Although many of us would hate to admit it, sometimes our Instagram marketing is lackluster. No matter if it’s because of a lack of engagement, followers, or even content to post, there always seems to be something missing with what we’re doing. However, that’s why we’ve come up with 10 common mistakes on why your Instagram marketing isn’t working, as well as how to fix it. Check them out below:

You’re Not Patient Enough

Unless you go viral, growing a following on Instagram isn’t an overnight success. However, that doesn’t mean that an audience isn’t willing to engage with you or your brand. In fact, nearly 80 percent of Instagram users follow a brand.

Becoming friends with a brand feels a lot more personal on Instagram, but is a relationship that takes a long time to build. For this, it’s smart to come up with a calendar and stick with it, giving yourself a reasonable amount of space in between campaigns. Doing so will give you a good range of feedback to assess where you’re successful, what improvements might need to be made, as well as what types of audiences you can possibly develop down the road.

You Don’t Have The Right Tools In Place

If you’re going to take Instagram marketing seriously, then you need to explore the top Instagram tools for success. These should help you schedule posts, obtain feedback, keep track of analytics, and help edit your posts, and they can also provide a foundation of metrics. For example, as noted by Invesp, engagement on Instagram is at a rate of 4.21 percent of total followers, which should be one of your first parameters for looking at your brand’s success. Thinking in terms like this can help quite a bit in improving your follower count, which is why having the right tools in place is so crucial.

You Didn’t Invest Enough Into Branding

Although it sounds harsh, people don’t really feel like following brands that aren’t put together. Building your brand is imperative for your identity on Instagram. This is the core of why people follow you in the first place; 94 percent of consumers say they would be loyal to a brand with complete transparency. Investing in quality branding is a must if anyone is going to start liking and sharing your content.

You Haven’t Studied Your Audience Enough

Half the battle with producing great content is putting it in front of the proper audience, which is imperative for any brand to be successful on Instagram. Don’t feel offended if you feel you’re a part of this category, because 56 percent of consumers believe businesses need to have a deeper understanding of their needs–so you’re not alone. Even if you do feel you’re on your game with Instagram, it doesn’t hurt to start engaging a little more and learning from your base. Take some time to poke around at your follower’s accounts, as well as who the people commenting on your page are, as learning who they are, what they’re about, and how you can resonate with more people that would also find your brand appealing is what Instagram is all about.

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You Don’t Follow Enough Accounts

Although you want to appear popular, it’s important to follow other Instagram accounts. Don’t be afraid though, because if there’s any platform where following back can pay dividends, it’s Instagram. According to Our Social Times, engagement with brand posts is growing at a greater rate than brands adapting to the network. That means taking the extra step to follow back and engage once in a while can pay off tremendously in building brand loyalty as more companies come on the platform. Take some in your daily maintenance to work this in.

Your Online Presence Isn’t Consistent

Believe it or not, your popularity on Instagram doesn’t just come from only Instagram, but rather your entire online presence. Whenever someone Googles you, finds you on Facebook, or even sees your name mentioned in a Reddit post, people will follow you on the platforms they engage with most. For many, that is Instagram. With 93 percent of online experiences beginning with search, learning to close that gap with the rest of your online presence will help gain your more followers in no time.

You’re Not Popular Enough To Generate FOMO

According to 99firms, there are over 25 million business profiles on Instagram, which means there’s a lot of competition for follows. Not having enough real followers for Instagram can mean people skip over your page no matter how great the content is. Especially if you’re new, it’s not a bad idea to utilize an engagement agency to ensure you’re at a healthy, respectable number for others to gravitate towards.

Your Content Doesn’t Follow An Aesthetic

As a visual platform, keeping your content’s aesthetic consistent is clutch. According to Curatti, colour increases brand recognition by 80 percent. If you’re a novice to design or photo editing, then look into the best Instagram tools for brushing up your look. Doing so can pay off if you keep it consistent.

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Your Not Posting Enough

While there’s no rhyme or reason to how often a brand should be posting (for example, as noted by Later, global fashion brands post an average of 30 times per day), it’s true that people won’t engage with you if you aren’t engaging on the platform. As you probably know your audience best, it’s ultimately up to you how often you think your base would feel comfortable. If someone’s going to follow you, they’re going to want to see you post consistently.

Your Overlooking Customer Service

Finally, an often overlooked aspect of Instagram is how often people use it as a customer service platform. According to Social Media Today, 70 percent of consumers say that they’ve used social media at least once to deal with a customer service issue, meaning it’s a rapidly growing use-case. As everyone can see your response, a general rule of thumb is to respond immediately, but respect discrepancy. Remember, everything that you say online can be screenshotted and posted, so be the customer service agent you’d want to see and the rest will follow.

What are some common marketing issues you’ve run into on Instagram and how did you solve them? Comment with your insights below!