There are many ways to advertise products online. Some platforms work well alongside a business’ main website or even work as an effective stand-alone solution to advertise products online. These methods of promoting products may include social media marketing, video marketing, using paid advertising platforms and marketplaces such as Click2sell.co, Google Adwords, 7Search, etc., and using daily deal sites such as Groupon, among others. You can always use alternative ways of marketing much as product reviews from websites like ReviewedPAPA.
Instagram is one of the best platforms to advertise businesses and products online. According to market research, Instagram generates 15 times more user engagement compared to Facebook and Twitter. However, this image-based social platform operates differently from other social media sites. As a result, some brands miss the mark when it comes to promoting their products on Instagram.
Here are the most important must-avoid mistakes when promoting a product on Instagram:
- Failing to engage with users.
Social media is not designed to be a one-way conversation. Even with an image-based platform such as Instagram, you need to provoke discussion and respond to comments. Commenting on customer posts about your business or brand can also increase brand awareness. User engagement leads to retention, which eventually leads to growth. The information that your Instagram followers and customers provide will prove to be invaluable in learning more about what your customers think of your products or services.
- Not including a link in the bio.
Including a link in your Instagram bio is crucial for generating traffic to your website or social business profile. The link could be your website address, landing page, product page, or social profile. Since Instagram generates about 1.2 billion likes per day, and 75% of all users take action of some kind, putting a link or call-to-action is essential. You need to make sure that you have an updated link in your bio at all time. A recent study reveals that about 70% of all Instagram users have looked up the brand’s website from a post that captured their interest on the huge social media platform.
- Using poor quality images.
Instagram is an image-based platform, so the quality of your photos should be top-notch. When you use poor-quality images, it immediately discredits your business or brand, letting you come across as someone who doesn’t take their business seriously. First impressions are crucial in this visual platform. In order to do this properly, you should invest in the right apps and follow best practices in taking great IG photos. It is essential to provide your followers with different views and angles to keep your images exciting and engaging, such as close-ups, far-away shots, frame your subject, etc.
- Leaving off hashtags.
Part of having a goal-driven marketing strategy is using proper hashtags on Instagram. There are some specific rules to follow in creating and using hashtags. First off, they have to be short and straightforward, they should be memorable, relevant, and they should make sense. Hashtags should be consistently used in order to engage the right users. Instagram allows up to 30 tags per image. However, cramming this massive number of hashtags is not recommended. You will likely lose credibility if users see so many hashtags packed in one post. Studies show that posts with 11 or more hashtags receive about 80% interaction, but using too many hashtags might make you look like a spammer, something which can severely damage your business’ reputation.