The Dos and Don’ts of Instagram

November 17, 2020

Big hello to my wonderful tribe! I missed you 😉 If you’re new to my page welcome to my little corner of the internet.

Today’s post is all about the gram and the mistakes you need to avoid and the things we SHOULD be doing to grow. This has been a topic that I’ve been itching to talk about because I think we don’t share it enough. Look, I’ve been a newbie in the blogging world before. I started my page back in 2012 and had no clue what to do and how to even get started. It’s been a journey and something I’d like to personal (from experience) share with you all. If I can give any advice to any bloggers (new or veteran) it would be this: Learn the Do’s and Don’t of Instagram. Let’ dive in.

#1 Don’t misuse hashtags:

I get that we all use tags to get our content out there but there is a smart way to do this. When I started blogging I was using tags such as: #followforfollow, #likeforlike, #followforlike, etc., you get the picture! Had I known that it would attract fake, ghost and inactive accounts, I would have NEVER used them. I was new at the game, all I wanted was for people to follow my page. And although I was “gaining followers” I was really setting myself up to fail. I didn’t know it would have a serious consequences years down the road. Here’s why!

Sure I had thousands of followers, however, these people NEVER engaged with my content! Due to that, my engagement rate suffered the most because of it. What did that mean for me in the long run? It meant that brands wouldn’t want to work with me because of my low engagement rate. It meant that although I had 4k followers my content was only receiving 180-230 likes. That doesn’t seem like a very committed following, right?

Fast forward to today, I can honestly say that it’s taught me a valuable lesson.

#2 Don’t do Loop Giveaways.

P.S I’m currently working on another post that dives in the importance of having a good engagement rate! Stay tuned for that.

I know many bloggers are into loop giveaways because it gives you fast growth in such a short amount of time. I recently did one about two months and although I gained 200 followers, NOT ONE has engaged with my content during that time. After sometime you get to know who likes and comments on your stuff – so I definitely notice when new people engaged with my content!

Loop giveaways seem like a good idea at first, however, the truth of the matter is you’re not gaining a loyal following. These people are basically forced to follow you in order to win something. Yes, win something. That is their goal. In it perfect world, yes it would be nice if they became loyal followers but majority of the time, they need up unfollowing. I know, sorry to break it to you but that’s the honest truth. Tray away from these type of giveaways because it will only continue to hurt your engagement rate.

#3 DON’T BUY FAKE FOLLOWERS

Have you seen that one TikTok video that says, “How will they know?” “They’re gonna know!” Well, people WILL know if you buy fake followers. Again, it all leads back to engagement rate. If you have 100K followers but only receive 200 likes, something is terribly wrong. Brands will know and potential followers WILL notice. This one is pretty simply, grow your audience the organic way or boost your content if you want to grow! Don’t go the easy route. Want genuine followers? Do it the right way.

#4 Don’t do the follow and unfollow method!

Ah yes, the follow and unfollow method! I’ll openly admit that I’ve done that in the past. Not proud actually because I hate it when it’s done to me. I avoid this at all cost now. If you truly want to follow someone don’t expect a follow back. It may or may not happen. In the past it was said that this is the way to grow your account but in reality I would say it’s the same as all the above! Believe me, don’t be that girl. The blogging community is small and people talk. Get the follow and unfollow method out of your social media strategy.

If you truly want to follow someone and love their content, follow them. Don’t always expect a follow back!

Now that we got the don’ts out of the way, let’s talk about the do’s!

#1 Do use “relevant” hashtags

We covered hashtags that you shouldn’t use but now, let’s discuss which ones you should use. When posting on Instagram make sure to utilize all 30 hashtags. That’s the most IG allows you to put in your caption.

Make sure that you’re tags are relevant to your niche, for example: If you post and outfit picture use tags like: #casualfashion #ootdfashion #{city that you’re from} #everydayfashionwear, etc., don’t randomly put food related tags UNLESS there’s food involved. Get the picture?

Pro Tip* You also want to make sure that you aren’t using oversaturated tags! I would use anything under 300k or below.

#2 Do host a Giveaway for YOUR followers

There’s nothing better than giving back to the community! Although, I don’t suggest loop giveaways, I highly recommend hosting a giveaway for your followers. It gives you the opportunity to show your appreciation and strengthen your relationship with your IG fam.

#3 Do stay consistent

We’ve all heard it, consistency is key! I’ve read stories of entrepreneurs that say that staying consistent was the recipe to success. Without it, they wouldn’t be where they are now! I believe it, don’t you? To put it into perspective, think of your favorite influencer, actor, etc., don’t you think that their consistency played a huge part in their success? 100%. There comes a time when you have to be honest with yourself and say, “do I really want this.” If the answer is yes, then you have to go all in! No excuses, just do it – like Nike 😉

How do you stay consistent?

Plan out your content each week or month!
Make sure you’re posting 3 to 5 times a week.
Constantly use stories to connect with your audience
Think of your big WHY? Why are you doing this? It will keep you on track.

#4 Do make friends in this space

One of the best pieces of advice I can personally give you is, that making friends in this space is much needed. I honestly don’t know how I was doing it when I had no one to talk to about this. It was definitely a struggle.

I made it a goal last year that I wanted to connect with new girls/creators in this platform. Why? Because I needed people that I can relate to. People that knew exactly what I was going through. So, I made it a goal. One year later, I can honestly call these girls my friends. It’s been amazing being able to support one another and see my friends kill it in this space.

It can be intimidating at first. I would highly recommend reaching out via dm and go from there. With COVID, I know attending events have become so hard to do but there are plenty of ways to connect with other creators so don’t let the rona get in the way!