7 Mistakes You Are Making On Instagram

Find out what you are doing wrong on Instagram!!

7 Mistakes You Are Making On Instagram!

Have you been working your butt off on Instagram with very little to show for it? Taking 100s of pictures a day and scrolling through little boxes and researching hashtags!  You've started to ask yourself,  "What the Hell am I doing wrong? What are those accounts doing with 10X the followers, likes and engagement!" No matter how much time and effort you spend on your own Insta it just keeps falling flat. Keep reading because if you are doing these 7 things then it's time to make a shift and so you can start rocking your IG account.

1. Your profile is boring or incomplete!
If you can't describe what you do or want to offer people on your Instagram then you will never be able to relate to your target market. Use your profile page to showcase you, your brand, your business and/or your services in relation to the GOALS you have for your Instagram.

• For your profile picture, I recommend a headshot of yourself so that your followers/potential followers see that you are a person.
• Ensure that you have a clear and concise bio. State what you do and then add some personality. You can add personality with your wording or simply add in a couple emojis.

You want to be clear and concise but you also want to stand out. You can find out more about creating an awesome Instagram Profile here! 

2. You are posting random things to your Insta and hoping something will stick!
When you have no focus or goal growing your Insta following can feel like a black hole of endless work. If you have no clue what your trying to achieve on your Instagram then you are going to have trouble achieving the success you dream of with your account. I always ask my clients what their top 2 goals are for each of their social media platforms. What type of emotions or information do you want to impress upon your followers, community and target clients. When they look at your account or profile what do you want them to instantly know about you or your business? 

Here are some of the top goals that I see for an Instagram Account:

• Inspire and Educate
• Inform and Increase Awareness
• Share and Showcase your lifestyle/brand

Get focused and make a plan!

3. You're using a bad, broken or irrelevant link in your bio!
Yes, really! Lots of people are not even using a link in profile or they are using a bad/broken/useless link. Many users set it and forget it. The problem with this is that customers (people in general really) are lazy so if you want people to read your blog or visit your site you need to send them directly there!!

Instagram only allows for a clickable link on your profile so I STRONGLY suggest that you use this link to your advantage! Ensure that you are always checking your link and that the link that is relevant to what your content is. Soooo, if you are promoting a sale or service then you should include a link specific to that content. Use the KISS principal - Keep It Simple Silly!! :) 

4. Your Hashtags Suck!
So many people use all (or most) of the 30 hashtags to describe themselves specifically or their business/product rather than hashtags that relate to their target audience. Using a handful of these descriptive hashtags in every post is ok but other sellers and services are using them too not your ideal clients so while you may get some likes and follows (from your competition!) you are not going to get engagement or customers.

Hashtags are the way that Instagram categorizes content which is the way that people search content that they are interested in. For example, if you are selling baby clothes I'd use tags that are targeted specifically to new moms or expectant moms.

Ready for it...You want to use #tags that your target market is interested in. If you know your target audience and your niche audience hone in on them. Spend some time researching the content & #tags they are interested in and are using then use them yourself!  Have a look at what your competition is doing, check out their followers and see what #tags both are using.

Hashtags can be tough but once you find the right ones you will be so excited because you will have found your people! And when you find your people big things happen!! If you struggle with finding the correct hashtags for your target market check out my HashtagH Workbook. 

In addition, to not using the correct hashtags many accounts do not use hashtags to their full potential. If you are not using hashtags consistently, not using all 30 hashtags or are not really sure how or where to use hashtags read my Blog Post, How to find the right hashtags for Instagram.

5. Not consistently posting.
This is a huge buzz kill for growing an Instagram following. If you post sporadically your followers will lose interest. They want to see your content and hear from you. Engaged Instagram followers are intentional with the accounts they follow. If you are looking to build an engaged and loyal following I'd highly suggest that you set an achievable schedule for yourself. If you can post 1 x/day or you can only manage 3posts/week that's ok but when you post everyday for a week and then don't post for two weeks your followers will lose interest and you account will lose momentum.

6. You are not posting quality content.
Quite often number 5 is a direct result of not knowing what the Hell to post or posting crappy content that your ideal audience is not interested in. People do not do this intentionally generally it is a result of social overwhelm, trying to have a presence on all the platforms -Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc, etc. While you want to be everywhere it's a good idea to figure out what platforms your target market is on and share content that is interesting to them (NOT YOU!). The more you share content that your target market cares about the more you will feel relevant with that audience. This will help to establish know, like and trust which leads to more sales!

​So spend some time planning out your content. Be purposeful when you post.

7. You are not engaging with your followers or potential followers.
Instagram is a social platform so you have to be social on it! Don't just post and hope that your hashtags will do all the work. You MUST engage with other accounts. I suggest commenting and liking people's posts that are your target market. See who is following your competition or use hashtags that your clients are using and interact and engage with new followers. Be purposeful with whom you are engaging with and set aside a few minutes everyday to comment and like posts. 

*Bonus mistake! You are not taking advantage of video.
Whether you like it or not video is here to stay. With the implementation of Instagram Stories people are scrolling less and watching Stories WAY more! People love to watch video and IG has made it possible to live stream video or upload a video into your story or onto your IG feed. So get on board with video! 

Now that you know what it is that you are doing wrong on Instagram go and make these changes. Implement these suggestions and watch the magic happen!!

​I'd love to hear from you! Let me know how these tips and tricks have helped you in the comments.
xo
Mel

If you are looking for a little extra help with your Instagram Profile, specifically determining your target market, finding the right hashtags & brainstorming the perfect content for your feed check out my Workbooks. 

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