Social media consultant at Amelia Rose Media Anna Rump or #thesocialmedialady has pinpointed the 5 most common mistakes people make on Instagram, so you don’t have to.

Instagram is here to stay, and with its focus on images, it has long been a great platform for the KBB industry.

However, there are some easy mistakes to be made and avoiding these will ensure your followers become customers.

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1. Your Bio

This is the bit at the very top of your page and it is by far the most important part of your account.

You need to make sure that your company name, location and contact information are visible.

Select the right buttons and with one click your followers can email you.

So many companies do not have a dedicated email address that can be checked by more than one person. It is no use Tom getting all the enquiries if he then goes on holiday.

Make sure your website link works too!

2. No people

People buy from people, and yet many companies inside the KBB industry do not show their employees.

Give your followers an insight into who is there, what the workplace looks like.

Got a delivery going out? Show your cheerful driver! Interview staff from the top down and share with your followers.

3. Too technical 

When deciding on the purchase of a new bedroom, bathroom or kitchen, a great deal of technical information is needed. However, Instagram is not designed to take over from the expertise of your design and fitting departments.

People want to imagine themselves actually living inside the image you post, so whilst style, colour and material are all relevant, they don’t need to know dimensions, hinge types, or even prices.

Show them something lovely and talk about how it can be used and how it can be lived in.

4. Hashtags

Companies get in such a muddle with these but they are really very simple. Hashtags are words with the # symbol in front, and they are just search terms.

So if for example someone wants to look at blue kitchen styles they would search on Instagram for #bluekitchen.

There is absolutely no point in adding a # to a lot of random words.

Think carefully about what your customers are looking for and be guided by that.

Instagram allows you up to 30 hashtags per post, so always place them in the first comment underneath your post.

This means your post remains clear and easy to read, but all your search terms are also tidy and easy to find!

5. No stories

Instagram has moved into the field of video content. You can record small clips of up to 15 seconds and they will stay at the top of your feed for 24 hours.

Many companies ignore this function but by doing so, they are not letting the algorithm of Instagram prioritise their content.

In short, if you use your stories, videos and even your IGTV, then your content will be pushed out to more accounts, which means more engagement.

Read more on How to maximise your social media.

Anna Rump works with lifestyle brands to help boost their income. She has recently taken engagement on social media, for one company, from under 1% to over 20% in three months, and brought in sales worth over £50,000. Anna Rump achieved this in under 90 posts across just three platforms.