The 10 Most Common Instagram Marketing Mistakes

Instagram may be one of the newest social media, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t important. Even before it was acquired by Facebook, it was drawing millions of users and there are now more than 400 million people using this platform. Instagram also has one of the highest engagement rates when it comes to users, not only because it has been made so easy to like a photo, but also because the visual medium is simply more likely to attract users’ attention.

All that said, many companies, when starting Instagram marketing campaigns, make errors that send users running in the opposite direction. Here are a few of those mistakes.

You Post Way Too Often.

One of the worst things a brand can do (or one of the best ways to send your audience running) is to be constantly posting pictures. If you are flooding the feeds of even those who follow lots of different accounts, you are going to become so annoying that people will unfollow your account out of spite. How often should you be post? Once a day—twice at the most.

Your Pictures Are Low Quality.

It can be tempting just to snap a photo of your product with your cellphone’s camera and post it right to your account. But if that photo is not displaying your product in the best possible light, then you are not going to be sending the message you want to send. Take time to make sure that your pictures are high-quality, even just the ones of your staff.

You Use The Wrong Hashtags.

Like every social media these days, Instagram lets you use hashtags in order to tag your photo so it will show up in the stream when someone clicks on or searches that term. Sometimes, brands will use irrelevant hashtags just get more eyes on their pictures. This is considered very bad behavior and should be avoided at all costs.

You Post Other People’s Pictures.

There are lots of reasons why you might want to post someone else’s picture on your account. In a very narrow sphere, this might be fine. But for the most part, the pictures that you post on your account should be your own pictures, taken organically. Certainly do not steal someone else’s picture without giving them credit and payment.

You Only Post Pictures of Your Products.

While it might be interesting for your audience to see your finished products, if all you do is post the same pictures of your products that you use on your website, you’re just going to bore your viewers. Instead, post behind-the-scenes pictures (and videos), informational graphics, etc.

You Don’t Interact With Your Commenters.

Instagram allows users to leave comments, so many users do leave comments. Not only is your responsibility to moderate those comments and to make sure that no bullying, hate speech, or other controversial conversations are taking place there, but it is also your responsibility to make sure that people who do leave comments know that those comments are appreciated. Replying to comments, answering questions, and joining in on the conversation is a great way to do this.

You Do Not Make it Easy for Someone to go From Your Instagram to Making a Purchase.

It’s great that you can post a picture of something on your Instagram and then viewers will want to purchase it. But if it is difficult to get from your Instagram to your website, you’ll probably lose a lot of those potential buyers along the way. Include a link to that product when you post the picture.

You’re Using Too Many Hashtags.

Using too many hashtags is just as annoying as using the wrong hashtags. Not only with Instagram eventually cut you off, using twenty hashtags in your caption makes your company look like a thirteen year old girl. Not that there’s anything wrong with being a thirteen year old girl, just that your company probably isn’t one. Use no more than three.

Don’t Post Without a Clear Message.

You should know, long before you actually start posting pictures, what message you want your brand’s account to portray. If you do not have a firm grasp on this concept, you are going to end up posting without rhyme or reason, and it will be difficult to attract people that are actually interested in your brand.

Don’t Just Sell.

If you view Instagram just as another place to sell your products, you have missed the point of social media marketing. Think of it as a place to connect, start conversations with, and eventually, yes, sell to your audience. Don’t be so focused on selling that you forget to build your brand.