Every brand needs to grow its Instagram following. More reach. More engagement. More leads. But after auditing dozens of brand pages recently, something very interesting came out. Brands are working hard but very few of them know in detail about social media marketing.

At BrandFuel, we audited 50 different brand Instagram pages from various industries. Some of them posted on a daily basis. Others created nice content. And there were those that already had some followers. Despite all this activity, most of the brand pages grew slowly or didn’t grow at all. The funny thing is that almost everyone made similar mistakes.

They Post Randomly

One of the biggest problems we observed is the lack of strategy behind posts. Most brands posted just because they had to and not for any other reason. There was no strategy and no goal behind the posts. It is a place where a good content marketing strategy can help. Every post must be meaningful. Some posts create authority. Some posts educate. Some posts are entertaining. And finally, some posts make people take action.

They Are Focused On Followers And Not On Their Customer

While there are brands which are successful in terms of getting their social media pages followers, their success does not translate into getting more customers. There are many pages which have a huge number of followers but do not get any engagement from them. However, some pages are much smaller in size but generate real conversation around their brands.

Social media marketing should be about getting the right audience and making sure that they engage in conversation. Focusing only on numbers leads to failure because getting the reach is not important. Getting relevant reach will help brands grow in business.

They Are Forgetting About Consistency

We found out that many pages which started off successfully, dropped completely after a while. Some pages post like crazy for a month and then stop posting anything. This strategy is detrimental for growing brands. Instagram rewards consistency, which keeps their brands in front.

Consistency does not mean posting every minute of the day. Being consistent means being there in a regular manner and having great social media management skills. Brands which are successful in growing through social media platforms are the ones which show up consistently.

They Are Copying Everyone Else

A problem we noticed was that many of the companies had similar content, the same type of content, the same trends, and even the same ideas. How does that help you?

People tend to remember brands. And what are the chances that people would remember you and your business if each of your posts seems to be copied from someone else’s posts? It is the importance of a unique brand voice in social media marketing. You are not supposed to try to be like everyone else, but you need to be memorable.

They Are Using Influencer Marketing As A Quick Fix

The majority of businesses believe that influencer marketing is something that can help them gain popularity. Some of them do succeed. However, most of them fail.

It seems that good influencer marketing campaigns work in conjunction with a bigger strategy. When you don’t have a strong profile, content, and messaging, an influencer marketing campaign helps you achieve short-term results but won’t help you grow in the long run.

There Is No Professional Management In Place

While this doesn’t apply to every company, we found that most of those that struggle to grow lack any form of management of their social media efforts. Posts would be published whenever somebody had time to do so. This never lasts too long.

No matter whether you have an in-house team working on your accounts or a social media marketing agency, everything becomes much easier when each and every post is done according to a certain plan, schedule and goals set for the brand. And that’s because Instagram growth never comes from just one viral post but requires hundreds of small actions to be taken consistently.

How The Best Growing Companies Are Different From Others

It’s not that these companies were posting any more content than their competitors. They were posting better content, though. They had a message to share. They knew who they talked to. They posted at regular intervals. They invested in social media marketing strategically. But most importantly, they used Instagram for business purposes.

Looking Ahead

If you’re wondering where social media fits into the bigger marketing picture, check out our blog: 

SEO, Social Media or Ads: The Surprising Winner for Growth. It explores how different marketing channels contribute to business growth and where brands should focus their efforts.

Final Thoughts

After auditing 50 Instagram pages, one thing became obvious. Most brands don’t have a content problem. They have a strategy problem. Growth rarely comes from posting more. It comes from posting with purpose.

At BrandFuel, we help businesses build smarter marketing systems that generate visibility, engagement, and long-term growth. Because when strategy improves, results usually follow.

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