Let\u2019s take a closer look at how these mistakes are made and how you can avoid making them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Table of Contents:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Not defining a strategy with a clear set of goals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Posting controversial content<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Targeting the wrong audience<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Not paying enough attention to visuals<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Confusing your audience<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
#1. Not defining a strategy with a clear set of goals<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
No matter how powerful your campaign is, if you don’t have a goal, you\u2019re just floating around aimlessly – you are up a creek without a paddle! There\u2019s no way of knowing whether your advertising is successful or not. Before you begin casually posting whatever pops into your mind without any clear plan, figure out what your main goal is. Then you can create a plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n
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Ask yourself what\u2019s more important, growing your follower base or boosting brand awareness<\/a>? Are you trying to drive sales, or is your Instagram page merely a landing page for your website? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Knowing your main goal is the key to an effective strategy. Without this, your efforts can\u2019t have a meaningful impact. Every goal has a different path to reach it. Once you\u2019ve figured out what you want to achieve, you can begin to map a clear way to it. Part of a good plan is deciding what type of ads you want to use, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Feed ads – <\/strong>Your feed allows you to show content to your audience between posts by other people and companies they follow. Feed ads are super effective because it\u2019s so natural; it makes it easier for you to persuade people to engage and click through.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
To place a feed ad, it has to be a .jpg or .png of a maximum of 30MB if it\u2019s an image or 4GB if it\u2019s a video. Videos have to be square or vertical and can last up to a minute. You can have up to 30 hashtags and a maximum of 10 carousel cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here is an example of a feed ad:<\/p>\n\n\n
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- Stories ads – <\/strong>These ads are less intrusive and only appear at the top of your feed. Stories ads are highly effective at driving clicks to your Instagram page or even a landing page on your website.
To place a stories ad, make sure your layout is vertical with images 1080\u00d71920 in size. Each photo will be visible for five seconds. Use a maximum of ten carousel cards; and each carousel video will last 15 seconds, while a prompted carousel video lasts 60 seconds to 120 seconds.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nHere is where your stories ads appear on somebody\u2019s Instagram:<\/p>\n\n\n
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- Existing posts as ads – <\/strong>If your organic posts are doing well, boost them! It will make them appear in your target audience’s newsfeed without looking too much out of place. It’s the simplest way to create brand awareness on Instagram.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
An example of a boosted ad:<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n#2. Posting controversial content<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Whatever you do, avoid posting anything that could be controversial or anything that\u2019s just fluff, for example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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- Don\u2019t be too \u2018salesy\u2019; it\u2019s not all about a quick buck. You want to engage with your audience and make them feel so at home that they want to keep coming back<\/a> to your page.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Nobody wants to see photos of your breakfast every day. Unless every person in your audience is a foodie, they don\u2019t care! Although making your page personal is part of cultivating engagement, that\u2019s not all it\u2019s about.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Don\u2019t post irrelevant content for the sake of engagement. Stay brand-centric and keep your posts within context. If you are posting something to boost attention, make sure it ties back to your brand\u2019s purpose.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Avoid controversial content about politics, religion, and other social hot topics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Don\u2019t post anything that your audience may construe as racist, misogynistic, homophobic, transphobic, or fascist in any way.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
H&M clothing had to pull an ad and make a public apology for posting it because of racist connotations. It caused an Instagram storm and massive damage to the brand\u2019s name, including boycotts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although some followers say the ad was not racist, others did not agree. It\u2019s best not to risk posting anything even potentially contentious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Don\u2019t be too \u2018salesy\u2019; it\u2019s not all about a quick buck. You want to engage with your audience and make them feel so at home that they want to keep coming back<\/a> to your page.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Existing posts as ads – <\/strong>If your organic posts are doing well, boost them! It will make them appear in your target audience’s newsfeed without looking too much out of place. It’s the simplest way to create brand awareness on Instagram.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Stories ads – <\/strong>These ads are less intrusive and only appear at the top of your feed. Stories ads are highly effective at driving clicks to your Instagram page or even a landing page on your website.
- Posting controversial content<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
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