Written by: Tyra Mills
Did you know that more than 40 billion photos have been shared since the start of Instagram, and there are more than 4.2 billion likes on the app daily? With the app constantly adding new features and gaining more and more popularity, the number of opportunities your brand has to share great content is endless. You may want to jump in and get started, but simply uploading photos to your page is only a minuscule part of what goes into marketing your brand properly. It may sound silly, but there is an unspoken Instagram etiquette needed to properly promote your brand on social media. Let’s take a look at some missteps you may be making on your page.
1.) If You Give a Damn, Don’t Spam
What is the one thing Internet users hate to see? SPAM. These are comments posted under other user’s posts to promote your brand or encourage likes on your own posts. This not only hurts your credibility but could cause your page to be reported to or perceived as a scam or hoax. There are better ways to get your brand noticed that your audience will respect and pay attention to.
2.) Using the #WrongHashtags are a drag!
Using the wrong hashtags under your content can attract the wrong users and clientele to your page. Although it’s great to have new eyes on your page, it isn’t useful if those eyes aren’t interested in your product or services. It can also confuse your followers about what you do. You can find hashtags on Instagram by using the search bar, typing in whatever it is you’re searching for, and clicking the “Tags” tab. A rule of thumb in finding hashtags is always try to use the most common or currently trending hashtags that relate to your brand or post. Also, creating your own hashtags for your brand can help users easily keep up with your content! :)
3.) Putting Links in Captions is a Big No No 🔗
Improper linking on Instagram is one of the most commonly overlooked missteps. Putting a link in a caption muddies your message and makes it difficult for users to follow. Most importantly, Instagram doesn’t allow clickable hyperlinks in captions and only allows for one link in the Bio section. So how can you leverage one link for all your needs? We recommend downloading linktree, which allows you to put one link in your bio that hosts several different links for visitors to choose from.
4.) Sharing Off-Brand Content is Just Bad Form
Sharing content that isn’t cohesive with your brand can be confusing for your customers and clients. If a member of your target audience is coming to your page for specific content and can’t find it, they may be more likely to unfollow. For example, if I follow a doctor on Instagram I expect to see information and photos relating to medical issues, but it would be confusing to see photos of pizza.
5.) Posting Too Often and Repeating Content, Repeating Content, Repeating Content
It doesn’t matter how strong your posts are if you’re posting them too often. Posting too often may annoy your followers, resulting in you losing your followers. Most studies agree that once per day is optimal, with a maximum of two posts per day. Create a posting schedule for your content to help you stay consistent without becoming overbearing. Scheduling posts ahead of time using applications like TweetDeck or Buffer can help make posting regularly a breeze!
