7 things to stop doing on Instagram right now

I recently shared a few Instagram myths you need to stop buying into. And this follows on from that. Here are 7 things you need to stop doing on Instagram right now. 

 

 

 

7 things to stop doing on Instagram right now

If you’re guilty of doing any of these things, I recommend asking yourself WHY you’re doing it in the first place. None of these things will actually grow your business, beyond maybe getting you more followers or more engagement – but these followers and these people engaging, they’re usually not the right people. They’re not the people who are going to buy from you or work with you.

Here are the 7 things to stop doing on Instagram right now:

 

1. Following people only to unfollow them

 

I know a lot of people who grew their Instagram accounts using the follow-unfollow method alone. It might have worked 3 years ago, but people are a lot wiser now – they can tell if you’re following them just to unfollow a few days later.

And, it’s actually not a very good look for your brand. Especially when you follow them, unfollow them, and then a week later you accidentally follow them again. Surprisingly, this happens all the time. 

 

2. Buying Instagram followers

 

I really shouldn’t have to tell you that buying Instagram followers is a terrible idea. Sure, you might boost your follower count, but the number of followers you have doesn’t matter anywhere near as much as the quality of your followers.

If you’re buying Instagram followers, ask yourself: WHY are you buying followers? Is it to make your business appear bigger and more successful than it is? If that’s your reason, then why do you feel like you need to appear bigger than you are? There’s nothing wrong with being a small business.

Or, if you’re buying them in the hopes that it’ll bring you more paying customers or clients, here’s a big truth bomb for you: The Instagram followers you’re buying are mostly fake accounts, and the ones that aren’t, aren’t the right people -they’re not going to buy from you or work with you.

Instead, swipe these strategies to get more Instagram followers.

 

3. Using any kind of comment bot

 

Even if you’ve never used one, chances are you've encountered a comment bot on Instagram. 

You know – the one that tells you to “keep up the great work!” on your post about your dog dying, or the one that tells you that they love what you’re doing and that you should DM them.

People can when you’re using a comment bot and it’s not a good look for your brand. In fact, it can actually damage your brand. How, you ask? By commenting on a post that’s not aligned with your brand values, or by coming across as insensitive because you commented something totally inappropriate on a particular post.

Instead, spend a small bit of time each day (no more than 10-15 mins) genuinely engaging with people on Instagram.

Share meaningful comments, start conversations and just BE SOCIAL. It’s called social media for a reason.

 

4. Commenting for comment’s sake

 

If you’re going to take the time to comment on someone’s post, at least take the time to do it properly. Like I just wrote above, post meaningful comments. Don’t just post emojis or one-word comments.

 

5. Posting junk

 

I hate to say it, but there is so much mediocre content on Instagram these days. And, there’s also so much rubbish on there.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Stop posting for the sake of posting.

Instead, share fewer posts. Yep, that’s right. Don’t post to Instagram as often. And, when you do post, make sure it’s engaging, quality content.

(Not sure what to post? Here's what to post on Instagram in 2020).

 

6. Tagging random people in your posts

 

This gets on my nerves because I’m constantly untagging myself from completely irrelevant posts. There are certain accounts that might reshare your posts if you tag them, but mine is not one of them!

If you're going to tag another account in your Instagram posts, make sure that it's a relevant one.

 

7. DM spamming people

 

It’s bad enough having to field all sorts of enquiries in my email inbox, but now my Instagram inbox is starting to fill up with spam too.

Instead of sending people a generic copy and paste DM asking them to work with you, how about you start engaging with them and having a real conversation on Instagram first?

And then, once they know you’re a real person, maybe send them a personalised DM or a video message. 

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