Carol Stephen — March 29, 2018 — March 29, 2018
Whether you’re on Instagram for business or pleasure, there are some creative ways to fail. Here are just a few!
Following and Unfollowing
You’ve had this happen 10,000 times. Roughly. Someone likes one or more of your posts, or they say something positive about an image. They follow you and you follow back. Then, within a week or two, they unfollow you. They do this so that they appear more popular than they actually are, and they hope that you won’t notice.
Maybe you’d like to read my previous post on Instagram fails: Beware Instagram Follow Unfollow Backlash: A New Kind of Fail.
Having a Private Account
Have you seen people with accounts that are private? They follow you and expect you to follow, but you can’t see any of what they post. Unless you already know them in real life, why would you follow them back? You wouldn’t! If you really do want a private account, Here’s a wiki on how to make your Instagram Photos Private.
Following Thousands
If you check the ratio of someone’s followers to whom they follow, and it’s way off, would that make you follow them? If they’re a brand and you like what they’re saying, maybe. But anyone else? Probably not. If they’re terribly popular, and are posting valuable things, you might follow them.
Terrible Images
If you see images that are out of focus, too sales-y, or of no interest to you, you probably won’t want to follow that account. If you don’t want to put up a picture of yourself, fine. Get a picture of something. Please. And please make it be in focus.
No Name
Having no brand name or personal name makes it less likely that you’ll gain real followers. Sometimes with accounts with no name, the next time you take a look, they’re gone from Instagram.
Not Posting Enough
Did you post three times in 2014 and then abandon your account? Having an inactive account is a major fail on any platform. And if you don’t want to post something, you can go in and comment on your friends’ posts.
No Descriptions in Posts
Whether you use poetry or a short description, say something. Words are important. Words and hashtags are what help you to get found on Instagram.
No Hashtags
Instagram is the place where you can go crazy with hashtags. Really. If you’d like to know more about hashtags, here’s a post you might like: New Rules for Instagram Hashtags: How to Find the Right Hashtags for Your Business in 2018.
No Engagement
Talking to other people is what makes social media social. Are you commenting on other people’s posts? If not, you might like How to Engage on Social Media: Instagram.
Using Instagram for Dating
Please, on behalf of all women (and men!) everywhere, don’t follow us just to slam us with private messages. If you want to get to know us as friends, that’s a whole different story.
What Other Creative Ways Have You Seen to Fail?
Leave me a comment! And thank you!
Digital & Social Articles on Business 2 Community
(80)
