The 7 deadly sins of Instagram

Ignoring comments, begging for likes and posting inconsistent content are tactics that will keep people away from your brand. Don’t be a pariah.

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It’s not too late—as long as you know what you’re doing.

It’s disturbing to watch sophisticated brands make rookie mistakes. Like any social network, Instagram must be learned. The following guide can teach you the ropes. If you’re committing any of the gaffes below, please stop. Make Instagram a better place:

1. Advertising in other people’s comments

Self-promotion is tricky. After all, you’re on Instagram to promote your brand, right?

Like most social networks, Instagram is more complicated than that. You need to invest time and energy to cultivate an audience by building goodwill in the community.

One of the fastest ways to anger Instagram users (and lose followers) is to leave an irrelevant, annoying comment like, “Want to earn BIG $$$ with no work? RIGHT now??” on someone’s post.

2. Posting inconsistent content

The most popular Instagram posts have clear messages. “Behind the scenes with your favorite celebrity” is probably the most used angle, but many accounts have great success by using other immediately understandable angles for their messages.

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