If Instagram isn’t part of your social media strategy for your real estate business or career, you are leaving money on the table. Not only does Instagram have a massive user base of 400 million, but the engagement is 10 times higher than Facebook, 54 times higher than Pinterest, and 84 times higher than Twitter.

However, you can’t just “be on Instagram” and expect to see results. Simply creating a profile and occasionally posting pictures isn’t going cut it. Here are a few mistakes to avoid when building your Instagram audience.

Not Posting Enough

If you’re posting only a few times a week, you are really missing out on strong audience growth.

Here’s why…

When someone searches a hashtag, there are two sections they appear in, “Top Posts” and “Latest Posts”. The more frequently you post, the more often your post will be at the top of the “Latest Posts” section of that particular hashtag. This is free exposure to draw people to your profile.

The amount of times you post will vary depending on your audience. However, 2-3 times per day is a good average to shoot for. Some large profiles have seen significant growth using 6-10 posts per day.

Too Much Promotion

Although more posts can help with the growth of your profile, the quality and type of posts can also play a factor. Too many promotional posts can make your profile seem spammy and prevent your followers from connecting with you. Spread your promotional or “call-to-action” posts out among your other postings. For example, post 2-3 times of value providing content (i.e. tips for first time home buyers, up and coming neighborhoods, local events, etc) and then post your latest listing.

Not Enough Promotion

This might seem confusing considering the previous reason, but this is also a common mistake I see. Building a large follower count is great, but if you don’t have a way to convert them, it’s not good use of your time.

Instagram allows you put a link in your bio. It’s the only clickable link that you can use to send someone outside of Instagram. This would be a great way to collect email addresses for your list or link up your latest listing. Use a call-to-action in your post and have them “Click the Link in the Bio” to send them where you want to go.

Be sure to take advantage of the link in your bio and use call-to-actions in your images to direct them there.

Also, change up the link to coincide with whatever it is you want to promote. Having multiple promotions is a great idea.

If you avoid these three mistakes, you will be on your way to not only growing your Instagram, but effectively using it to generate leads.

About the author:

Tony Huynh runs The Instaguy, a social media marketing service that helps brands and businesses grow their Instagram and generate leads for their business.