5 Common Instagram Myths You Should Abandon Now
As someone who helps clients build and maintain their social media presence every day, I’ve spent more than my fair share of hours digging through articles and Googling how to be most effective in the social sphere. There are a ton of resources out there, and it can be difficult and time-consuming to weed through it all. Since it’s nearly impossible to market in 2021 without knowing how social media affects you (or your clients) business, I’ve compiled a few of my thoughts on some of the myths that seem most prevalent. If just thinking about posting to Instagram has you stressed, here are five helpful tips that I hope will put your mind at ease when it comes to building a presence on the ‘Gram.
Myth #1. You have to post every single day
Say it with me: consistency over quantity. Post consistently enough to stay top-of-mind and show your clients and customers that you are in business. The general rule of thumb is that 3-4 posts a week is enough to keep your content active and alive within Instagram’s algorithm and ensure that you’re regularly engaging with your community. That said, it’s also important to know what your overall objectives are within your social profiles. Are you trying to aggressively grow your following? Do you want to create a community with those already following you? Are you simply using your channels as a way to update your customers around your business? Once you know your goals, you’ll be able to decide what posting frequency will serve you best. To dive deeper into this topic, Coschedule has done a great job compiling multiple resources in one place.
Myth #2. Your grid must look perfectly curated and aesthetically pleasing
It doesn’t. What it does have to be is valuable or informational to your followers. That can mean anything from posting ridiculously hilarious memes every day or providing insightful marketing analytics every two to three days to updating followers on your soup du jour. Is it helpful if you have a cohesive brand look? Yes, but it’s not worth spending hours upon hours working with filters--or worse--not posting at all because you’re worried an image or graphic won’t match the grid. Especially if you're just starting out. Remember, posting consistently with intent and value is more important than whether all of your photos have the same filter and matching colors. Sprout has a quick little article about this. If you’re the type of person that is stressed just thinking about not having a perfectly curated feed, Planable has put together an article on tips and resources for how to create the curated Instagram page of your dreams. Just make sure it’s second to creating engaging and authentic content.
Myth #3. It’s impossible to grow your following without money
It is true that as Instagram has turned into an advertising machine comparable to the Superbowl, it has become more difficult to get your content organically in front of customers. Difficult, but not impossible. Instagram offers one of the highest engagement rates of all the social platforms. People want to engage with others. Invest your time instead and create posts that offer valuable and engaging insight into your industry or product. Search out and use hashtags relevant to your brand. Confused about hashtags? Here’s a great place to start. Interact, comment, like, and follow individuals interacting with those hashtags. Taking the time to seek out and find those people that want to engage with you and your product doesn’t take money, it takes time and energy. There’s a great blog post that goes more in depth on this here.
Myth #4. You have to be an “expert” at what you do to gain followers
What is an expert anyway? Do you know more about something than your gramma or sister would? Consider yourself an expert on said topic. That’s not to say you should offer false information to the masses, but there’s a strong possibility that you’re more knowledgeable about that thing you’re passionate about than others might be. Offer that information up while continuing to educate yourself on the subject. You’ll position yourself as a thought leader and grow your following to those that don’t already know the information. When you’re ready, check out Rebecca Cafiero. She offers a great workshop on how to position yourself as an expert through pitching media, participating in podcasts, and speaking engagements. Everyone who was anyone started at square one. Take this account for example. If they can do it, so can you.
Myth #5. You have to have thousands of followers to make money
This might be the biggest myth out there. You do not. Recent studies are suggesting that more brands are opting to work with influencers who have dedicated but smaller audiences. Known as nano-influencers, the key metric here is engagement. A large following isn’t as important as having a dedicated and engaged audience in a specific industry, and micro-influencers (those with followings of less than 10k) or nano-influencers (those with followings of less than 5k) tend to offer higher engagement rates than influencers with followers in the six and seven figure range. Brands primarily want to know that your followers are tuned in and interacting with you and what you’re saying. Shopify does a great job outlining the many ways to use Instagram to make money with as few as 1k followers.
While these are general practices to know about Instagram, it’s important to experiment with different tactics and content to discover what works best for your audience and niche. Because just like Cinderella and her shoe, your audience is unique to you and your product-- it’s not one size fits all. The main thing to remember here is to just start. Start posting imperfectly. Start not knowing all the algorithms. Start with 1 follower. Just begin. It’s only upwards from there.
