However, it is worth tackling the basic mistakes that users often make that you would not want to repeat. Avoid these seven mistakes at all costs if you don’t want your Instagram campaign to fail.
Quick Links
Let’s take a closer look at the mistakes that could turn out to be deplorable.
1. Lack of goal-oriented strategy
Objective: The goal of the marketing strategy is one of those ubiquitous business phrases that are easy to forget.
Imagine that you are attending a conference or webinar where one of the presenters advises you to set a strategic goal first, and the other – to monetize your mailing list. Which of them will you listen to?
Surely you’ve read enough about “goal setting” and would rather follow the advice of the other presenter and have the benefits in material form credited to your account.
But Instagram marketing without a targeted strategy is just more and more missed opportunities and an effort that goes to waste. In such a situation, it’s easy to give up and even conclude that all this social media marketing just doesn’t work.
Yet this type of marketing works. Yes, most brands use Instagram to increase recognition, but that’s not the only benefit.
For example, a company Warby Parker on Instagram posts creative, imaginative photos of his glasses, generating over 2,000 likes for the post and commitment, which translates into increased sales.
You can, of course, have your way of capturing interesting videos and photos, but remember not to post them on the web pointlessly. Know what you are striving for and build a strategy around that goal.
If, for example, you want to increase web traffic on the landing page, you must remember the about button and compelling photo captions.
On the other hand, if your goal is to increase brand recognition (which means that you mainly focus on the long-term effect), you should pay the most attention to the photos themselves – always focus primarily on quality.
In the context of building a goal-oriented strategy, a lot can be learned from the Quest Nutrition brand.
According to TOTEMS Analytics, the number of Quest Nutrition followers increased by 15 thousand in a month.
They successfully establish contact with recipients by creating eye-pleasing content, thanks to which they help their followers to take care of a proper diet and training plan.
Here is one of their 15-second videos based on a goal-oriented strategy.
2. No link in the description
Web traffic is the driving force of your website.
A website that doesn’t generate web traffic will burn out sooner or later. It’s just a matter of time.
Instagram generates up to 1.2 billion likes per day and 1000 comments per second. Each of them leaves behind a real, living person. Exactly what you want to encourage to visit your website.
[Tweet “#Instagram daily – up to 1.2 billion likes + up to 1000 comments per second”]
You may not be aware of the dire consequences of not including a link or CTA button in your description. Most Instagram users don’t even think of it.
A good example of a brand that knows how to drive potential customers to your landing page is Nordstrom. Just look at the link in their bio:
According to a 2015 study by Iconosqure, 70% of Instagram users admitted that they were looking for brand profiles. Moreover, 62% only followed a brand because they like it.
Instagram users count, you have to understand. And they will observe your account if they like you – you or your brand.
If you don’t have a link or a CTA in your bio, you’re in a lost position. My friend, Anthony Carbone, a significant part of the profits generated from Instagram is due only to the link in the description.
Instagram allows one active link to be included in the description. So make sure you get the most benefit from this opportunity.
To add a link in the description, select “Edit Profile” and enter it in the “Website” box.
When you start your Instagram marketing there are apps for social media who can help and make your work easy, the first thing you should remember is not surprisingly good quality photos, but the link in the account description.
It could be a link to your website, another landing page, social media profile, or a specific product page. The choice is yours. Remember, however, that the link must be appropriate to the offer presented in a given account and the photos shared.
3. Private account
After making your account private, you will lose many followers.
As for your private account, you can, of course, choose to block access to it by strangers. But if it’s your company’s profile – it must be accessible to everyone. After all, your goal is to get as many followers as possible. The more people recognize, like, and share your brand, the better.
The harsh reality is that when a potential recipient sees a private account icon on Instagram instead of interesting content, they most often lose interest.
You are showing yourself that you don’t want anyone to see your profile.
A private account means that when someone decides to follow your profile, they have to wait until you have time to accept their request.
Until you do this, they will also not see the content you are sharing.
If you want to make sure your account is not in private mode, select “Edit Profile” next to your profile picture.
Then, at the bottom of the page, uncheck the “Private Account” option.
4. Multiple sharing same content
Regulars on your profile will quickly stop being regulars if you keep sharing the same photos and videos.
From time to time, it may be worth sharing something again for some reason. However, it would be better if it did not become a habit for you.
Recent research has revealed that Instagram users love shopping. Unfortunately, they will quickly become discouraged from spending money on your products if the content that should attract them is uninteresting and monotonous.
Nobody likes duplicating the same content on the web – neither Internet users, let alone Google.
The same goes for Instagram. Users want to enjoy the eyes of more and more new content.
Don’t be lazy. Instead of sharing the same photo you took while camping one time, take a different one – for example, at work. As long as the content you share matches the goal you have set yourself, everything will go well.
When someone follows your Instagram profile, they do it because they enjoy it. And, by the way, he would like to benefit from it. You already know that re-sharing the same photos and videos won’t get him any of these things. So could you give it up?
You can, of course, post “selfies” on your profile and attract followers. Kim Kardashian, for example, does this very often.
However, if you go overboard and start sharing the same photos over and over again, the followers will get bored and likely stop following you.
You have to find the middle ground. Try to experiment with different types of content (photos, memes, quotes, etc.) and see for yourself which one appeals to your target group best.
Also, try different colors, fonts, and placement.
5. Too slow reply to comments
Comments are a measure of engagement that Google pays attention to. This is because engagement leads to customer retention and, in turn, to brand growth.
[Tweet “Comments are a measure of commitment #InstagramMarketing #SocialMediaMarketing”]
No, comments won’t end up in the most searched phrases list, but a post that generates many of them (50 or more) gives Google a signal that users want to watch it.
And Google loves content that users like, read, share and comment on. After all, no one is interested in content that does not bring anything new or offer any form of help.
As for me, I reply to every comment under my posts. And I’m not going to stop.
When someone leaves a comment on your Instagram post, it’s your responsibility to respond to it as soon as possible.
Since Instagram is a good place to increase brand recognition and build trust with your target audience, replying to their comments – answering questions, developing a post, or reminding you of upcoming events – helps you achieve this goal.
Remember – if you repeatedly ignore comments, your followers and fans will eventually conclude that you don’t care.
So always make sure to respond to comments. I know you’re a busy person (every internet marketer is), but don’t let such a lame excuse affect your relationship with your followers—especially those who take a moment every time to comment on your posts.
To ensure that the user reads your Instagram response, add an “@” in front of their profile name.
When you do that, he will receive a notification and will be sure to return to your profile. This will additionally cement your relationship.
6. Putting on quantity instead of quality
Instagram is a one-of-a-kind image editing and sharing application. You can learn a lot about Instagram Marketing just by observing accounts of famous brands and how they gain followers.
One of the important things I learned when In three months, I generated $ 332,640 from my Instagram account; the focus is on the quality of photos and videos, not on their quantity.
The number of MAC Cosmetics brand followers increased by 231 thousand.
One helpful, inspiring post is enough to generate an average of up to 34,000 likes and over 300 comments.
Quality matters a lot.
You can, of course, upload more content without neglecting its quality. It brings even better results. MAC Cosmetics provides content on Instagram statistically 4.54 times a day, and it is always of the highest quality.
On March 5, 2015, the band released eight good-quality photos, which generated 33,000 likes quickly. Quality has become the motto of MAC Cosmetics. Just look at one of their photos:
Whether it’s movies or photos that you share on your account – be sure that you always put quality first.
7. Bad use of hashtags
And you may have the wrong way to use hashtags on Instagram, as it happens to brands and entrepreneurs on Twitter or Facebook.
It is creating and promoting hashtags part of the goal-oriented strategy mentioned in the first point, as it helps to increase brand recognition. However, there are a few simple rules to follow when using and creating hashtags.
Most brands don’t seem to know the optimal amount of hashtags to add to one post.
In the article “Ultimate Guide To Hashtags,” You will find out that 11 or more hashtags result in 80% interaction, while two hashtags only result in 41%.
Note: Instagram allows no more than thirty hashtags to be added.
More studies confirm this data.
For example, in her research, AgoraPulse found a correlation between the number of hashtags and engagement in comments and likes.
Even though Instagram allows you to use as many as thirty hashtags per post, I don’t recommend adding that many to every photo or video.
You want your post to look relevant and attract users. You are not obsessed with statistics that have no real impact on your brand. You would most likely lose sight of followers if your every post were littered with dozens of hashtags.
It is very important to use hashtags as intended and not manipulate users and Instagram’s algorithm.
Remember that:
[Tweet “Instagram is a website built on authenticity and quality.”]
So don’t let hashtags obscure your main goal – helping followers achieve their goals.
GoPro is an example of a brand that knows how to use hashtags correctly – not only for their benefit but also to help users find what they are looking for.
As the creator of the “most lauded camera in the world” used by athletes, photographers, and event organizers, GoPro is gaining Instagram followers at a rate of approximately 221,000 per month.
WITH 8.9 million followers (and this number continues to increase), GoPro uses many hashtags, all of which always correspond to the photos posted.
Summary
Instagram has stayed in our world for a long time. So use its power to getting followers, generating network traffic on your website and gathering potential customers who will trust your brand.
The above text focuses on seven Instagram marketing mistakes, but there are more, such as:
- sharing undersized photos,
- posting content at the wrong time,
- bypassing the CAT button,
- buying followers or engagement,
- excessive brand promotion,
- not sharing videos.
However, don’t get overwhelmed by these mistakes. All you have to do is double-check that you haven’t committed any of them. And if that happened to you by chance, you need to improve.