Ad Spamming
Intriguingly, experts claim that on average, we see about 5,000 ads per day. This number may seem exaggerated or even impossible, but everywhere we go we see ads—driving down streets and highways, and when on social media platforms. The last thing you want to do is fill your feed with repetitive posts that only contain sales pitches, especially through social media marketing.
Instead, you can implement a few tactics. Offer blog posts, with interesting topics related to your area of business. For example, if you own a hair product line, you can post a blog regarding five ways to know if you have dry hair. Within this post you can subtly advertise your line’s hydrating abilities—if the reader identifies with dry hair, they become more apt to purchase your product. Your social media posts could additionally feature a photo of a person who fits in your target audience using your product and looking very happy. If you have a clothing line for teenage girls who do yoga, you could post a picture of a teenage girl doing yoga in your trendiest yoga pants. Being creative with advertising is key.
Marketing to Everyone
With over 3.2 billion active users on social media globally, knowing your audience is crucial . If you write a $100 check to do general marketing to everyone on social media, you might as well put a $100 bill through a shredder. You need to know the segment you want, and market accordingly. Catering your advertisements to your target audience leads to success. You need to identify and analyze data to determine specific hashtags, times to post, and research what type of content generates the most engagement.
Fake Followers
If you have fake followers, you should ask yourself why you are even bothering advertising to them. They are not going to buy your product. Quality over quantity here. If you have purchased fake followers to entice new users to also follow your account, your logic is likely flawed. Users can tell when an account has fake users, as engagement is typically extremely low for the associated following. Rather, focus on drawing in quality followers with quality posts. Use quality cameras and editing platforms to produce high-quality content. Interact with various accounts, including consumers and those of authority in relation to your product. With so many other strategies around to boost your following rates, fake followers are surely one to avoid.
Not Utilizing Hashtags
Hashtags are a great way to gain more exposure, specifically with those who are already interested. This is a simple method as well. As a matter of fact, when you begin to type a hashtag on Instagram, the platform will tell you how many people have also used it. Try to be specific with them. You can also search hashtags in the search bar. On average, posts with at least one hashtag on Instagram have 12.6% more engagement. Furthermore, 91% of top brands use 7 or fewer hashtags.
Failing to Engage
Your followers want to hear from you, and not just through advertisement posts. If you really want users to speak positively on your brand’s behalf and share your information, you need to interact with them. For example, you can do this through asking questions, re-posting a user’s picture with your product, and always commenting back quickly. If you don’t engage, you seem uncaring or lazy to users.
Want to find out both what other mistakes to avoid and what to do right? Let’s talk.