Instagram has grown from an app used primarily by teenagers to one of the most popular social networks in just a few years. From hashtags to stories, tons of new features on the platform are released regularly. Brands often find it difficult to stay current with all these changes, so it’s easy for social media teams to make mistakes. Here are 10 Instagram Mistakes you don’t want to make in 2023.

But you’re not alone, as we’ve got you covered. In this post, we’ll go through more than a dozen common Instagram mistakes. We will tell you how to avoid making them in your communication.

#1 No strategy

#2 Lack of consistency

#3 Low-quality creatives

#4 Lack of hashtags

#5 Not getting into real interactions

#6 Spamming

#7 Not using the full potential of your Instagram BIO

#8 Not using IG Stories at all

#9 Inconsistent branding and visuals

#10 Buying followers and using bots

Our first of 10 Instagram Mistakes in the world of Instagram, the battle is won or lost by the strategy.

As a musician and marketer, you need to make sure that you’re on the right track. Your content needs to get noticed and drive fans to your social media and website.

This is not as easy as it sounds. There are many different aspects to consider when establishing an Instagram strategy: brand differentiators and unique selling points; communication lines; fixed photo filters; creative copy; hashtags; additional promotional activities; and campaigns with engaging micro-influencers on Instagram.

Once all this has been considered, you need to create a workflow and asset management process in order to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

To build a community on Instagram, you’re going to have to be consistent. You need to post regularly and be consistent with what you post as well.

If you don’t post for a week, followers might stop following you because they think you’ve abandoned the platform. This can happen even if you have thousands of followers—or more.

When people start following your account, they expect that they’ll get something out of it—and usually that means new content every couple of days or so. If they don’t see anything new from you for too long, they may assume that their time is better spent elsewhere (like on other accounts).

Instagram’s algorithm won’t help you either: It will stop showing your posts in people’s feeds until they become active again.

It’s no secret that your Instagram feed is an important part of your overall brand, and it’s also no secret that your audience expects high-quality content from you. That means you need to make sure your images are always at the top of their game—not just for aesthetic purposes, but because your followers will get tired of seeing low-quality images over and over again.

So what do we mean by “low quality?” Here are just a few examples:

Unnecessary blur

Filters and effects that destroy the quality and center of the photo (like vignetting)

Low-quality images (pixelated or blurry)

Images with incorrect image resolution (check out our Social Media Image Cheat Sheet to stay up to date with the right sizes)

Another mistake that we had to include in our 10 Instagram mistakes list is lack of hashtags. Hashtags are an essential part of marketing on Instagram. They help you narrow your audience, explain the nature and goal of your posts, show their characteristics, and gain new followers.

Each Instagram post can contain up to 30 hashtags, but it’s always worth using at least 10 of them. You don’t necessarily have to add the full amount though – it’s pointless to add certain hashtags just because they are popular if they won’t bring you any benefits.

Use hashtags:

-describing what’s in the photo

-mentioning the date and location where the picture was taken

-referring to communities and localities

-describing your sector or industry of operation

Many brands and influencers on Instagram forget that the first contact is not everything. It is not enough to just post or like once or twice. This can lead to a loss of followers at any time.

Relationships with followers are like those with friends: if you don’t care about them, they can be lost at any time. But you no longer need to post long comments everywhere, as Instagram has introduced more quick reactions like emojis, votes, and answers to encourage interactions.

It’s especially important in the early stages to remember that you have to start somewhere, but always with a goal in mind. In order to drive engagement, it is important for brands and influencers alike to create interactive content and creative elements that encourage followers to interact with it.

Spamming is one of the most common of the 10 Instagram mistakes. Don’t make this mistake in 2023!

Engaging with users =/= spamming

Using buzzwords and empty statements such as: “great photo!” or “amazing, follow me” or anything else that could fall under this umbrella is considered to be spam. This won’t generate you valuable followers or customers, but rather those looking for attention of any kind. Additionally, you risk damaging your brand’s reputation and annoying your current followers by leveraging such bad practices (can you imagine your favorite brand spamming IG like that?). Although you may gain a few followers and maybe even a couple of comments as a result, this practice may do more harm than good to your Instagram profile in the long run.

The Instagram Bio is the only place on a profile where you can permanently mention your band or brand and include a link. With 150 characters, you have an opportunity to convince potential followers that interacting with your brand is worthwhile. Instagram bios often get completed haphazardly and without a clear idea, so instead consider it as a first impression that you only get one shot at.

You’ve probably seen some really boring or uninspired bios in your time on Instagram. If you’re looking for ideas for what to include, here are some tips:

1. Include relevant keywords—not just in your bio but also in the captions of your photos. This will help boost your organic reach and make sure more people see your posts!

2. Don’t use emojis—they’re cute but they don’t offer any useful information about your business or products. If anything, they’ll turn off potential customers who don’t understand why there are cartoon faces popping up all over their feed!

3. Not include links—this is one of the biggest mistakes brands make with their Instagram bios because they want to drive traffic back to their website or landing pages. But if you haven’t built trust with your audience first

There’s no doubt about it: Instagram Stories are a powerful marketing tool.

According to research by Instagram, posts shared as Stories see 2x more engagement than those shared in other formats. That’s why you should be using them—but not just any old way.

Here are some of the most common Instagram Story mistakes people make and how you can avoid them:

Not using IG Stories at all

If you’re not using Stories at all, it means that you’re missing out on an incredible opportunity to connect with your audience. It only takes a few seconds to create Instagram Stories, and with many elements available natively on the platform, crafting your message is very simple. Or you can use trending Instagram Story templates to create eye-catching and brand-focused stories. Many marketers avoid this format mainly because they have no idea what to post as an Instagram Story. And here, as always, we come with a bunch of creative ideas!

Show your band or artist human face (everyday work or behind the scenes)

Share info about your newest Instagram posts

Promote music

Run live stories from wherever you are

IG Stories are vital and a must to include in our list of 10 Instagram Mistakes.

Another Instagram Mistake is lack of consistency in branding. Consistency is key.

If you want to stay on your followers’ radars, you need to keep your branding and visuals consistent across all of your social media platforms. If you’ve been posting on Instagram with one type of grid for a long time, for example (say, two colors), and then suddenly start experimenting with something totally different, they may get confused and stop following your brand. If you have been following the same design or copy pattern for a long time and suddenly change it overnight, this could impact engagement on your profile as well.

In 2023, it’s not enough to just have a strong base of followers. If you want to stand out in the crowd, you need authenticity. In a world where everything is about being real and honest, there’s no place for bots.

Buying followers is one of the biggest Instagram mistakes you can make in 2023. Many marketers believe that buying Instagram followers is helpful for raising their status or credibility. The truth is that those followers are most likely not genuine.

Bots may be created in bulk and programmed to visit profiles and like content automatically, without any further interaction or impact on sales. In other words, they are nothing more than fake, empty accounts that follow you.

It’s possible to damage your reputation if such fake accounts are discovered. Also, Instagram has researched well into such practices and if they notice suspicious activity on your account. They may ban it without any possibility of recovery.

In other words: don’t risk it!

Is it a platform where you can post your latest vacation photos and get a lot of likes? Or is it a place where people go to find inspiration and learn from others?

Whatever your answer, we’re guessing that it wasn’t “a place where people make mistakes.” But that’s exactly what Instagram has become for a lot of people: a place where they make mistakes. And these mistakes can cost them time, money, and even their reputation.

But here’s the thing: You don’t have to keep making those same mistakes over and over again. We hope this list of 10 Instagram mistakes you don’t want to make in 2023 helps begin your journey on how to avoid them so that you can grow your audience on Instagram without losing any sleep at night!

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