One may expect that such a robust platform would be an excellent promotional vehicle. Instagram is being used by businesses of all sizes and in a wide variety of fields to promote their products and services. This includes anything from local mom-and-pop bakeries and restaurants to Silicon Valley startups and Fortune 500 companies.
Not all marketers have found success on this immensely popular visual social network.
The majority of businesses are falling behind, since they are either not realising the platform’s value or are making inefficient blunders with their Instagram advertising. Advertising budgets may be wasted, but they may also suffer a drop in sales and consumer confidence as a result of this.
Instagram is not going away
When used properly, this visually appealing platform may be a powerful tool for organisations in the field of digital marketing. The five most typical Instagram marketing blunders are simple to avoid.
Let’s examine the causes of these slip-ups and the steps you might take to prevent them.
Without establishing an approach with defined objectives
If you don’t know where you’re going with your campaign, it doesn’t matter how strong it is; you’ll end up up a creek without a paddle. If you want to know if your advertising is working, you can’t. You should have a purpose in mind before you just start publishing whatever comes to mind without giving it any thought. Next, you’ll be able to organise your strategy.
Consider how valuable increasing your following is compared to raising brand exposure. Is your Instagram profile meant to boost revenue, or is it just a portal to your main site?
The key to a successful plan is a clear understanding of the end aim. There will be no tangible results from your work without it. There’s a unique way to accomplish each objective. The first step in reaching any goal is defining what it is you want to accomplish. Selecting the appropriate forms of advertising, such as
Feed ads
The audience might see your material in the feed in between updates from other accounts they follow. Ads that appear in feeds are very successful because they feel more natural to the user, increasing the likelihood that they will interact with the ad and click through.
Ads with Stories
Ads like this only show up at the very top of your stream, making them less invasive. When used as an ad, Stories are fantastic at getting people to visit your Instagram profile or a specific page on your website.
Ads based on already content
To maximise the success of your organic posts, elevate them if they’re performing well. They will blend in naturally when displayed in the news stream of your intended audience. Instagram marketing doesn’t get much easier than this.
Publishing information that might cause offence
Don’t put up anything that can cause controversy or that’s merely filler, like:
Don’t try too hard to close a deal; this isn’t just about making money. It’s important to interact with your readers and make them feel welcome if you want them to revisit your site.
They aren’t interested in daily images of your breakfast. It’s not going to interest them unless every single person in the room is a foodie. Adding a personal touch to your page is a great way to increase interaction, but it’s not the only factor in attracting visitors.
Avoid posting useless information just to increase your audience size. Keep your content relevant and brand-focused at all times. Create a connection between what you share to increase engagement and the larger goals of your company.
Don’t write about sensitive subjects like religion, politics, or current events.
Don’t write anything that others may take as homophobic, transphobic, sexist, or fascistic.
In light of the ad’s racial overtones, H&M withdrew it and issued an apology. Because of this, there was an uproar on Instagram and widespread backlash against the company, including boycotts.
The ad’s supporters are split; some think it wasn’t racist, while others strongly disagree. Avoid publishing anything that might even remotely cause trouble.
Intentionally Ignoring the Right People
This occurs even with well-known brands. Several advertising firms become so preoccupied with producing groundbreaking commercials that they forget to consider their audience or the various ways in which their clients’ customers might be categorised. If you don’t reach the right people, all your efforts will be for naught and you’ll have wasted precious resources.
If you want to avoid this, you should familiarise yourself with Instagram’s targeting mechanism and adjust your approach accordingly. If you do this well, you may connect with people that fit your target profile in terms of age, geography, hobbies, and preferences.
There are two ways to utilise Instagram:
You may narrow your focus to select groups with whom you’ve already had prior communication thanks to this feature. The likelihood of making a sale increases when advertising is directed towards those who have previously showed an interest in the product or service you’re providing.
Your current audience serves as the basis for generating lookalikes. It enables you to reach out to people who share similar characteristics and interests as your current customer base.
If you haven’t already, you should consider making the transfer to a business account (this is a bonus tip). You may increase the reach of each post you make on Instagram by switching to a business account and then selecting the specific audience you want to reach.
Ignoring the importance of visuals
Using Instagram is child’s play. Gaining followers and interacting with them is simple once you start posting content they find interesting. The entire process relies on visuals; thus, you should only utilise images and videos of the highest quality. Charming as home films might be, you don’t want your viewers to assume you’re so cash-strapped that you can’t purchase a smartphone capable of taking professional-quality shots.
Getting people interested and involved is the key. The longer they remain on your profile, the better.