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In recent years Instagram has become perhaps the most important social media platform for any modern business or individuals. While Facebook’s appeal has waned, particularly among younger users.
Despite maintaining its popularity among baby boomers, Facebook is losing ground with the younger crowd. Twitter on the other hand, remains a more specialized platform, not appealing to everyone.
Instagram has visually appealing images, captivating captions, and an endless number of Stories to explore.
While Instagram may appear straight forward to navigate, managing a business account on Instagram comes with its own set of challenges. Therefore we have picked 15 things not to do on Instagram especially when using for business.
1. Avoid Solely Focusing On Yourself
It’s a common pitfall to focus solely on self-promotion. After all, it’s your brand’s Instagram account — time to push those sales, right? Not quite.
Instagram isn’t just a marketplace; it’s a platform for connection. People are drawn to accounts that speak to them on a personal level. Your content should be captivating, visually stimulating, and not overly promotional.
Pepper is one of the best examples, they strike a perfect balance between engaging and selling. Along with their product images that showcase diversity across ethnicities, and body shapes.
They include thoughtful statements and body-positive messages that resonate strongly with their targeted audience. It’s not just about the brand; it’s mostly about the community that they have built.
2. Stay Engaged, Avoid Posting And Forgetting
After creating great content, it’s tempting to just post and move on. However, on Instagram, staying active is crucial.
Take the time to respond to comments, even if it is with a quick emoji. This engagement signals to Instagram that you’re involved, improving your visibility in the algorithm.
So, instead of posting and forgetting, make sure to keep interacting to maintain an active presence on the platform.
3. Avoid Over-Tagging In Photos and Stories
Limit tagging to individuals who are physically present to avoid seeking undue attention or reposting requests.
Tagging numerous accounts in hopes of gaining visibility is often counterproductive and may lead to being overlooked.
Similarly, refrain from excessive tagging in Stories. Avoid repeatedly messaging pages to request features. Instead, focus on creating compelling content that speaks for itself.
4. Respect Original Creators — Properly Credit Reposted Content
Curating content can enhance your brand’s personality and reduce the need for original material.
However, it’s crucial to credit the original creator. The best approach is to tag them in both the caption and the image itself, showcasing respect for their work and adherence to ethical practices.
5. Avoid Using Excessive Hashtag
While hashtags can expand your Instagram reach, using too many can overwhelm your audience.
Although you’re allowed up to 30 hashtags per post, it’s advisable to exercise restraint. Aim for 7-10 hashtags, with a maximum of 15. Cluttering your caption with excessive hashtags offers a minimal return on investment.
Instead, opt for a strategic approach by selecting a mix of popular, medium-sized, and organization-specific hashtags for each post or campaign. This balanced approach ensures effective reach.
6. Limit Story Posts To Maintain Viewer Engagement
It’s essential to strike a balance in your Story-sharing habits. Research indicates that optimal engagement occurs within a range of 1-7 Stories.
Exceeding this limit often results in a significant drop in completion rates. Remember, quality over quantity matters.
Avoid overwhelming your audience with excessive Stories to ensure continued interest and engagement.
7. Avoid Follow-Unfollow Tactics
Some users resort to rapid follow-unfollow strategies on Instagram to boost their follower count, hoping for reciprocal follows.
However, this approach is ineffective and can be seen as spammy. It’s akin to throwing spaghetti at a wall, hoping something will stick.
Moreover, repetitive follow-unfollow actions can lead to annoyance and reputational damage rather than fostering engagement. Instead, focus on creating genuine quality content.
8. Avoid Using Stock Photos
While stock photos offer convenience and affordability, relying solely on them can result in an Instagram account that lacks authenticity and fails to connect with your audience.
While they can suffice temporarily, consider investing in original photography to infuse your account with personality and uniqueness.
You don’t need professional equipment; even iPhone photos can be effective in adding a personal touch to your content.
9. Avoid Exclusively Sales-Oriented Content
While increasing sales may be the ultimate goal of growing your Instagram presence, overtly sales-focused content can be off-putting to your audience.
Even if you have an Instagram Shop, it is essential to provide value beyond simply promoting products or services. Instead, share photographs and videos that add true value and engage your audience organically.
For instance, Nike’s Instagram feed stands out because it prioritizes people-centric content with minimal emphasis on individual products.
When starting out on Instagram, take time to understand the content preferences of your audience and develop a strategy to deliver this effectively.
Given the short attention spans of today’s Instagram users, diversify your content to maintain engagement.
In addition to product/service posts, share industry news, behind-the-scenes glimpses, memes, collaborations with other accounts, and any other content that adds freshness to your feed.
Remember that even posts that have nothing to do with your business can still be meaningful to readers and lead to growth.
Develop a mindset that is not limited by conventional boundaries. You won’t get the best results from your Instagram presence if your only goal is to generate sales.
10. Avoid Adding Links in Captions
Instagram captions do not support clickable links. To direct your followers to a specific URL, place it in your bio instead.
If you have multiple promotions or links to share, consider utilizing a service like Linktree, allowing you to link to multiple URLs from your bio.
Alternatively, you can create a hidden page on your website solely for this purpose, accessible through your bio link. Ensure this page is regularly updated to reflect any new additions or changes.
11. Avoid Purchasing Followers Or Utilizing Bots
Buying followers or deploying bots might seem like a quick fix, but it’s not worth it. Think about it: if you only have a handful of posts but thousands of followers, it looks suspicious, right?
Plus, those bots leaving random emojis? Totally irritating. They don’t contribute anything meaningful to online discussions or make your brand seem authentic.
Instead, focus on growing your following organically — it takes time, but it’s genuine and effective, building real connections with your audience that last.
12. Avoid Automatically Sharing Instagram Posts On Facebook Or Twitter
While it’s tempting to auto-share your Instagram content across platforms, it’s not the best strategy. Sure, it extends your reach, but you’ll encounter formatting problems.
Twitter might cut off your long captions, and Facebook could pull over irrelevant phrases like “link in bio.” Instead, maintain control over your content by manually posting to each platform.
You can use the same images and adjust the copy slightly. Just schedule them for different times to prevent overwhelming your audience and ensure optimal engagement without formatting hiccups.
13. Do Not Use Overly Complexed Usernames
Ensure your Instagram username is clear and easily understandable. While seemingly insignificant, the choice of username for your Instagram Business account significantly contributes to shaping your brand’s digital identity. It is imperative to avoid selecting obscure or cryptic usernames.
The initial impression holds utmost importance, with your Instagram username serving as the primary point of contact for potential followers and customers.
Should your username be ambiguous, excessively intricate, or challenging to decipher, it may perplex individuals and dissuade them from engaging with your brand – simplification is the key to success.
Opt for a username closely tied to your brand or business name, facilitating ease of discovery and recollection for users.
A clear and relatable Instagram username significantly enhances your discoverability on the platform. When users explore topics or hashtags relevant to their industry or niche, a username aligned with these interests heightens the likelihood of their profile surfacing in their search results.
14. Avoid Taking Too Many Actions At Once
It’s best not to do too much on Instagram all at once. Even though Instagram doesn’t say it clearly, if you do too many things in a short time. Such as — commenting, liking, following, or messaging, you might get shadow-banned.
Messaging and commenting on other people’s posts are important for growing your Instagram, but you need to know the limits.
People argue about exactly how much you can do, but there’s no fixed rule. It depends on your account and how active it is.
For new accounts with not many posts, followers, or likes, you should be more careful. It’s safer to keep it to around 20 actions per hour.
If you need to do more, spread it out over time to avoid the risk of being banned.
Here are a couple of overlooked tips to help you avoid common mistakes
- Go Easy on Interactions: On Instagram, it’s suggested to keep interactions like likes, comments, and messages to around 20 per hour.
But it’s safer to do even less. When you’re new to the platform, start by messaging and chatting with just a few people each day for the first few weeks.
It’s best to message people you already know and ask them to respond. This helps Instagram see you as more trustworthy.
Since the rules around this are kind of fuzzy, it’s smart to be cautious to avoid getting in trouble.
- Make Your Posts Look Good Together: When you’re posting about your products on Instagram, try to fit them into an overall theme for your feed. For example, check out Tentree, a brand that sells eco-friendly clothes.
They’ve made their feed all about nature and travel, and they’ve blended their clothes into that theme.
Instead of just showing off their products, they have regular people wearing their clothes in natural settings.
It takes more work, but it makes your feed look awesome and makes people more likely to follow you. Look at other accounts in your industry for ideas.
15. Just Don’t Give Up
Don’t ever throw in the towel. It’s as crucial as any other advice you’ll find here, whether you realize it or not!
Creating an Instagram business account can be a lengthy process, particularly if you’re starting from scratch.
This applies especially for accounts that are willing to grow organically. They typically require some time to start getting noticed.
For your good, let go of those unreasonable expectations! As long as you consistently provide real value and adhere to Instagram’s fundamental best practices, you’ll do just fine.