The Do’s and Don’ts of Instagram
When it comes to your small business, social media is a huge player in your marketing strategy and Instagram may be one of your best on the team.
Over the last ten years, Instagram has drastically changed and developed into this crazy networking machine. With every update, the software adds new features to help you engage more with your customers and create content that gives them a deeper connection with you.
With Instagram being such a powerful tool, here are some do’s and don’ts to the app --
The Do’s
Do post quality pictures that are relevant to your business. The founding idea of Instagram as always pictures and therefore, people want to see good quality, crisp, vibrant pictures that are relevant to you. Your Instagram feed is telling a story about your business so it is important that the pictures show that.
*I like to use Adobe Lightroom to edit my pictures without giving them a fake filter.Do engage with your followers. Instagram is a platform that people look to find a community and what better way to make people feel included in your business community than to like and reply to their comments and messages? Schedule about 30 minutes a day to reply back to people, even if it is a simple emoji.
Do be consistent in your posting. Use a scheduling app if you need help reminding yourself to post daily like Crowdfire. To work with Instagram’s algorithm, it is important that you are continuously putting new content out there so that your business profile shows up on their Instagram feeds.
Do take advantage of Instagram Stories and Live. These features allow your followers to get a sense of your personality and communicate in real time. You could also conduct small focus groups by putting out “this or that” type questions to get a feel for what your customers are looking for.
The Don’ts
Don’t be spammy. It is always recommended to post 1-2 times per day and 3 if you need to gain traction but it would be best to spread these out over the course of 12 hours.
Don’t abuse hashtags. The best way to utilize hashtags is to post them in the comment section instead of the caption. Shoot for 10 solid hashtags.
Don’t play games. Your business's Instagram is not a place to create any drama. Avoid following, unfollowing, and back to following someone or any snarky remarks towards anyone. (even the haters!)
Remember that at the end of the day, social media is meant to be fun. Overthinking your strategies may hurt you more than just being your authentic self.
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