Here are more Instagram mistakes that marketers should avoid.
6. Having no strategic plan
Do you have to direct traffic to your website? Do you need to gain your followers? Make more sales in your Instagram Shop?
It’s difficult to achieve success if you are unsure about what you’re trying to achieve.
If you hop in the car for a road trip with no destination in mind, you might have an interesting journey… however you might wind up in a spooky town with a gas station and a motel that provides you bed bugs.
Select one goal to start, and create a strategic plan to get there. That way, you’ll have one thing to guide each decision, and a way to measure your growth.
7. Inconsistent branding
Your Instagram account is only one small part of a complete brand ecosystem.
You probably have a website, other pages on other social media platforms, and maybe even a brick-and-mortar storefront. All of those parts should have a consistent thread that ties them together to make sure that your brand is strong and clear.
Your logo must be on all the profiles. Every factor should share an identical visual style and editorial tone.
Think about how confusing it would be if luxury brand Louis Vuitton paired its upscale website (screenshot on the left) with an Instagram account just like the photo on the right:
Relying on your audience for every platform, there could also be subtle variations in the sorts of content you share or your interactions—maybe you’re all about the memes on Twitter—but overall, your whole platforms should feel connected.
8. Inconsistent visuals
We all love the internet, however, you keep in mind books, right? Well, with each post you create, you’re including one more page to your brand’s overall story.
When you take a look at your brand’s Instagram profile page, does this story make sense? What does “the grid,” say as a whole?
Here are two different versions of the Instagram profile of one very fake clothing brand.
On the left, it’s a hodge-podge of images—some corporate headshots, some stock photos, some product shots, all in different styles. On the right, the photographs all feature the same color palette and work together to create one solid visual representation of a brand.
If you have a number of people contributing to social content, create a style guide that allows everyone to know the visual mission. (Am I obsessed with books? Why don’t I just marry one already!)
9. Not spell checking
Typos are an important part of life on the internet. Even professional writers could make mistakkes mistakes sometimes.
However, a bit of spelling or grammar error can make an otherwise polished publish look careless. To build a fast proofread into your social posting process, and get a second set of eyes on your posts (maybe even using the Hootsuite Planner!) before they go up in order that they don’t look like this:
10. Not using Instagram Stories
Social media entrepreneurs already have enough on their plate, I know. (And now Instagram is throwing Reels at you? Hoo boy.)
However, if you’re not taking advantage of Instagram Stories, you’re losing a chance to achieve the 500 million users who use this part of the Instagram platform.
New to Stories? Here’s our step-by-step guide to posting. You may also take a look at these ideas for building your Instagram Stories audience and great apps to help make your content pop.
11. Not engaging with followers
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it once more: social media isn’t a broadcast, it’s a conversation.
If you’re not engaging with your followers, you’re losing your platform. Every time user comments or asks a question, that’s a chance to build rapport and create a positive experience. Time to get chatty.
12. Sharing awkward links
Instagram doesn’t hyperlink URLs in comments, so posting a long, unwieldy link just looks messy—and such as you don’t know what you’re doing. Plus, let’s get real: no one is going to kind that into their browser.
Brands with 10,000 followers can include links in their Instagram Stories. Those who don’t have that luxury often use the “link in bio” tips.
Another option for brands who’re regularly throwing to links is to create a catchall link. This is a URL that features all of your recently referenced links in one place.
Sites like Campsite or Linktree are two great choices. You can also build a specific page right on your website that is home to all your topical links.
If you’re guilty of some (or all) of the Instagram goofs mentioned above, don’t beat yourself up about it. The thing about a digital platform is that it’s never too late to correct course. Turn your Insta-mistakes into, uh, Insta-tunities—and take your brand’s social presence to new heights.