Instagram is not a fad. The platform boasts some of the greatest levels of user engagement, which increases brand loyalty and revenue. Recently, buying and selling has been made a lot easier on the platform, especially with the new tool that allows you to make your post shoppable.
However, with such improvements, many brands and businesses still drop the ball when it comes to maximizing the platforms’ potential. It’s easy to get drawn into popular trends and take shortcuts to speed up your success. But alas, most businesses that do this wind up missing out on their target audience because they fail to leverage the correct avenues for attracting customers on Instagram.
If you too have been making these mistakes in the past, it’s time to turn over a new leaf. Start employing key Instagram tenets and watch your business thank you for it. Don’t worry, these aren’t complicated procedures, just regular marketing strategies that tend to be overlooked.
In this post, we explain six potential ways you could be missing out on Instagram customers. We’ve outlined some of the common issues surrounding this, and what you should do differently instead.
6 Ways Businesses Often Miss Out On Instagram Customers
Sourcing for followers on Instagram is a continuous process. You’d have to have the right marketing idea, and also provide unique and quality content that represents your brand.
There are several marketing strategies you could use on Instagram. And sometimes, not following them judiciously can make you miss out on potential customers. Below are six mistakes businesses often make that cost them more customers on Instagram.
1 . Not Updating Your Information Timely on the App
The information you put on your bio is very important. The bio is meant to reveal the identity of your brand and give viewers a clear idea of what you are all about.
However, Instagram allows you to input only 150 characters on your bio, which may be insufficient for many businesses to express their worth.
Thankfully, Instagram allows you to also include a link to your website on your bio. Unfortunately, many businesses on Instagram still fail to include a website link or leave outdated information for too long on the platform.
If you’re serious about ensuring that your customers find you, then you can’t afford to not update your information on whatever social site you’re on. A link to your site can help potential and existing customers get a better understanding of your products and services.
Also, if you’ve created websites and business listings, you must always update the information there. Otherwise, clients will arrive at a closed shop or may not even locate you since your listings are not prevalent in local search results. This has made several businesses lose the opportunity to create financial stability. Do better if you don’t want to end up with them.
The recommended solution is to always update your company information on all relevant channels, including Google+, Instagram, and Facebook. Even if essential information hasn’t changed, upgrading your website and listings with recent photos and content is advantageous. It will boost your Google ranking and help you appear more prominently in search results.
2 . Thinking Instagram Ads are Only for Big Brands
Many new and small businesses on Instagram don’t take some marketing risks. They have the misconception that some Instagram marketing strategies are only meant for the “bigger fish” on the platform. One of such strategies is running ads.
Understand that Instagram is a very fertile business ground. As such, there is a good chance that some of your potential consumers are using it, and you may be missing out on them when you don’t attract them through ads.
Ads do require funds to run. However, running Instagram ads isn’t as costly as most brands think. Remember, you can always tweak your targeting option for more results at lesser cost.
3 . Inconsistent Customer Follow Up
Existing customers, when managed effectively, are an excellent source of new consumers. Through word-of-mouth referrals, reviews, real Instagram likes, comments, and other customer engagement you can pull even more clients for your business.
Sadly, some brands lose sight of the consumer once the sale is done. If you’re doing this, you’re leaving money on the table. Build a strong customer support system that allows you to maximize your past customers for more business gain in the future.
Another way brands lag at customer support is failing to get accurate customer information. They do not possess comprehensive knowledge of their customers or their preferences. You cannot create a long-term, productive connection unless you know your consumers and their contact information.
The simple solution to this follow-up oversight is to send personalized remarketing messages to your customers. Also, encourage them to fill out a short online survey about their experience, and offer a discount for their cooperation.
In addition, put out a reward for referrals and encourage them to follow your Instagram page and like you on other platforms.
You should also gather consumer data from every encounter to create an ideal customer profile. Collect contact information, email and phone interactions, purchases, and any other information about potential and current consumers.
4 . Underusing Instagram Analytics
Instagram now comes fully equipped with an analytics tool. This has not always been so. But thanks to this technology, it’s now much easier to market and build a community on the platform.
However, this tool has also made the platform more competitive than ever, as it gives different accounts access to a gold mine of useful information. When used rightly, this information can change your Instagram presence for the better.
Most business accounts on the platform only use the analytics tool to measure their potential profits and balance the books on following, likes and views. But you can get way more from those statistics, like how your ads are performing, where your audience are and when they’re most active on the platform. To avoid missing out on more customers or losing existing ones, constantly analyze your ad and post-performance on Instagram analytics. This will give you a clear picture of your matrix as well as the content and presentation that requires improvement.
5 . You Don’t Maximize Instagram’s Features
High-quality images are great. However, if you don’t take full advantage of Instagram’s Stories, IGTV, captions, Reels, and other features, you’re passing up a lot of chances for more customers. Extending your content to include new features will make your profile more appealing and increase brand visibility in new ways.
Use hashtags and geographical indicators in your Stories to increase their discoverability. Also, Instagram Live should be used to give live events and updates. Make use of short videos. Experiment with GIFs, polls, and captions.
6 . Lacking Authenticity and Over-Promotion Antics
Authenticity and honesty are essential on any social media, but it is especially crucial on Instagram. People want to interact with genuine people, which is why influencers are so sought-after on Instagram.
Also, over-promoting strategies would get you nowhere on the platform. Ad blockers exist because most viewers tend to shut out too much marketing information. When you post too many ads, your viewers may be less enthusiastic about consuming what you post and start avoiding your page.
Ads are a blessing on the platform, but they can also be a curse if you abuse them. So, subtlety is key where running ads is concerned.
You can avoid losing customers if you keep it real, and make your feed’s content less promotional and more organic. Examine your posts and the tone of your captions, and be conscious of over-editing your images. On the promotion front, don’t just go out and beg people to buy your items. Add content that will naturally appeal to your viewers.
Finally, be certain that your caption reflects your voice before posting it. It should never sound robotic.
Final Thoughts
There you have it! These six reasons could be why your account is missing out on regular followers. If you take a mental note of these common oversights and adhere to the solutions provided, you should be able to maximize your following in no time.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.