![\"Red](\"https:\/\/pingler.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/10714217_s-300x285.jpg\")
Instagram has a larger audience than Twitter, by quite a margin.\u00a0 And whether you’re using Instagram for business or personal, chances are you’re making one or more of these Instagram mistakes!\u00a0 So here’s some things to watch out for…<\/p>\n
Hashtags are powerful, if used well.\u00a0 But sadly, like many things online, they get overused, and then some.\u00a0 Here’s some quick dos and don’ts to keep in mind:<\/p>\n
#Don’t #hashtag #every #word!<\/p>\n
This is pointless, doesn’t help anyone find anything, and makes you look as if you don’t know how to use Instagram properly!<\/p>\n
Also, make sure the hashtags you do use are actually relevant to the photo you’ve attached them to.\u00a0 Otherwise, why include it in the first place?<\/p>\n
And some rather desperate Instagrammers have been known to use hashtags like #follow4follow or #like4like.\u00a0 Not recommended!\u00a0 Why not let likes and follows comes naturally?\u00a0 Okay, your account may not grow as quickly, but as least you’ll know the people following and liking your updates are actually interested.<\/p>\n
Those throwback and flashback posts are fun.\u00a0 And also perhaps a little nostalgic:<\/p>\n
Family photos?\u00a0 Check.<\/p>\n
An epic night out?\u00a0 Check.<\/p>\n
You looking cute as a baby?\u00a0 Double check.<\/p>\n
A picture of you on the beach of your own when you were slimmer, younger, and looking great?\u00a0 Er, not so much.\u00a0 That one is for you, not your audience, so maybe just keep that one on your hard drive, right?<\/p>\n
Remember, fun and nostalgic.\u00a0 We’re not trying to turn back time here.<\/p>\n
Unless you’ve captured a tornado forming, the sky you can see is probably not that much more interesting than the sky your followers can see out their windows.<\/p>\n
Remember – Instagram is for posting great stuff.\u00a0 Less updates means better photos, and it makes it so much easier to keep up with people.\u00a0 If you want to post five pictures a day of hugely varying quality, either expect to lose all your followers, or take that on over to Twitter.\u00a0 It’s a free-for-all over there.<\/p>\n
Quotes are meant to inspire, uplift, and put across truly interesting ideas.<\/p>\n
What they’re not for is to confuse most of your followers, and instead be used to vaguely insult or make a point to one specific person.\u00a0 If you’ve really got something to say to them, why not text or phone them?<\/p>\n
People love quotes on Instagram, but do think of your audience.\u00a0 Is it truly something they’d enjoy, appreciate, get meaning from?\u00a0 Will it make their lives better?\u00a0 Will it make them laugh?<\/p>\n
Again, Instagram is about quality not quantity.\u00a0 Give it some careful thought.<\/p>\n
Okay, so this has been a crash course in Instagram and how you can start to use it effectively.\u00a0 But really we’re just scraping the surface.\u00a0 One great place for ideas, and for really becoming an Instagram master, is simply by following the masters. Who really does Instagram well?\u00a0 Which accounts do you really enjoy and why?\u00a0 And alternatively, which accounts do you not enjoy, and even avoid?\u00a0 Exactly.\u00a0 Seeing who’s working Instagram well, and not so well, can be all you need to become the Insta-Guru you’ve always dreamed of.<\/p>\n
\n\t
\n\t\t