Why am I not seeing results from Instagram?

Instagram marketing looks simple – you sign up for a free account, pop up some posts and people will follow you. But, it’s not quite that simple. I keep seeing the same mistakes over and over again on Instagram, so in this post, I’m looking at just that. Here are 5 reasons you’re not seeing results from Instagram marketing. 

 

 

 

5 reasons you're not seeing results from Instagram

I’m sure you'll agree with me when I say that sometimes Instagram marketing all feels a bit pointless. It's almost like, why are you wasting your time on Instagram when you’re not seeing any results? 

I keep seeing the same mistakes over and over again on Instagram, so here are the 5 most common reasons you’re not seeing results from your Instagram marketing. 

 

Reason #1: You’re chasing likes and followers, not meaningful connection

If you’re measuring your Instagram success by the number of new Instagram followers and likes you’re getting, you’ve defined success using the completely wrong metric. 

You could have 100,000 followers, but if they’re all based in India and you only ship your products to Australia… Well, you’re not going to be selling to any of them are you? Whereas, you might have 100 super-engaged followers based in Australia, who might one day actually buy from you… But on the surface you look like a less “successful” business than the one with 100,000 followers.

Yes more followers might make you look more successful, but the aim of business isn’t to LOOK successful – it’s to actually BE successful. And that’s usually defined in terms of profit or impact. 

I could rant on and on about this for days but I’ll leave it there for now. 

 

Reason #2: You have no strategy in place

Blindly posting things on Instagram without any regard for how it’ll bring you any closer to your bigger business goals is one way to not find success from your Instagram marketing. Why’s that? Well, even if you were successful, you wouldn’t know it, because you haven’t defined what you want to achieve. 

A big part of your Instagram strategy is defining what you want to achieve, in measurable terms, and then mapping out how you’re going to achieve it. 

Trust me, having a solid strategy in place is a much quicker way to get from A-Z than just winging it and making it up as you go.

 

Reason #3: You haven’t been showing up consistently

I always compare this to watering your plants – because I’m a crazy plant lady. But, I haven’t always had so much luck with my plants. I used to have a bit of a brown thumb, until I realised something: You have to water your plants regularly and consistently.

They don’t like it so much when you drown them once a month – except for succulents. 

Instagram is very much the same – you’ll see much better results if you regularly and consistently post to Instagram, than if you post 3 x a day for a week, and then your followers don’t hear from you for months. 

Also, you should be showing up consistently in the WAY you show up. So, that means showing up with consistent visuals and consistent tone of voice as well. 

 

Reason #4: You’ve been focused on using Instagram as a selling tool

If you’re approaching every post with a “how can I use this to sell” mentality then you’re missing out on the other benefits that Instagram can have on your business – like building trust and connection with your audience.

Your followers need to trust you before they’ll buy from you. You can’t just expect people to follow you, see your promotional posts and then buy from you – unfortunately, that’s just not how it works. 

So, instead of only posting about your products and services, try giving your followers value in your posts. 

 

Reason #5: You’ve been using Instagram in a vacuum

Instagram is a great free way to market your business but it shouldn’t be the ONLY way you market your business. 

Instead, ask yourself: Where does Instagram fit in with everything else in your marketing ecosystem? 

Like I said before, your followers need to trust you before they’ll buy from you. So, how can you use your other brand touchpoints to build that trust and nurture them closer to being paying customers or clients? 

 

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