Blog Tip Tuesday: 4 Things to Stop Doing on Instagram Right Now

I’ve been talking a lot about Instagram lately – partly because I’m so excited about the new analytics tool and partly because I still believe it is one of the most important social media platforms to be on to help build your brand. Instagram has so much potential since you get what you put into it.

If your pictures are high-quality you will attract a high-quality following. If your captions are amazing, your engagement will increase. When you comment on other people’s feeds, you’ll form connections and gain more followers. The opportunities are endless, yet so many people are not doing these things, and they’re actually doing things that are holding them back from huge growth. With that said, I’m seeing so Instagram no-nos happening, which is why I wanted to share my top 4 things to stop doing on Instagram right NOW!

stop spam commenting

Copying and pasting the same comment on 20 fashion Instagram accounts is spam. Commenting a bunch of emojis is spam. A comment completely unrelated to the picture’s caption is spam. And a spammy comment is no way to get noticed in the Instagram world, let alone any other world for that matter. It’s almost as bad as sending the same cold email to a bunch of influencers, (that’s a whole other blog post coming soon).

Anyway, you’re not slick, and a bunch of heart emojis is only cute when it’s in a text from your mom.

Is it just me, or is it super annoying when people say, “cute dress babe!” over and over and over again?! It’s the same people, too. The same bloggers trying to get their brand out there and get noticed. And it’s ultimately those bloggers whose Instagram accounts I avoid.

If you’re worried about spending too much time genuinely commenting on people’s Instagrams… get another hobby. Seriously. Blogging takes time, patience, and creativity. And if you’re not willing to put in the work and have a positive attitude while doing so, you won’t succeed in this business.

A well-thought out comment takes a whole extra 30-seconds if that. These are the types of investments that are worth making for your brand.

stop using the same #hashtags

I can’t emphasize trial and error enough. Using the same hashtags is exactly what not to do if you want to grow your Instagram following or increase your engagement. You could, and should use the same hashtags specific to a brand if that’s what you’re wearing or photographing, but other than that, try something different! If you’re not getting the results you want, your hashtags aren’t tapping into the right audience.

Try testing out new hashtag combinations and being specific like #nycblogger, #worldtradecenter or #blackdress. These types of experiments will help you get noticed by people, related or unrelated to fashion. A lot of people trying to grow their Instagram following forget that the other bloggers and “fashionistas” that follow them won’t always buy from them. This is a huge problem because without buyers you don’t have a business.

You need the college girls, working moms, and recent grads to follow you because they’re the ones looking to buy. College girls are always shopping (at least I was), and working moms want to stay up with the current trends, and new grads need new wardrobes for their big girl jobs.

Ideally, you’re looking for the average Jane and all of her friends to follow you because they’re the people that could use your inspiration, not the already established blogger with 50K followers.

stop forgetting to use location tags

As I mentioned in my newsletter, Instagram rolled out a ton of new features and while hashtags are becoming less important, location tags are becoming more important. Why? I don’t know exactly but my guess is location helps bring people together and it probably helps Instagram’s own analytics to see where the majority of the users are coming from, where they’re going, etc. It helps study human behavior… that’s my guess.

Anyway, location tags are great because, like I just said, you can connect with other people in the same area. I’ve connected with numerous bloggers in NYC because of location tags and I’ve also gotten more followers than usual since I started using location tags on every single one of my Instagram posts. My engagement has also increased because I’m posting around people’s neighborhoods and favorite stores, restaurants, etc.

If you want to grow your Instagram following, start changing with the times and using location tags. It really is a game changer.

stop doing the same pose over and over

We get it, you have a signature pose and so do I, (enter hand on sunglasses looking down), but is that pose getting you featured on other Instagrams or gaining you followers? If your answer is no, it’s time to switch it up.

A monochrome, minimalist Instagram feed was cool for a while but with people’s attention spans getting shorter by the minute you can’t risk posting the same pose over and over again and not expect them to be bored.

Look at the brand’s Instagram pages you want to be featured on. A lot of them like variety or feature a specific aesthetic. H&M is more editorial mixed with carefully curated flatlays. Free People’s shots are hippy dippy, candid, with a beautiful scenic background. Forever 21 is always a surprise, from colorful urban pictures to minimal streetstyle bloggers and detail shots of jewelry. Do your research and plan your Instagram pictures accordingly.

I’ll never forget the time I was featured on Urban Outfitters… totally caught me by surprise but now I know what they look for. If I can do it, trust me, anyone can do it!

What is your biggest Instagram pet peeve? Tell me in the comments below!

xx

my latest Instagram outfits