The Top 5 Mistakes Brands Make on Instagram
A boom in social has pushed many drinks brands online, but some do better than others. To help you out, here are the top 5 mistakes brands make on Instagram.
1. Not using Stories
The Instagram algorithm makes it harder than ever for posts to reach all your followers. An estimated 10% of your followers will see your feed content.
One way to skirt around this is to make use of the ‘Stories’ feature. You can use them to keep reminding followers that you’re putting out content they’re interested in. You can direct them to your feed, website and anything else relevant to you. All without ruining your feed aesthetic (which for some brands is their selling point).
Stories can be made permanent through ‘Highlights’. Highlights can be a less aesthetically-centred/humanised portal into the brand for any users who come across your profile. For all the content you can’t put into the feed. Bacardi uses this almost excessively. BrewDog has a set of clearly labelled stories fitting with their theme.
2. No clear aesthetic
Looking pretty is not everything. But a consistent theme throughout the feed lends itself to high Instagram engagement. A running colour theme or colour blocking, tone, branding presence, focal objects etc. all create a theme if one or more are kept consistent. From subtle (Mikkeller) to striking (Dom Pérignon) there’s no end to how this can be done or to what extent.
3. Irregular posting
If you look at your feed you may see very old content popping up, or your older posts may still be getting liked. The algorithm posts in order of relevance, post quality, engagement rates and a number of other factors.
Some brands try to counter this with anything up to 30 posts a day. There is minimal evidence that this increases engagement, but it can ensure followers see at least some of your content. This strategy works for brands with followers who are either used to or love to see their pictures no matter what the quantity. Particularly global brands.
Consistency is a more realistic suggestion. Post Instagram content regularly in a time frame that works naturally for you. Inconsistency, posting very regularly and then maybe once a week, has been shown to decrease following and engagement.
4. Not engaging with your community
Working the Instagram algorithm in your favour requires more than just posting quality content more strategically. It is becoming clear that engaging with your followers increases post visibility. You might want to:
- Engage with comments on your posts! If a reply isn’t warranted, give it a like or a fitting emoji.
- Comment on posts by fellow members of your niche. Engaged outwardly will put your account into the view of potential followers.
- Spread the love and you may well see it reciprocated onto your content.
5. An Absence of Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is a useful tool for brands because it provides:
- High-quality user-generated content
- Reviews that consumers will trust, leading to more people buying into your brand
- Exposure to a wider audience
An influencer is ordinarily chosen because of their relevance to your product’s target audience. They could also be the gateway to a whole new audience you want to crack. Find out whether an influencer marketing agency is really the step to take here.
Stella Artois can regularly be seen to use influencer marketing- particularly through event hosting. There is high value in reaching out (find out more here) to these influencers on Instagram but beware of how it looks to the consumer. The less cheesy, PR-looking the better. Natural reviews feel more trustworthy for good reason. But nevertheless, this is a great investment because of all the content and exposure you gain.
