5 MISTAKES to avoid making on Instagram.

This post is vital for those who are trying to build a following and grow an online audience. While there is no fantastical formula that you can implement in order to succeed in the Instagram game, there are some proven do's and dont's. Today, let's take a look at 5 dont's.

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👉 Not making the most of your Instagram bio. Your bio is one of the first things people see when they visit your profile, and this determines whether they follow you or not. Make sure your bio describes who you are, where you are and what you offer. This leads to a big topic of niche. You've probably heard this word a lot. Make sure that your niche is summarised in your bio. If you don't have a niche, stay tuned for a separate blog post on this as this is a very important topic and I struggled with it for years.

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👉 Posting irregularly. Staying consistent with the amount you post helps you stay on the minds of your followers and positively affects your discoverability (please the algorithm 😌 and it will please you). More posts = more engagement = happy algorithm. But don't over post either! Find the sweet balance.

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👉 Not taking captions seriously. Captions are a great way to communicate your message and intent to your audience. Don’t let the opportunity slip! Bring value to people who showed interest in you. People have started to utilise the Instagram post caption for blog-style information that is super useful to their followers. Useful info = a saved post.

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👉 Not using hashtags. Hashtags are one of the most easiest ways to be discovered by people who don’t follow you. Also, instead of just slapping on random hashtags, make sure they are relevant to your niche (otherwise they are useless). Make sure that when you are creating your hashtags, that you are using a combination of popular ones and smaller ones. It is not a fact that you will be discovered "easier" with a trending hashtag rather than a more specific one. ⠀

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👉 Posting but not engaging. It’s called a social platform for a reason. If you’re just posting content and not engaging with your audience, you are not building beneficial relationships 🙂 Engaging is also one of the secrets to your profiles discoverability.

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📸: Photo from shoot for PERFECT HOMES 2020 ⠀

www.perfect-homes.co.za⠀