1-Thinking that Stories Are Not Important
To start with, let’s talk about Stories. It is unlikely that you have not heard of them since they are considered as one of the biggest trends of 2019; however, if you are a new Instagram user, Stories are short-lived posts that only last 24 hours and that are located on the top of the app. Stories have the advantage to grab viewers’ attention quickly since they are ephemeral. If you do not know where to start, we suggest you take a look at our article How you can use Instagram Stories to boost your business.
2- Irrelevant Hashtags Overuse
Although it is on Twitter that hashtags were first mainly used, these symbols are also frequent on Instagram. In fact, it is not unusual to see many hashtags under each post. According to statistics, most Instagram posts have between one and seven hashtags. A hashtag can surely help you be found by potential followers if it is done in a good way. Do not try to use too many keywords to order to grab people’s attention. On the contrary, use relevant hashtags that are related to your vision and your post. You probably want to target the right audience, right?
3- Neglecting to Complete Your Bio
Is your bio completed? It is a place on your profile page where you can present yourself but also where you can add a link to your website. This allows your visitors to find your website quickly. It is very useful if you have an online shop or if you make promotional campaigns on Instagram. Complete your bio with your name and a short presentation that does not exceed 150 characters. Emojis and hashtags can also be useful since it allows you to use fewer characters.
4- Omitting to Get Involved With Your Followers
As it is the case on many social media, it is considered necessary to take the time to interact with your followers, especially if they leave comments. It is even more important on Instagram. If you are depicting yourself as someone open-minded and accessible, this will give a good impression on your followers. You can also explore a few keywords and comment on relevant posts in order to work your branding. Do not forget to follow interesting accounts in order to see what other people do too!
5- Choosing Pictures of Poor Quality
Unlike other social media where texts are the most important content, pictures are king on Instagram. Therefore, you must make sure to use pictures of good quality in order to look credible and professional. Otherwise, it will be nearly impossible to set you apart from the masses whatever the number of filters used. It is recommended to take many pictures to have a perfect one that will answer your needs. You could try different angles and lights too. Many apps also exist to help you edit your pictures so they can appear perfectly on Instagram. Our web designer suggests you VSCO, Lightroom, and Snapseed!
6- Using Instagram Only for Advertisement
As mentioned in our introduction, many people ran away from Facebook to avoid the huge quantity of sponsored ads. It is therefore essential that your posts are not only ads or that they do not look like that. Instagram users are looking for beautiful and original pictures. Therefore, you need to keep this in mind when you create your posts. Present your products in everyday life or display them in an unusual way. Use your values as inspiration or show the world the place where you work, for example. The final result must, however, stays subtle, efficient, and original to keep your followers interested.
7- Paying for More Followers
Finally, the last faux pas to avoid on Instagram is to pay to increase your number of followers. This might seem very tempting to give a few dollars to have more followers, however, it has consequences. First, it is seen by a lot of people like cheating. Second, this will not allow you to increase your engagement rate since these new followers will not be people that love your products or services. Moreover, if people realize that you have paid for more followers, this will hurt your credibility. You should rather start by retaining an audience that will follow you because they like who you are and offer them.
In conclusion, Instagram is a social media with a lot of potentials and that is liked by its users. If you have a blog or a website, we suggest you take the time to create an Instagram account in order to help you create a community. Everyone can make mistakes; however, we hope that you will know how to use Instagram better. Moreover, if you are planning to become an influencer, we suggest you take a look at our latest article Using an Influencer, How Does It Work?