I spend a lot of time on social media- not just for work but as a consumer. I hope I don’t come across as nitpicking as I share these 5 pet peeves about Instagram, they are simply observations from a user-POV. If you’re a business that uses Instagram as part of your marketing arsenal, perhaps one or more of these notes will be a little food-for-thought.
1) The 10-step contest
Don’t overdo it. Decide what your aim is first.
While hosting a contest on Instagram can be good exposure (increased numbers for a specific hashtag, cross-brand exposure, new followers, etc.), nothing beats an old-fashioned contest of simply entering and winning something. There are multiple ways to achieve the former.
Are you using your users to get something in return, or are you being rewarding, engaging, and mindful of your customers’ presence? As a consumer, would you rather have to like a photo / leave a comment to enter a contest or would you rather like multiple accounts, have to tag a friend, repost a photo, AND give a reason why you should win said contest?
2) Sneak peeks that never come to fruition
It’s perfectly fine (recommended, in fact) to tease your viewers with sneak peeks of products, but don’t get ahead of yourself. Have a strategy.
As a rule of thumb, it’s never a good idea to start advertising/hinting/teasing a product that exists only in the beginning stages, or maybe even not at all. This may seem like a no-brainer, but we see this happen a lot, especially with small businesses. While you may have good intentions, bumps often do arise, and delay after delay certainly doesn’t mesh with the ever-shortening attention span of the average human these days.
It may be helpful to develop a timeline. Start with a launch date and work backwards to when and how you’ll be introducing your new product or service.
3) Unanswered questions
Unless (and even if!) you have an impossibly large following and physically can’t respond to every question asked, there really isn’t any excuse as to why you aren’t taking the time to acknowledge your customers.
While you may think it’s no biggie to dismiss a question or comment (it happens all the time anyway, right?) think, instead, of how much it means to your individual followers. Do you want to be a robot pumping material out for the sole purpose of having an Instagram account, or do you want a human behind your product? While good customer service seems to be getting harder and harder to find these days, the value of it may mean that much more.
4) Wormhole formulas
It’s great to develop a formula for your account, but be mindful of changing it up. Don’t fall under the presumption that if A + B = C it’ll always work that way. Keep things fresh so your audience stays interested.
Also take a look at how much you’re giving vs. getting. Meaning, don’t expect your number of likes or followers to change if you’re constantly posting the same things while simultaneously not actively engaging with your customers or seeking out potential new customers.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results”
5) Spam
Fishing for customers/followers by liking rows of their photos and/or not even following them, following accounts that show no logical interest in your product, and random comments such as “Amazing!” or “Cool photo!” are all just SPAM. Whether done manually or by a robot, these “techniques” should never be used and will not increase exposure or grow your followers in the long run and only makes you look bad.
As a business, one of the most important things you can do is to tune into your customers wants and needs, while adequately and consistently portraying your brand’s personality.
Has reading some of these pet peeves cause you to take a look at your own Instagram presence?