Nowadays, social media marketing has permeated advertising to the point where businesses without an online presence are at a marked advertising disadvantage. Social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram, which were once stomping grounds for creative content and personal status updates, have evolved into conduits for modern businesses to reach consumers in larger amounts than ever before.
Although the heavy-hitting social platforms have a lot to offer in terms of exposure and growth for aspiring businesses, brand recognition isn’t instant. Businesses have to be consistent, creative, and interesting to gain Instagram likes and Instagram followers. Here are 8 correctable mistakes brands are making on Instagram.
- Tackling Too Large an Audience
There may be a certain temptation to cast as large a net as possible, in the hopes that several followers will be caught. In truth, this method of marketing can be detrimental to businesses because it blinds them from realizing the strengths of the brand and their target demographic.
In reality, brands should narrow their focus when marketing. Although this may seem like passing up on so many potential followers, it actually spurs better, more purposeful content from the producer end. In addition, the existence of a close community aids the chances of more followers through word of mouth.
- Posting Inconsistently
Inconsistent posting is one the biggest and most frequent mistakes made by social media users in general. What this disjointed schedule creates is uninterested followers who will begin to leave in search of something that can catch their attention; in the process, businesses quite literally lose their advertising strength.
Sticking to a posting schedule benefits users by keeping precious followers around, but also by structuring their entire approach to social media. Businesses are then forced to generate new content ideas to appease their audience and stay on top of their posting schedule.
- Returning to Previous Successes
As mentioned before, businesses may be tempted to cling to old content concepts that performed well on Instagram, but this practice can actually result in stale posts and stagnant follower growth. Instagram followers can spot similarities between content easily and will get bored if the same ideas are hurled at them week after week.
As work-intensive as it may be, brainstorming on a marketing room whiteboard is absolutely necessary for staying relevant as a business and continuing to attract more followers. Although the extra work may not seem worth it, the increased exposure stemming from new ideas will quickly debunk that belief.
- Ignoring Followers
This mistake is one businesses may not even realize is an Instagram offense until it’s already too late. Social media followers crave content at all times of the day, so sometimes posts aren’t enough; businesses should be prepared to engage with followers to maximize brand awareness.
There exist numerous ways to engage with followers. Among these are giveaways, following sprees, direct messages, and comment replies. Any of these methods will satisfy content-hungry followers.
- Failing to Collaborate
With so many talented creators present on Instagram, it’s detrimental to businesses to forego collaboration with fellow brands. However, many businesses do not realize the potential for growth lying within content collaborations. In truth, working with other users can dramatically change the social media dynamic of businesses of all sizes.
Whether it’s sponsored content, an extended video hosted on another platform, or a series of posts featuring another user, collaborations are especially powerful because they expose one audience to another. With new content in the eyes of a previously unmet audience, brands can gain droves of new followers.
- Disregarding Stories
One of the most inventive features on social media right now is the Stories feature. Focusing on vanishing content, Stories allows users to share posts that will disappear after 24 hours, allowing for daily highlights or quick posts specific to certain moments. Businesses should use Stories as another easy method of satisfying the follower hunger for new content.
- Missing Out on Free Advertising
It’s no secret that most businesses with an Instagram presence likely have profiles and followings on other platforms. Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter are similar places for sharing content and advertising to consumers on a large scale. Therefore, conducting cross-platform advertising can be a beneficial strategy to businesses struggling to surpass a follower plateau.
Simply linking another platform in an Instagram bio can generate traffic going both ways, ultimately aiding both platforms involved. In addition, this can expose followers to types of content not normally seen on their platform of choice.
- Ignoring Analytics Applications
The final mistake businesses are making is remaining uninformed on their social media performance. Certain third-party Instagram analytics platforms provide powerful insights into consumer behaviors, so businesses can optimize their performance with half the effort.
