Do you love to spend your spare time on the Internet & social media? How about Instagram? This app is one of the most-used ones right next to Facebook, YouTube & TikTok. Most people follow their friends & family on there, as well as influencers who give out advice on any & every topic! Interested in getting a better-looking feed, as well as in boosting your Instagram profile? Here’s how you can keep it looking sharp, and here are some mistakes that most of us tend to make.
1. You are using way too many hashtags
Yes, there is a limit on how many hashtags you can use on a post, believe it or not. When uploading a picture just know that you can use up to 30 hashtags, but is there ever truly a reason to go so overboard? It is always better to use hashtags that are known to work for an engaged community, so stick within your niche! Do not be the most basic person who uses tags like #love, #girl, #happy.
Using a lot of tags will also make your site look spammy, while you should focus on gaining your followers’ trust. Ideally, you will stick around at 3 or 4 hashtags.
2. You don’t know when to post
Where you live and where your followers are from will play a huge role in this process. You have to know when everyone is online, when are they the most active, as well as how to engage with them & grab their attention. If you post at the right time, the app will bump your posts up high and on the user’s feed, meaning more likes and exposure.
However, if you were to post at random times and without a strategy, the chances of you failing are high. Usually, Friday night-time and Sunday at noon are good for new posts & engagement, but it can vary from one country to the other. Do a bit of research and see when are people spending most of their spare time at home.
3. Your pictures are low-quality
Instagram is all about the visual representation, as well as your unique and playful personality. Go for that aesthetically pleasing approach, and use the best camera you have, or think about borrowing one from a friend when shooting pictures, or for that special day that you have ahead.
You should also consider doing a bit of photoshop or face-tune to achieve those flawless & airbrushed results. You can also consider stock footage since some pictures can spice up your feed, as well as make it look even more appealing. Avoid any type of blurred images, unevenness, washed-out colors, or low pixels.
4. Disorganized feed & not using reels
Have you switched onto reels? If not, what are you waiting for? Instagram has been coming out with loads of new features, as well as upgrades. This is why a lot of people will simply skip following you (in case you are not showing effort). You have to stay on track & stay trendy!
In order to make your profile cohesive & give it that wow factor, make sure that you have a gorgeous theme. Ask yourself if your photos look wonderful once placed next to one another, and ask yourself what do you find aesthetically pleasing. If there is one photo that did better than others (comments & likes-wise), can you recreate it? That might be your next go-to!
5. You are a spammer
You need to pay close attention to your feed, but you should never overdo it. Why? Overdoing it and engaging in all sorts of ways will lead to you looking like a spammer. Some people post several pictures just from one event (wedding, for instance), and this is where Instagram will push your content away from your followers. It will find it looking spammy, as well as annoying. You can even get penalized if you post way too many pics with way too many hashtags. It is always better to single out each post and give it a 24-hour posting period in between.
6. Not replying back
Some Instagram users believe that their job ends after they post their content, but the truth is far from that! If you want to come off looking like a strong business or a brand, you must engage with your followers. This means reading, scrolling, commenting, as well as liking all of the content that is in front of you! Do not ignore your followers either, and try to make a connection with them to gain their trust.
Invest around 2-3 hours each week (at least) and stay in contact. Come off as a friendly individual who doesn’t mind sharing your time of the day with some of them. Answer to some messages & stay friendly as well as chatty – you never know what someone is going through!
7. Not engaging
Did you know that the average rate for good engagement is at 2%? If you are anywhere below this, you are probably doing something wrong. How to know where you stand at? Well, add the number of likes you have on one of your photos (just don’t use the recent latest one), and also add the number of comments that you have on that same picture. Write the number down and divide it with your number of followers. If you end up getting over 7%, congrats, you’re doing a great job. If you are anywhere from 2-6% you are doing well and your results are average. If you are below 2%, you might want some help.
You can get help when it comes to your marketing strategy
In the end, you can get a bit of help & assistance with the right tool. Toolzu is an amazing analytical tool for Instagram that has 10+ metrics for the most comprehensive analysis of Instagram profiles. It will help you increase your engagement, create overall better & well-liked content + you will reach a new audience & grow rapidly!
