7 Instagram Mistakes Everyone is Doing

Stuck with your social media growth? Here are 7 of the most common instagram mistakes everyone is doing right now.

So many times I’ve heard people say things like Instagram doesn’t work. Well, I beg to differ. The problem is, that we always want an easy fix. And social media, like anything else, takes time and effort. The good news is, mistakes can be fixed, and these 7 mistakes all have an easy fix.

Here are some of the most common mistakes everyone is doing ( and I have done) that are preventing you from taking your social media game  business to the next level (and what you can do to remedy them).

Instagram Mistake # 1 – Not Engaging

Social media is all about being SOCIAL. If you think about it in “real world” terms, would anyone talk to you if when they asked you a question you did not respond? The answer is NO!
Not engaging means not responding to comments, not reciprocating likes and comments, and overall not engaging. If you have 10K followers and only follow 3…. you are not being social. This is why you see so many accounts with a huge follower count and no engagement. Nobody likes talking to someone who ignores them. This applies to social media even more so than real life. Those little comments, likes, saves etc are all we have to know the person on the other side cares.

So…..BE SOCIAL!

Instagram Mistake # 2 – Using too many generic hashtags

Hashtags are one of the best ways to get noticed by new accounts aka clients. But if you’re using hashtags like #love, chances are NOBODY is seeing your posts. This is because there are MILLIONS of not billions of people posting under those hashtags and therefore every second tons of photos go under them. If you want to do a fun test, type a popular hashtag on the instagram searcher. Then wait for the feed to load, and refresh the feed. I guarantee you that in that one or two seconds, the feed will be repopulated with ALL NEW PHOTOS. It’s simply impossible for your audience to find you. What’s more important, generic hashtags that are too large are not ideal for attracting your ideal clients.

To be safe, stay with a variety of hashtags between 5K and 200K depending on how large your account is. This will give you a much higher chance of ranking in the discovery page.

Instagram Mistake # 3 – Not having a clear Niche

It does not matter if you’re a content creator for beauty products or a business owner trying to get new clients. Your niche, is the most important aspect of your social media page. Think of it this way: would you go out of your way to be friends with a Plummer if you are a nail technician? Chances are NOT. This is because we all have different interests, and if we have nothing in common, it is hard to engage or even find common ground.

So your audience, or your clients, need to know who you are and what you care about from the get go.

Your niche should be clear on your bio, on your feed theme, and in your captions.

DONT KNOW HOW TO FIND YOUR NICHE? READ MY POST ON DEFINING YOUR NICHE HERE!!!!

Instagram Mistake # 4 – Writing captions for the sake of it, rather than for a purpose

Instagram is an extremely powerful social platform for connecting with others, but if your captions are only selling products, your followers will get tired of it quickly. Nobody likes feeling used, and nobody likes feeling harassed. This is why we run away from MLM people who don’t know how to do MLM right….

Likewise, if your captions are random, and have no purpose, your followers will find themselves disengaged. You will experience the typical follow and unfollow. This is because someone might like your photo, theme, or vibe but if you change it altogether next week, they might not connect as much. It’s extremely important to maintain a theme, stick to your niche, and create content with purpose.

Instagram Mistake # 5 – Not providing VALUE

You will never find more success in social media than when you provide your audience with VALUE. A lot of people feel like adding value will take away from them, but the truth is the more value you give, the more interested your audience will be in purchasing anything you sell.

Be willing to share, give, and teach your audience. Incorporate tips, advice, or anything else you can that provides value into your content calendar and watch your instagram thrive.

Instagram Mistake # 6 – Not using Geotags

There are some tricks that help our posts standout and be more discoverable and GEOTAGS is one of them. Geotags let your local audience find you and often times there is not too much competition. It’s an easy way to be discovered by new possible customers.

You should be using geotags on all your photos, and on your stories….

Instagram Mistake # 7 – Not using Stories

Stories are the most powerful tool on instagram as of 2020. I’ve grown my instagram almost entirely from stories. You can engage largely here, and it gives you space to really show who you are. The feed allows you to only post a few things ( you should stay away from multiple daily posts) but stories allow you to post so much more. It’s a great way to let your audience know who YOU are, what your interests are, and to promote your products without being too pushy. It’s also a fantastic tool for engaging as it allows you to literally pick your audience’s brain.

Learn more about How to use stories to grow your business!!!

Bottom line

If you’re randomly showing up with little consistency and no plan, social media can be daunting. But it does not have to be that hard. If you apply yourself, learn not to make these mistakes, and continue learning, your social media (and your business) will thrive.

Many businesses and influencers opt to hire social media managers, and this is great especially for those who don’t have the time. But I still think it’s good knowing what is working and not so much.

These 7 Instagram mistakes are some of the most common ones everyone is prone to making, but they’re not the entire list.

Want to become an Instagram Superstar?

Download my FREE Instagram guide for business owners and content creators here!!

Have questions? Leave them below and I will make sure to answer them!