Don’ts

1. Don’t buy followers.

You might come across a service that will sell you thousands of Instagram followers. While buying followers may seem like a cheap and easy way to grow your account, it’s not worth it. The accounts you purchase are often bots and not real. And since they’re most likely not real, there’s likely to be no engagement with your account.

What you can do instead: Use organic ways to gain followers. Make sure your IG handle is on all of your marketing communications, linked on your website, and in your emails. The best way to gain new followers on Instagram is to be consistent in your posts and to engage with others. Always encourage customers to post about your products/services and tag your business in their posts.

2. Don’t ignore your followers’ comments.

If you’re going to use Instagram then you’re going to need to get used to responding to messages and comments. Furthermore, time is of the essence when responding to comments and DMs from followers because it makes you a good Insta-friend and a reliable business. Be sure to keep tabs on when someone leaves you a comment on your post, and respond ASAP.

What you can do instead: Don’t leave people hanging! Set notifications on your phone so you’ll receive an alert each time you get a comment or DM, or simply check them on a regular basis, especially after you post. Use @ plus their user name to notify them of your response.

3. Don’t set your profile to private.

Private profiles are fine for individuals who only wish to keep their posts to a select few, but it might cause potential followers to not follow you.

What you can do instead: Set your profile to public. Public profiles are recommended for businesses because it allows IG users to find your posts via the hashtags you use. Plus, public profiles gain followers faster.

4. Don’t post without a caption.

Your followers want to know more about your photo! Posts without captions see less engagement, no matter how great the photo is.

What you can do instead: Be sure to interact with your followers on every post by telling them about the photo, sharing a tip, or asking a question. Strong captions will encourage followers to like your post, make a comment, or ask a question.

5. Don’t steal content.

While copying is the best form of flattery, it doesn’t work in the world of social media. It’s totally ok to be inspired by other posts! Just make sure you’re creating your own content that has your uniqueness to it.

What you can do instead: See a photo or post you like? Do some research on third-party apps that allow you to repost another user’s post to your account while giving proper credit to the original user.

Now that your IG profile is complete and letting followers and potential customers know who you are, and you’ve learned what to do and more importantly what not to do, it’s time to start creating compelling content that resonates with your followers.

Don’t use social media to impress people; use it to impact people.