Instagram is a social network that allows you to get outstanding results and attract your target audience. More than 500 million users visit the platform daily. Its proper use will help your brand to become popular and create an impressive customer base.Â
There are 4 main mistakes that a business makes in the promotion process. In this article we will tell more about them and how to solve them.
No content strategy
One of the most common mistakes of people who want to achieve results on Instagram is the complete lack of strategy. If you still create posts without any relationship and you do not have a posting schedule, sooner or later, you will fail. Instead of relying on unsubstantiated reasoning, turn to analytics. Own data will help to create a successful strategy and succeed.
As a result of a study, in which Tailwind examined more than 100,000 Instagram profiles, it became known that accounts that publish 7 or more posts a week receive more likes and subscribers in a shorter time.
Where do you start?
Where do you get the data from? Use the built-in Instagram statistics. Check out previous posts and evaluate engagement. Find the most popular content and look for outsiders. Try to recreate successful posts and avoid anything your audience didn’t like. It is important to find the relationship now and, based on the preferences of your audience, to develop an effective content strategy. Â
Write without errors, as this negatively affects your brand’s image. To do this, you can use proof-reading tools such as: Ivory Research, Grammarly, ProWritinGaid, etc. This will help you avoid typos and will have a positive impact on trust.
Hashtags
Avoid using a lot of hashtags. Many start-up entrepreneurs do this to attract attention. From the side it looks like spam and does not often return results. Among these hashtags, there are often quite general and highly competitive ones. Therefore, you have to warm up for the attention of users with millions of other pages. In addition, using irrelevant hashtags, you risk distracting the attention of the visitor from your brand. By clicking on the hashtag, the user will leave your page and may not return, as other publications will carry their interest away.
How to avoid this?
Add unique hashtags that are highly relevant to your business. They can act as navigation and simplify the search for relevant posts. You can also perform in-depth analysis and find niche hashtags where there is little competition. Do not try to manipulate Instagram algorithms and users, make the algorithm work for you.
A study by Quick Sprout showed that publications with 11 or more tags receive almost 80% interaction, when compared with posts that have only 2 hashtags (41% interaction). Find a middle ground and use the optimal number of hashtags. There should not be too many, but not too few.
Followers & Engagement
Only those brands that build long-term relationships with their audience receive recognition. This helps to convert subscribers to customers. Such an approach creates a positive image and inspires confidence. As a result, despite huge competition, among all companies, the consumer will choose yours. Therefore, businesses that ignore this, will not be able to get outstanding results.
How do I reach more followers?
Constantly in sight. Use several sources of traffic, collaborate with influencers, publish custom content and reviews. Studies have shown that 84% of people trust reviews online, as well as personalized recommendations.
Be open to the audience, broadcast live and give feedback. Show that followers are important to you and you value them. Always find new methods of engagement and keep in touch.Â
Ignoring comments and Direct MessagesÂ
You can create the coolest content strategy and publish posts in a timely manner. However, communication is key to social networks. If you ignore direct messages and leave unanswered comments, everything will be in vain. Moreover, if you want to get recognition, you must reply as quickly as possible. People do not like to be left waiting and can quickly find a competitor’s offer. Statista data demonstrates this dynamic well.
What should I do?
Stay in touch and never miss messages and comments. If it’s not possible to give answers instantly, select a specific time every day when you do this. Thus, you can maintain communication with the audience and look friendly and open.
Conclusions
Are you looking to get popular on Instagram and take your marketing to the next level? Then follow the recommendations above. They will allow you to avoid mistakes and create effective strategies. Remember, only an integrated approach and constant evaluation of results makes it possible to achieve outstanding results.
Author – Rebecca Willis
HR manager, personal trainee in management, freelance writer, and active guest contributor.