There are so many mistakes businesses and brands make on Instagram. Make sure you’re not one of them. Check the following list of 12 ‘no-nos’.There are so many mistakes businesses and brands make on Instagram. Make sure you’re not one of them. Check the following list of 12 ‘no-nos’.

1. Don’t keep your account private. Otherwise your account will find it difficult to attract new followers. Also your images won’t reach the hashtag search which again makes it less likely to be discovered.
2. Don’t use images that aren’t relevant to your brand. Followers want to see what you’re about. If you have lots of random images of cats and cocktails, it’s not really going to be clear what it is you do, unless of course it happens to be cats and cocktails.
3. Don’t use all 30 hashtags under your image, it looks unprofessional and messy. Instead use 2 or 3 and put the rest in the comments.
4. Don’t get involve with disputes,stay professional.
5. Don’t ignore your followers, make sure to engage and interact regularly.
6. Don’t use bad quality images. Bad quality images can reflect negatively on your brand or business and make you look less desirable. Good quality images is a great way to promote your brand or business and can often be a selling point.
7. Don’t use inappropriate and non relevant hashtags. If you want to attract certain people to your brand it’s important to use relevant hashtags. If you use irrelevant hashtags it can associate your brand with something you may not have intended.
8. Don’t forget to make use of your bio, include a brief description, email and your website.
9. Don’t use other peoples images without permission. Otherwise legal action may be taken against you.
10. Do not over saturate your Instagram feed with images. It’s ok to post frequently but not every second.
11. Don’t pay for fake followers or likes. Although it might be tempting, in the long run it can damage any of the hard work you’ve put in. It can make your brand appear less trustworthy and even permanently damage its reputation. It might take longer but growing your followers organically can lead to a better outcome. Just be patient.
12. Lastly, don’t ignore your Instagram insights and analytics. Iconosquare is a great tool that can help you see how your images are performing. It gives tips on best times to post, popular hashtags to use, who’s followed or unfollowed you, plus much more useful information. This is very valuable information that can help you improve your Instagram account and gain more followers.

Have you committed any of the above? What other ‘no-no’s’ would you add to the list?

Please let us know in the comments.