Without a doubt, Instagram is one of the fastest-growing social media networks. Numbers don't lie. Instagram has 1 Billion+ people users per month.
Moreover, each user spends an average of 30 minutes on Instagram. By now, you can see the emphasis of why your business needs a presence there.
However, creating an account and posting random posts using hashtags will not help your business. You have to come up with a plan that will be well suited for your brand or business.
I will discuss some of the mistakes that you can avoid in Instagram marketing. Some of these mistakes will help you with your social media plan.
Whichever plan you come with, try to avoid the following mistakes:
- Creating poor content
- Poor captions
- Poor hashtag research
1. Creating Poor Content
When coming up with your plan, content is the first thing that comes to mind. After all, Instagram is all about content. In this case, not only content but good content. Some businesses make the mistake of rushing this part of the plan.
Here are some areas that many businesses go wrong:
Quality: Posting images that are of low quality or videos that are not clear.
Make sure you use images that are clear with readable fonts. Create videos in HD and caption them whenever necessary.
Type: Some businesses never take the time to know which kind of content their audience loves. Do they enjoy videos or images?
Do they love carousels or prefer long-form content on IGTV? Are they more engaging with your stories or your feed? Test, test, test.
2. Poor Captions
You just finished creating your content, and it's now time to share it with your fans. The image or video will not pass the point across without a good caption.
Here are some things to look at when creating your captions.
Length: Make a habit of posting long-form captions. These captions give you more space to explain more about your brand.
However, this can change from one business to another. In any case, when you get the chance, write long-form captions that users will find helpful.
Emojis: Many businesses do not use emojis in their captions. Emojis bring about relatability and connection with your fans.
For example, add an emoji at the beginning of your sentence or the end to draw attention.
Grab attention with coded messages created using emojis. Or use emojis to relate to people, things, and places you mention in your caption. There is so much that you can do using emojis.
Call to action: As a business, you need to tell people what to do next. Should they visit your website, send you an email, or what should they do?
Many businesses post without telling people what to do next. Ask them to buy your product, follow you, tag a friend or even visit your website.
3. Poor Hashtag Research
Hashtags help you spread your posts. The most challenging part for many is finding the right hashtags. Many businesses try to use hashtags with millions of followers. However, your posts end up sinking in the millions of posts using the hashtag.
Here are factors to consider when picking your hashtags.
Number: You have the freedom to use 30 hashtags in your post. Most people use between 1 and 3 but, I recommend 10. However, you need to experiment with your account to see the number of hashtags to use.
Posting: Make a habit of posting your hashtags as the first comment right after your post goes live. It makes your caption area clean and easy to read.
Type: When picking hashtags, avoid one-word hashtags like #business. Be more specific and niche-focused. Use hashtags with two words or more like #Business101.
Such hashtags have a reasonable amount of followers where your posts will gain visibility. Again, research this with your niche in mind.
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are so many mistakes that businesses overlook on Instagram. However, these are the most common ones and the most important.
Remember, content is king. You cannot survive on Instagram if your content and business profile do not appeal to your followers. Use the 3 E's (Educating, Engaging, Entertaining) to create good content.
Moreover, do not ignore your captions. Instagram focuses mainly on the visual aspect (Photos/Videos), but some people still rely on your captions to know what to do next. Depending on your business, the caption can be long or short.
Lastly, hashtags can help you reach a new audience for free. Pick the right ones, and you will reduce your advertising costs significantly.
Need help with social media? Drop me an email [email protected].