Social media strategy is an essential facet of digital marketing, but not all social networks are created equal. Posting on Instagram requires a careful attention to visual detail that can instantly boost your brand if done correctly.
Stay True to Your Visual Identity
What story does your product tell? Who are you trying to reach and inspire? These are questions that should influence the visual identity of your Instagram feed, and each photo should provide a consistent answer. The colors, presentation and even the light you choose will have a strong impact on your visual identity on Instagram. If you want to project a mysterious and ethereal identity, you can play with depth of field and use variable light to create moody pictures. If you’d like to create a bright and cheerful look to represent your brand, well lit photos with a deep depth of field that keeps everything in focus can be a more logical choice.
Use Consistent Photo Styling
It’s the little things that really count in a medium that’s as structured and refined as Instagram. The platform itself provides just enough support to let your images shine, and followers can see your entire feed in just a few seconds with a scroll. This means that the balance between variety and uniformity is paramount in creating consistency without being boring.
How can you accomplish this balancing act? You’ll want the subjects of your photos to vary while keeping the structure of the image itself consistent. This means using similar compositional methods and choosing similar perspective angles. You don’t have to shoot from the exact same angle every time, but there should be a consistent blend. For example, you can include about 30% overhead product shots at 90 degrees, 30% lifestyle shots at 45 degrees and 30% landscape or still-life shots at a dead-on 90-degree approach. You can create your own formula and even gradually shift it over time, but think carefully about the angles and compositional shapes you’re using in terms of how they fit into general categories in your feed.
Exercise Restraint
Instagram is among the most aesthetically minimalistic social networks, and a strategy of excess just doesn’t work with the fundamental way the app is structured. A feed that’s clogged with a wild blend of long text posts, multiple tiny images crammed into collages and the occasional striking photo feels especially frantic and unappealing in such a spare, gallery-like digital setting.
A thoughtful Instagram strategy requires careful selection for each post. Rather than quickly editing and immediately posting every photo you take and idea that comes to mind, take some time to think about it. Consider whether the image itself fits in with your overall brand presentation and whether it continues the identity and styling themes you’ve worked so hard to create. Saving each new post as a draft before actually pushing it to your feed can give you the distance you need to make a more carefully considered decision about whether or not the image fits in with the rest of your feed.