Are you making these Instagram mistakes?

The power of social media needs no introduction but it has taken on even more importance this year as usage figures and time in app have both spiked. Although it has been around for a while, many businesses still struggle to make social media work for their business. With one million users, getting Instagram savvy is especially useful and can aid in discovery of both your small business and your new business app.

Here are a few common mistakes to be aware of and what to do instead to make the time spent on social media more fruitful for your brand:

1. Not experimenting with post times and frequency

Like any social media marketing, Instagram can take some time to figure out. What works for one brand may not work for you. While it does require time and patience, experimenting with different posting frequencies and post times will allow you to identify the sweet spot for your audience.

2. You’ve given in to the temptation to purchase followers

Follower counts can be a huge bug bear for many a business as the expectation is that you’ll have thousands. If your numbers are lower and you feel it is taking too long to build a following, you may have given in to temptation and purchased followers. While this will have boosted the number that others see, in all likelihood that audience will never engage with you, which means your posts won’t attract the likes, shares and interaction that they deserve.

Buying a following also means that you aren’t targeting genuine social media users who may actually be interested in downloading your app or using your company.

3. Your posts are too promotional

Social media is a discovery medium for many consumers and more and more, shoppers are in the habit of turning to platforms like Instagram and Facebook to find product ideas or narrow down service providers. That said, making your posts too promotional is a huge turn off for most users.

While there is certainly a place for sharing promotions you have running, they shouldn’t form the bulk of your updates. Instead, focus on meaningful, value-add content and visuals that your audience will genuinely connect with. This helps you to build stronger relationships with your audience and retain followers, both of which naturally translate into a more sustainable and fruitful social media presence.