Instagram is the fastest growing social network at the moment, and this rapid growth would make one wonder if your Instagram marketing is working or if you are making mistakes that could hurt your brand? We’ve identified a few things that brands should try and avoid.
To Hashtag Or Not Hashtag
The ever so fast-evolving nature of social media led to Instagram allowing clickable hashtags in a profile’s bio. The digital world got so excited that at first, we saw people mimic their Twitter behaviour by adding a long list of hashtags into their Instagram bio.
Understanding each platform and its uniqueness from all the other platforms you will quickly realize that this is a no-no. Did you know that hashtags in an Instagram bio have zero impact on Insta’s search results? Which means that if anyone searches for a keyword on Instagram, bio’s including all hashtags on it will not show up in search results.
So, instead rather not put hashtags in a bio, unless a single branded hashtag is used, which links to content related to the brand or business that you would want people to see about your brand or business on Instagram.
Stop Posting Random Content
Each social media platform requires its own strategy and posting random content makes the lack of a strategy very evident.
Analyse your data, and it will guide your social strategy. Dive deep into your Instagram Analytics. Go through all your past posts and look for a common thread. You need to identify which visual content your audience is engaging with, what conversations are they taking part in, which content are they engaging with the most.
Instead of pulling your hair while trying to figure out what to post, let your data guide your narrative and strategy while growing your audience through a focused visual approach.
Follower Size Doesn’t Matter
The influencer world of vanity metrics has driven people and brands to think that more followers equal more customers, which is not the case. Engagement is vital on any social media platform, it enables you to double down on the current audience and serve them well while converting your current followers into customers. It’s about digging deep, not wide.
You need a clear understanding of why your current followers are genuinely following you, and then you need to interact with your followers by responding to comments, having conversations with people who are sending DMs, and following up on the response. Engaging with your followers helps you understand them. You learn how and when to talk to them. Tapping into the world of Engagement Marketing.
The Size of your followers Doesn’t Matter, however, the deep, meaningful conversations with your current audience matters most.
Conclusion
We need to stop treating Instagram like a way to sell and more like a platform to build relationships, that’s when we start to tap into the power of connections with their followers.
Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing.
The Digital School of Marketing’s Social Media Course will give you a rigorous understanding of Instagram as a marketing platform and will provide you with the tools you need to be successful on this platform. Visit the DSM website, and you can learn about the different online digital marketing courses.
