What should you avoid on Instagram?
If you’re wondering which Instagram mistakes to avoid (or how to fix ones you’ve already made), you’re in the right place. But don’t worry! Not only are we going to break down why these are mistakes – I’m going to help you fix them.
Mistake #1: Putting Links in Your Instagram Captions
Seeing a caption with a link is it’s like nails on a chalkboard to my social media manager brain. Here’s why: unfortunately, Instagram does not allow links within a caption to be clickable. So that link is not only a waste of valuable characters, but a waste of your time. No one will type that link into their phone or computer browser to go visit it (I mean unless you’re promising a million dollars in which case – could I get that link?)
The Solution: Put the link you want people to navigate to in your bio. In your posts, use a call to action to direct your audience to that link.
Mistake #2: Posting content that isn’t yours (ie from other pages or Pinterest)
Interior designers & home decor businesses, I’m talking to you: reposting pictures from other designers or Pinterest can land you in some serious hot water. Just because something is on social media doesn’t mean it’s for public use. You cannot use content from other accounts or sites like Pinterest without express permission – even if you give credit. Doing so can land you in legal trouble. You can even get your account restricted if a copyright claim is filed against you.
There’s also an issue of trust. By building your social media presence with other people’s content, your audience doesn’t get to know you. For example: If you’re an interior designer and your entire feed is Pinterest images, how is a potential client going to be able to connect to YOUR business? (spoiler alert: they can’t).
To read more on the ethics of regrams, I recommend Manu of @yoursocialteam’s blog post on the topic. But the tl;dr is: not only is it ineffective to build your page off other people’s content, it’s also against Instagram’s TOS and copyright law.
The Solution: Create original content and share it – even (and especially!) if it’s not perfect! Alternatively, find a good stock photo/video subscription (I use canva pro for my clients and myself) to supplement your original content. If you find a post you want to share – share it to your stories and tag the original creator!
Mistake #3: Having a huge disconnect between the number of followers and engagement on your posts
Seeing an account that has 15,000 followers but less than 12 likes on each post is a little disconcerting. This type of discrepancy highlights two potential issues:
-the page purchased followers, meaning their brand comes across as inauthentic
-the followers are real but inactive and not too fussed with the brand, making it hard for new audiences to get interested
Besides illegal regramming, this is truly one of the biggest Instagram mistakes there is. No matter how many times or how many ways us social media managers say it, brands are still hung up on how many followers they have. But in trying to get those “impressive” numbers without putting in the legwork to earn a real, engaged audience of that size, brands hurt their credibility and future potential on the app.
The Solution: Focus on connections over vanity metrics, and if you have a large audience that isn’t engaging it’s time to do a follower clear out.
Mistake #4: Your highlights are outdated or nonexistent
Your Instagram highlights are one of the most under-utilized features of the app, in my opinion. After someone reads through your bio, your highlights are the next thing they see before your feed content and reels. And if they’re filled with 72-week old stories that aren’t relevant to what your target audience is searching for? Missed. opportunity.
The Solution: Clear out those highlights and make sure you have the following topics covered: About You/The Biz, FAQs, Testimonials/Client Love, Services/Products, Behind the Scenes/Life/Personal. I talk more about the importance of highlights and break down my go to categories in this post.
Mistake #5: You Never Respond to Your Comments
I do NOT want you to feel like you have to be on Instagram for hours every day and that you have to get to every comment/DM. That’s absurd. But if you leave all your comments unanswered? Pretty soon your audience will feel like there isn’t a point to engaging.
The Solution: Even if you can’t get to every single one – spend 15-20 minutes a day making sure you’re talking to your community. After all, social media is about being social. Instagram mistakes aren’t always massively difficult to correct – sometimes it’s just about using the app the way it was intended.
Take these Instagram mistakes out of your daily behaviors and your audience will thank you 💛
Want more where this came from?
Check out these recent blog posts:
- How to Use Instagram to Attract More Interior Design Clients
- Five More Mistakes You Can Fix In Your Social Media Marketing
- The Eight Types of Instagram Content & How To Use Them
And don’t forget to sign up for my weekly newsletter, where every Tuesday you’ll get 3 content ideas, 2 trending audios, and 1 social media resource for further learning.
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