Mistakes that might be costing your brand big on Instagram

Brands big and small, have finally understood the importance of Instagram to keep themselves abreast in the minds of their prospective buyers. Result – we have entered the golden era of reels. As company employees – from HR to salespeople turn into content creators to make Instagram reels, we wonder what these brands are doing wrong. Organizations seem to have abandoned all other work, to make it big on Instagram, why are they still falling short?

Here are some of the reasons explained – are you making them too? – reels or mistakes?

Investing huge amounts on Influencers

Instead of investing time and effort to build a brand story that engages the audience, most social media executives make the mistake of taking a short cut. What is this short cut you ask? They are called influencers. Brands feel that if they invest into influencers that are popular amongst the masses, some of their followers will become a part of their brand tribe too. You are highly mistaken; influencers have cult following due to their entertainment factor – their followers are in no way interested in what your brand sells. Stop trying to feed them this medicine with a treat, they’ll simply spit it out!

It is now proven, that people are less likely to engage with influencer content that promotes or talks about a brand. Don’t believe us? Check out the reels tab of your favorite influencer today. So, not only are you wasting money on influencers, you are also garnering negative attention for your brand.

Blatant Advertising on Reels

Reels are GENZ guys, not millennial. People stream it like Netflix or Hotstar, they have no patience for advertisements like they used to with their old cable sets. Stop making reels that feel like advertisements, it’s a sure shot way of losing any respectable following that you might have a chance of getting. Reels need to be informative and fun, simply showcasing your product in good lighting or getting someone to speak of your services is not going to do your brand any good – at least not on Instagram. If you wanna make it big on Insta -you’ve got to grow a funny bone – if you don’t have what it takes, hire a reel partner. Don’t sabotage your account with boring stuff!

Mindlessly hopping on to every reel trend

Reel trends go viral in no time, so we understand the urge to be a part of the mania. But as a brand, you need to choose content wisely. You also need to be mindful of who you choose to cast in such reels. Brand image is hugely dependent on Instagram, it's wise to leave reels to professionals instead of creating low quality content that doesn’t corelate to your brand values.

Making low quality content

Surely, not everyone on-board with your team can act or emote. When you make Instagram reels in-house, the chance of it working hugely depend on the content, the actors, the setup and the video quality. So, many of us are fooled by how simple and effortless the influencers make it look, wake up and smell the tea. Influencers have a huge team, technical crew and the best of equipment. Even effortless takes effort.

To make it big on Instagram, you need to have the right stuff – creatives, equipment and most importantly direction. When you make and post low quality content – do not expect high engagement.