90% of businesses believe in the power of social media to help grow their brand. Even without a large budget, social media can help you reach your target audience. Building a uniform Instagram theme is one of the key components of a successful social media strategy.
A consistent Instagram theme makes your business, your brand, recognizable through visually appealing patterns and coherent aesthetic options. Instagram themes are rising in popularity because they transform individual photos into a bigger story, which allows you to visually communicate important aspects about your brand and why your followers should support you. There are many different ways to create your Instagram theme. It can take time. Here are a few strategies to help you get going.
Your Theme Should Match Your Business
Your Instagram theme should reflect your business specifically and be aligned with your business goals. What are you selling? What do you need to promote? Keeping in mind what you’re hoping to achieve will determine the content. Check out DÔEN’s Instagram feed for a sense of how consistent colors and content can make your account noteworthy. DÔEN’s feed is filled with light warm colors, simple bohemian images and poetic compositions. All of their images have a soft focus and dream-like quality.
Source Image:https://www.instagram.com/shopdoen/
They also post photos of people in relaxed postures, doing things that give their viewers a creative ‘vibe’, like looking at art or playing a guitar. Remember, maintaining a consistent Instagram theme doesn’t start and end with colors; all of your content should reflect your brand’s personality.
Still not sure which Instagram theme you want or how to get it? Here are three simple ideas to help you get started:
1. Black and White Theme: Black and white is a good choice if you’re trying to evoke a sense of sophistication. The lack of color draws focus to the photo’s main subject, like a pair of sneakers or a coffee mug. It also suggests a classic, timeless sensibility. Remember, black and white can easily be interpreted as dramatic.
2. Bright Color Theme: If your brand is fun and playful, using bright colors is the way to go. Bright colors are attention-grabbing and can be bold or whimsical, which could be ideal for a business that wants to target a younger following or is promoting something fun like children’s toys or apparel.
3. One Type of Content: Sometimes strict guidelines like posting about only one thing is the most successful way to promote your product. Say you sell car tires, it could be interesting to create a feed where every single post has a car tire in it, displayed or used in various ways. I.E.: a dog sitting on a tire, a tire rolling down a hill or a tire used as a picnic table. Have fun with the restriction, it might be productive.
Pick a Filter and Stick to It
Building consistency in your Instagram feed means creating and maintaining some kind of recurring uniformity. A great way to achieve this is by choosing one photo filter and using it on ALL of your posts. This will make sustaining regularity much easier. When viewing your posts individually, using the same filter won’t be that noticeable. But when a viewer looks at your feed as a whole, it will look cohesive. It will show that your brand has a solid sense of identity.
Instagram has some filters, but they might not be the best match for your brand or theme. Luckily, there are photo editing apps that offer additional options. Using a photo editing app will help you achieve consistency while making your posts look professional and refined.
Plan and Preview Your Feed
If you can’t see what the feed is in advance, how do you know it will look good and fit in with your theme? Fortunately, there are apps that allow you to preview your feed. All you have to do is link your Instagram account to the app, upload new photos and arrange them to see how they look in comparison with the ones you have already posted. Once you’re happy with the look, you can schedule your posts to go out automatically. Here are a couple things to remember when planning your feed:
- The top 3 rows of your feed are called the ‘Top 9’. Consider how the “Top 9” looks, as well as each photo posted. The ‘Top 9’ is like an introductory paragraph in an essay: make it compelling.
Source Image: https://www.instagram.com/instasize.official/
- People who look at your profile will look at your overall feed first before looking at individual photos. So, it’s important that each photo ‘speaks’ to each other to create a solid sense of brand identity.
There are many different social media schedulers. Some are free to use while some require a paid subscription; ask your colleagues about their experiences and try some freebies before committing.
Your Instagram Story Deserves a Great Cover
If someone visits your Instagram feed, they will look at your posts first. After that they’ll probably see your profile pic, bio and Instagram Stories. Make sure these components are in alignment with your theme or it could lead to a confusing brand identity.
One way to achieve consistency on all levels is by creating Instagram Story highlight covers. What’s a highlight? Instagram Highlights are collections of stories that you can group together as a ‘folder’ on your Instagram profile. The cover, is similar to a video or photo thumbnail, offering a snapshot of what’s to come.
Options for covers include, choosing one background color or using multiple colors with one icon or logo. Take a look at entrepreneur, Michelle Pfile. She consistently uses purple and black abstract shapes on a white background with black text to establish her brand identity. Notice that the text changes with the content of the Story Highlight; this is informative and visually interesting. The purple and black theme is then picked up in her posts, helping to achieve brand recognition.
Source image: https://www.instagram.com/thecontagiouscommunity/
The goal of your Instagram page is to attract attention, encourage them to click “follow”, and eventually support your business via purchases and visits. It’s important to have a consistent Instagram feed because those who already follow you, stop seeing your account in a critical way. It’s actually your future followers (your potential patrons) that best evaluate your feed and decide whether they will follow you. Improving the consistency of your Instagram account and creating your own authentic theme, is a must.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Natasha Ponomaroff is the Senior Marketing Director of Instasize – a content creating tool kit for anyone editing photos and online content on mobile. A weekly contributor on the site’s blog, Natasha tracks social media trends and updates the millions of “creatives” who are currently using Instasize to curate awesome online content. When she isn’t writing up the latest trend, Natasha is overseeing a team of 10 over at the Instasize HQ – ensuring that the marketing content on the apps various social platforms is ready to go.
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