5 Popular Instagram Myths Debunked
Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for small businesses. There’s a wealth of information online for a variety of topics like how to boost your engagement rate, connect with your audience or convert leads to sales. Unfortunately, with all that knowledge comes misinformation too. Over the years, Instagram has been the center of dozens of rumors and conspiracy theories. I’m here to set the record straight on these five Instagram myths.
Instagram Myth #1: You Need to Respond to All Comments Within 24 Hours
If you find yourself clambering to keep up with your comments, you’re going to breathe a sigh of relief at what I say next. Replying to all your post’s comments within the first 24 hours has no impact on your post performance.
It is worth noting, however, that the Instagram algorithm favors genuine conversations. If you’re engaging authentically with your audience on your posts, that tells the algorithm you have a “relationship” with that person.
Instagram Myth #2: Instagram Won’t Show Your Posts If You Use the Same Set of Hashtags
You can add up to 30 hashtags on Instagram. While some industry experts argue 9 to 11 hashtags per post is the sweet spot to achieve maximum reach, others say there’s no harm in using the full 30. Struggling to come up with a solid list of hashtags? I got you.
No matter how many hashtags you choose to include in your feed posts, always remember to test your strategies and get granular with the hashtags you use. Using fresh hashtags in each post only means you’ll have a greater chance of reaching new eyes since you may show up in more feeds.
Instagram Myth #3: You Can Easily Beat The Algorithm By Joining An Engagement Pod
An engagement pod is a group of Instagram users who help increase engagement on each other’s posts. Instagram engagement pods are an attractive way to increase your brand’s engagement, but there are several reasons to steer clear. Not only is it time-consuming, but it’s also ineffective and Instagram’s algorithm is smart enough to understand what you’re up to.
Instagram invests some serious dough in optimizing their algorithm. So, a sudden spike in your engagement is likely to throw up a red flag and may result in the algorithm not prioritizing your content in your audience’s feed.
Instagram Myth #4: You Need to Post At Least Once a Day to See Growth
When it comes to visual platforms like Instagram, there’s an emphasis on quality over quantity. It’s totally fine if you post three times a week as long as your content offers value to your audience!
Don’t feel pressured to churn out content if you don’t have something worthwhile to say. Also, give your audience the opportunity to interact with your last post before flooding their feed with more content.
Instagram Myth #5: A Business Account Will Negatively Impact Your Reach
Ever since the Facebook Page Apocalypse in 2018, this Instagram myth has been running amok. You can and should use an Instagram business account for your small business. Among other benefits, business accounts let you add contact or shop buttons, track analytics natively within the Instagram app, and allow integrations with third-party apps to schedule out content.
Level up your Instagram strategy with an organic approach
Instagram allows you to connect with your community and showcase the best parts of your business. If you’re ready to organically grow your Instagram presence, I’m available for one to two-hour power sessions to talk strategy. Schedule a free 30-minute consultation call with me today!
Originally published at https://www.alpinestartcreative.com on October 30, 2020.
