Why Your Instagram Strategy Isn’t Working

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Have you created the account and followed all the methods for creating the best Instagram? Are you still struggling to get noticed? It happens and it happens a lot more than many people care to admit. It’s not that you are doing the methods wrong, it’s that there are some factors working against you. The best way to save your account and really make it work for you is to consider a few of the following.

You Stopped Engaging

One of the easiest ways to commit social media suicide is to stop engaging with your target market. If questions are going unanswered and you aren’t expressing gratitude, your clientele is going to run in the other direction. People want to feel like you care about them, radio silence is the exact opposite. If you noticed a slump, double check your engagement.

However, if time is not on your side, use an Instagram bot to do some of the heavy lifting for you. That way engagement happens but it happens quicker and more consistently while you handle content creation.

You Fell Into A Rut

When we find something that works, we tend to run with it long after it stops working. Posting on Instagram with the appropriate hashtags may have gotten you noticed but if that is the only thing you are doing, your profile will struggle. You have to be a fluid marketer and be ready to change the methods as you navigate the world of social media.

It also means that you need to be able to alter how you are using your methods. Using appropriate hashtags is a great method, so how about creating your own hashtag that is brand relevant and encouraging others to use it when they post content related to your brand?

You Blend In

One thing about social media, that we often forget, is that it’s a vast space. More than likely, you are sharing content that is comparable to your competition and other individuals. If people are seeing the same posts on other accounts, they get bored and stop paying attention to you. Fewer likes and less engagement are likely to happen.

When you see a slump, it’s time to compare yourself with others and find new ways to present information. You want to be able to “scream” on the platform and have someone hear you and unique content will do it.

You Follow The Trends

Trends are a helpful thing at times but if you are relying on trends all the time, you are in trouble. It contributes to your invisibility when you always show up as a trend follower. Rather than follow, become the trendsetter.

What can you create that takes your content to the next level that trend followers aren’t doing? Thinking outside the box is a fantastic way to refresh your profile and gain more attention in the long run.

You Are Missing The Mark With Your Target Market

If you aren’t paying close attention to your analytics, you need to start doing so immediately. One of the reasons why Instagram accounts find themselves lacking followers and engagement is because their timing is off. Your analytics can clue you in on when you see the most activity, who is engaging the most, and what type of content they love the most, so you know what to be publishing and when to publish it.

At the same time, you need to know your market and how they interact on Instagram. Older generations do not engage the same way as the younger generations do. You could very well be creating content for the right market but the wrong one is seeing it. That’s okay, altering it can lead you down the path of catering to your target market and expanding said market.

You Haven’t Explored Various Types Of Content

There are an incredible number of folks who assume that Instagram is the place that you share photos. This is not a healthy way to use Instagram and you should be using it to every advantage that is available. Are you creating professional video and sharing it on Instagram? Are you engaging in contests with your followers?

Are you creating content with other brands? Are you using the story feature or the story highlights feature? The live streaming feature? These options can help you stand out by changing up your vibe and be a bit refreshing to other users.

Partnerships Are The Golden Egg

If you haven’t tried partnering with another brand, this could be the perfect time to do so. A partnership with another brand not only allows you to get in touch with an expanded target market, but you also have fresh content for your own followers. They are going to want to talk to you about the partnership, especially if they are a fan of the other brand.

Let’s say you are a makeup brand that has seen sluggish sales and low engagement, a partnership with a hair company may be the perfect ticket to revive things and explode your Instagram likes. Most folks who love makeup, also happen to love hair care. The partnership should make sense and be beneficial to all those involved since there’s no direct competition.

Buy Some Ad Space

Although ad space can get expensive, a little bit can go a long way. Ad space on Instagram will help you reach more people and share some amazing news about your product or service. If you are the makeup company about to drop a new line of eyeshadows, buying ad space just for the product release can help you get noticed and refresh your status with your market.

The best way to use ad space on Instagram is for any sort of major product release, a partnership, or major change to your business (such as a merger). Avoid paid advertising for a run of the mill sale that is in the middle of June, and instead, save it for something exciting.

Freshening up your marketing strategies is always a plus. If something is working well, you certainly don’t have to change it. But, checking from time to time and adjusting strategies to avoid things that don’t work is one way to avoid common Instagram fails.

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Melissa Thompson

Melissa is a mother of 2, lives in Utah, and writes for a multitude of sites. She is currently the EIC of HarcourtHealth.com and writes about health, wellness, and business topics.