Instagram is among the best social media platforms that give you a head start in the world of social media marketing – because of how profitable it is when used correctly. It is not surprising when you consider its numbers – it has an active user base numbering between 500 and 600 million people per month, so the opportunities and benefit are enormous.

However, that does not mean it does not have its fair share of persistent myths. Because of how it operates today (thanks to the introduction of the algorithm), various schools of thought have emerged explaining how the system operates. These can confuse you when you are dipping your toes in it for the first time and cause many mistakes, so we are here to bust some of them.

The platform is not good for businesses that are service oriented

Because of the visual nature of the platform, it promotes the advertisement of products that are tangible through posting of videos and photos, in addition to Instagram stories. However, that does not lock out service-oriented businesses, which can still make major headways on the platform. This is because the primary purpose of the platform is telling stories through the use of visual elements.

The most important thing is to know how you will keep your followers engaged throughout the whole time you are there, regardless of what you are advertising. If your product or service is interesting enough, then you are assured they will connect with you accordingly.

You should only use professional photos on your account

When we say using professional photos, we mean those that you take using expensive equipment, and you hire a professional editor or use expensive software yourself to edit the photos for the page. While this is a good effort to make, it is not mandatory anyway – you can actually take very good pictures with your phone.

What is important is maintaining a high standard of quality when posting your content, because you want your followers to see everything you are posting. However, it does not mean you break the bank trying to get pricey equipment for the job. In addition, why struggle to get editing software, when there are hundreds of mobile apps that can do the same thing, yet they are free?

The principle of reciprocity

It is good to follow people on the site, but it will not always be that they will follow you back. It remains one of the organic ways of getting followers. It can expand your reach other than using the methods of increasing your likes on your content – for instance, a service that allows you to get 50 Instagram likes for all your posts, or something close to that.

On the other hand, if your account is a business one and it follows too many users on the platform, it is likely that people will think your account is spammy. Therefore, consider an alternative – make interesting content that can entertain people, and they will eventually get on board and follow you.

You do not need a strategy to use Instagram

This is among the unfortunate misconceptions that remain in the minds of many, and if you think this way, you will be in for a rude awakening. The Instagram algorithm has made things harder to succeed if you do not have a proper plan in place. Without a plan, your page stops looking like a business account and begins to look like the normal accounts that do not have any particular specialization of content in mind.

If you want to increase the reach of your business, you need a strategy to do that – in fact, this should be the first step before opening an account in the first place.

If you are serious about growing your business page on the platform, make sure you have a plan on the content you will release, as well as the frequency of posting you will work with. Treat it as seriously as you would a marketing strategy, and the chances of succeeding will be higher.

The results of marketing on the platform cannot be measured

This is also a big misconception in terms of marketing, involving the results you get. Some people think that the results from placing polls or posting content is not measurable, and you will not see your progress at any stage.

The truth is that there are numerous tools, such as Inconosquare, which help you with Instagram analytics for your accounts on social media. These help to simplify the job and make tracking of your progress easier for you, so it is actually possible.

Instagram will not give you any leads

In addition to the myth before, some people think the site does not give you any leads, so you are mostly left in the dark when it comes to details about your posts and the progress they are making.

Well, the introduction of the Instagram algorithm has made many things easier for a lot of reasons, and the site has also introduced things like live streaming, the use of hashtags, and it now allows the posting of links (something that was not possible before). Among all these tools, hashtags have shown themselves to be the most effective.

This is because they allow for easier categories of posts, which increase their visibility to other Instagram users, even those that do not follow your account – as long as they select the hashtag.

 Posting once a week is enough

Truth is, posting once a week is too little if you want your account to be taken seriously as a business. The less you post, the more your followers leave, since you are not giving them any useful content.

You should remember they do not appreciate inactive accounts, and they want to see more of your work.

Final thoughts

Managing an account on Instagram requires that you remain as active as possible, as long as you want to be taken seriously. That means knowing the myths so that you avoid making mistakes – and you will be in it for the long haul.