to you.
Tagging unknown profiles in your posts
This qualifies as spam. Period.
We all want to get noticed. Getting noticed by larger profiles helps a lot in this regard. But tagging larger accounts despite not personally knowing them comes off as irritating.
They may be bigger than you. But they also want to make a brand for themselves and do not want to be tagged by random profiles seeking their attention. It does you absolutely no good.
Hence, unless somebody asks you to tag them, don’t tag them.
Buying followers
Do it only if you want to waste your money. Just like the #followforfollow approach, the followers you get by way of nifty purchases will bring you only quantity. And quantity is worth nothing if you lack engagement. Which is better, having just 200 loyal followers who comment on all your posts regularly? Or, Thousands of followers, none of which actively engage with your content? You want followers. But you also want quality followers. Also, most of the followers you buy are going to be fake profiles, which pretty much kills the point of getting a follower.
Spreading Negativity
Negative quotes, negative experiences and negative trolling are things that should not belong to your Instagram account. It becomes a sure shot recipe to put your followers off. Bitching about things can be done among your peers, not in front of the world. Also, if you have a business account, you must avoid it because it looks extremely unprofessional.
Too much activity
There are some Instagram profiles that post every 15 minutes. It is certain that you have seen some of those. Don’t they annoy you? Heck, you must have at least unfollowed one of them by now. Everything has a limit. People may like your content. But shoving it down their throats by inundating their feeds is not only unnecessary but qualifies as SPAM.
However, should you plan to post more than thrice a day, a time it well. Leave at least an hour of a gap between different posts. Letting go of followers just because you ‘overperformed’ can be the most unfortunate thing to happen to an Instagram profile.
Lack of Consistency
If you are serious about developing your brand on Instagram, you cannot make it big if you only post once or twice a week. If too much activity is bad, so is too little activity. The best way to branding through Instagram is through consistency. Do not run after perfection in your content. You just have to make your audience feel that you exist and that you want to regularly interact with them. This conveys your genuine respect and cares for your followers. Without posting often, More the frequency of your post uploads, more will be the engagement through comments, likes, and shares. Not only should you post often, but you also need to engage with the audience yourself. In case you aren’t getting a lot of comments, simply ask a question in the comments. Something like “What do you guys think about my home artwork? Can it be improved?”. Your audience would love to interact with you then, fostering your bond with them. Ideally, post at least once every day.
Blurry pictures
This doesn’t need an explanation, does it? But unfortunately, a lot of Instagram users actually do it. Ask yourself, what is Instagram all about? Pictures, right? Make sure offer the best quality in your photos as possible.
Limiting the posts to product shots
Do you know why vloggers on YouTube have a gigantic fan following? Because they seem real. They may make some really high production value videos, only to, later on, make a ranting video with just a camera in front of them. This makes them look natural and reachable, just like any other human being. This removes the ‘celebrity tag’ off them too! Hence, you don’t need to look professional every time with flashy pictures of your product on your profile. An occasional selfie, a hand-drawn mind map or a ‘making of’ time-lapse video will go a long way in helping you connect with your audience.
Having only one account for every purpose
While your close ones can follow your business IG profile, you should limit most of your personal posts to another personal IG profile of yours. Your professional account must be all about promoting your business. To sum up, relevancy of content is paramount.
We hope that this post gave you some deep and helpful insights into developing a successful Instagram account. Share with us the mistakes you made with your IG accounts in the comments below! For more insights, ideas, information and a lot of other fun stuff, consider following us on our Instagram Profile.
