If you’re serious about your Instagram game, you must know the common mistakes that are too often overlooked. In this post, we look at the most common reasons why your Instagram posts might be failing. These simple fixes could up your game in no time.
Here they are…
Missing Link in Account Bio
Instagram can be a giant tool in driving traffic to your website in big numbers. But, that’s only possible when you have all the right links and CTAs in your bio. This small step can go a long way in putting your posts to meaningful usage. Unfortunately, many people overlook this tiny yet important detail.
It only takes a second but can make your profile even more engaging. To make sure your posts don’t fail, just head over to Edit Profile > Link.
What’s even better is that you can include multiple CTAs and links in your profile thus increasing the conversion by several folds. Tools like Linktree allow you to add multiple clickable links straight from the Instagram bio. The links can lead to your LinkedIn profile or your website.
This step is particularly important if your website or some other destination is your main place of business and you want to redirect people there. Businesses doing SEO for Startups can use this feature for driving traffic.
Keeping Your Instagram Account Private
Although this may seem like a no-brainer, most people don’t realize how keeping their account private might be negatively affecting their engagement rate. Do not make the mistake of creating a profile and hiding it by keeping it private. It’s like keeping all your talents secret. How do you expect people to buy from you unless they know about the shop and can enter it?
You can go to the settings and change the status from private to public. It’s an easy way to gain visibility, increase awareness and improve outreach.
You Purchase Followers
One of the worst things you can do for your game is to go against the Terms of Service of the platform. That includes purchasing followers. It’s true that boosting your numbers will and can help to expand your brand reach.
However, you cannot buy genuine engagement and followers. There’s no trick around it other than spending time and effort. Purchasing followers may win in the short-term but in the long run, it won’t work.
What’s more, Instagram has been taking action against bots and anyone with a fake following. Therefore, purchasing followers may hinder your progress unexpectedly and sometimes it could even lead to the banning of account.
The solution to this problem is to put out genuine content, engage with audiences, and keep your account authentic. Always follow Instagram’s terms of usage and service.
Posting at Random Times
One of the worst things you can do with your Instagram account is to post at random times and then not posting at all for days. This can be detrimental to your image. It’s important that you have a proper publishing schedule and stick with it. People expect consistency and they love routines. Therefore, make sure you don’t post stuff at random.
Solution – You need to first establish a timeline and a schedule that you can stick with. Whether you’re comfortable with posting 3 times a day, or once in three days, or once a week; make sure to create that schedule and stick with it. If you have a hard time keeping up with a schedule, you can use myriad social media management tools for Instagram.
Posting Low-quality Photos
Instagram is primarily about images. That’s what forms the heart of it. That’s why it goes without saying that high-resolution and quality images are a must if you want to create an impact among your followers. All the hard-hitting images on Instagram are high-quality. The better images you can pick, the more opportunity you have for better sales.
You can use the following tips for creating high-quality IG content:
- Images with at least 1280×1280 resolution look great when compressed. So, stick with this resolution.
- Use 600 x 315 for recording videos.
- Use natural daylight for taking pictures. You may also use the golden hours which is about half an hour after the sunrise and before the sunset. You have the possibility of getting the best images during this time frame.
- You can use apps like Snapseed and Afterlight for arty, unique, and professional-looking images.
Posting Too many Images too frequently
It’s easy for people to feel turned off if they see their feed and find it filled with images only from your mind. Avoid clogging your followers’ feed by putting way too many images simultaneously. An irritated user is likely to unfollow you or put you on mute so they can view other people’s posts.
As a solution, you should space the content by sticking with a schedule.
You Edit Posts After They’ve Been Distributed
Not many people know this but editing your photos after they have distributed can negatively impact the engagement on those photos. Here’s the thing – Instagram looks at the number of comments and likes as an indication of the content and account quality. More comments and likes lead to better chances of recognition.
If you edit a post after it has gone live, Instagram will reset the ranking. Therefore, all your engagement up to that point will be reset. In some cases, it can even cause the post to be removed from the top position if you edit it.
The only solution is to avoid editing once your content has gone live. Be sure to proofread your posts thoroughly before publishing.
Bottom Line
Instagram is all about understanding the platform, sticking to its guidelines of services and avoiding the most common mistakes that hamper the engagement. Make sure you don’t repeat these mistakes.
