Instagram Stories are a better way to interact with your audience, versus a regular Instagram posting. Although Stories can be used as a great marketing tool (if you have a brand), it doesn’t mean that you should publish whatever comes to mind first.
Stories have their own “hacks” and “tricks” that you can use to help you maximize your views and followers. However, these “hacks” and “tricks” won’t be easy, unless you avoid these six common mistakes that one might make on Stories.
1. Inconsistency
“Consistency is essential to promoting your brand on Instagram,” says Anna O’Connor, a business writer at Academized and Ukservicesreviews. “You have to show consistency, from the posts to the images to how many times you engage with your followers. But sometimes, Instagrammers forget to keep up with publishing stories, or they would post the same thing over and over – either way, viewers will start noticing and not think about coming back, if your random grows to be too random or too common.”
That’s why it’s important to make your postings consistent since your social media reputation and credibility depend on it. Using a template for all Instagram stories is one way to stay consistent. Another way to practice consistency is to include hashtags, emojis or sticks regularly.
2. Not Mixing Your Media
You wouldn’t want your media to be too structured and too conformist, would you? Of course not!
Try mixing up your media every once in a while. Whether you’re a brand that can spend money on marketing, or if you’re a brand with little to no budget on marketing, Instagram Stories was designed to be less finessed and off-the-cuff side, in comparison to standard Instagram posts – so, let it stay that way. This means mixing, say, videos, and promotional posts with regular postings.
3. Duplicate Content
Let’s face it: No one wants to see ads more than once. The same is true for postings. If you publish the same content that was previously published days or weeks ago, then your followers will grow tired of the content and or leave your page.
Some exceptions to this are giveaways, promotions, or discounts on products. But still, these posts need to still be relevant, or else people will see that they’re stale.
Instead, spice up your Stories with creativity, so that you don’t put out the same content over and over.
4. Too Much Text
Too much text can be disastrous to your Instagram Stories because the whole point of Stories is to visually tell your story to your audience. In other words, show, don’t tell. As you let images and videos tell the story, keep text to a minimum, even if you want to make a point about something – find a way to incorporate text, without it interfering with the visuals.
5. Not Responding To Your Audience
Your audience will most likely write to you about your postings. Therefore, it’s never a good idea to ignore messages from your followers, or else you’ll risk losing their viewership or connecting with them in the future.
Make it your job to respond to your followers’ messages from time to time, and accept invites. Acknowledging and answering their messages shows them that you care about them.
6. Not Updating Your Instagram
“Updating your Instagram should be the most important thing to do,” says Benjamin Page, a project manager at Australian Reviewer and Eliteassignmenthelp. “Even just being aware of the updates that Instagram may have is key to making sure that your Instagram isn’t outdated.”
When you update your Instagram, you’re:
- Giving your followers more of a reason to keep following you, AND
- Showing viewers (including new faces) that you care about your Instagram profile and that you take care of it constantly
“Instagram is one of many social media platforms that update itself every so often,” adds Page. “In fact, Instagram wants to help you stay up-to-date on viral trends and features. From new stickers to surveys, Instagram wants you to give it your best every time you create a Story.”
Conclusion
Now that you know the six most common mistakes that you might be making with Instagram Stories, all you have to do is work on improving your stories and publishing more efficiently. Who knows? You might be on your way to making your Instagram profile successful with Stories!
Molly Crockett is a contributor for Bigassignments.com and Oxessays.com. She also offers proofreading and editing advice on Revieweal.com. As a marketing writer and blogger, she shares her unique lifestyle tips and personal development advice with her audience.
