Three mistakes you’re making on Instagram and how to fix them

When it comes to promoting a business in today’s day and age, social media outlets are great tools to use to get messages out to your followers and attract potential new customers. 

And one of those social media platforms that is a great option is Instagram. But just like with any social platform, mistakes you make on Instagram could be costing you in the long run.

This blog will hopefully give you insight into three specific mistakes you could be making, and in turn, how to fix them!

Buying likes and followers

Buying likes and followers may seem tempting because the number of followers an account has on Instagram generally adds to its credibility and overall appeal. At least, that’s what we have been trained to think.

This is why buying followers has become popular in social media for brands to do. They think the more followers they have will automatically equal a great business. This could not be further from the truth. 

While at first glance, a large number of followers may look good, it is important to remember that these metrics are hollow and lack any genuine engagement. It creates a facade of popularity that can easily be detected by discerning users and even Instagram’s algorithms. At the end of the day, interactions and likes on posts are what are going to get you the most sales and customers.

By resorting to artificial means to inflate your numbers, you are deceiving both your audience and yourself. This deceptive strategy undermines the trust of your followers and can lead to long-term damage to your credibility and reputation.

Buying followers also fails to generate authentic engagement. Genuine engagement is crucial for building a loyal and active audience that genuinely connects with your content. When purchased followers don’t engage with your posts, it becomes evident that the large number under your following is fake, further diminishing trust among your genuine followers.

Instead of buying followers, try and engage meaningfully with the real followers you already have. You can do this by responding to comments, asking questions, and initiating conversations. 

It is also a good idea to engage with other users’ content by liking, commenting, and sharing posts that resonate with your brand. Building relationships based on authenticity will be much more beneficial to you and have far more valuable results.

Inconsistent Branding

Consistency plays a pivotal role in building a strong brand identity. Unfortunately, inconsistent branding can lead to confusion among your audience, dilute your message, and undermine your efforts to establish brand recognition. 

The inconsistent use of colours, fonts, and imagery can create a confusing experience for your audience, and it may become difficult for them to associate your content with your brand. If you have too many different things going on on your page, it will make it challenging to establish a memorable presence.

And visuals are not the only thing that can be inconsistently branded. Too much conflict in the tone, voice, and messaging style of your brand can leave your audience perplexed. If they can’t understand what you are trying to say, they may struggle to understand what your brand stands for and find it challenging to connect with your values and offerings.

But don’t worry, there are ways to avoid, and even fix, inconsistent branding within your business. 

To start, you can establish brand guidelines, by creating a style guide that encompasses visual elements, such as colours, fonts, and imagery. This way you have something to look at when trying to create Instagram posts, stories and highlights.

You should also try and maintain a consistent tone throughout all of the media you put out. You can do this by crafting a brand voice that resonates with your target audience and making sure that your captions, comments, and interactions reflect this voice consistently.

The Importance of Strategic Planning

Something people seem to forget when it comes to managing social media accounts, especially Instagram, is the importance of strategic planning. 

A lack of strategic planning on Instagram can render your efforts aimless and ineffective. Without a clear direction, you may struggle to attract the right audience, build engagement, and achieve your business goals. 

A common mistake people make when building a brand is posting something just for the sake of posting. Posting random content without a strategic approach can confuse your audience and make it difficult for them to connect to your brand. 

It is also important to recognize who in fact your posts are for. Without a well-defined target audience in mind, your content may fail to resonate with the right people. If you are running a jewelry account with the intention of selling necklaces to teenage girls, but you are constantly posting memes of movies from the 1970s, you are probably not going to attract a lot of engagement.

These low engagement rates will result in low conversion rates, and a missed opportunity to create meaningful connections.

Instead of just posting something because you think you have to, it is a good idea to plan your content in advance and map out a consistent posting schedule. This helps maintain a steady flow of engaging content and ensures that each post contributes to your overall brand narrative.

It is also important to make sure you understand your audience. Once you figure out who your business is for, you can tailor your content to cater specifically to their needs and preferences.

Buying followers, inconsistent branding and a lack of strategic planning can be detrimental to your brand’s growth and success on Instagram. By addressing these mistakes head-on you can establish a strong brand identity, resonate with your target audience, and maximize the potential of this vibrant social media platform. 

Implementing these strategies can sometimes be confusing and time-consuming, so if you are struggling to figure out what your first step is and how to execute a plan, here at Brazen Bull we are happy to help. Don’t hesitate to contact us.