Are you familiar with the popular phrase ‘ Instagram eats first’? You must be. And for sure, you are one of the many people who can easily relate to this.
However, Instagram is no longer limited to the gourmet dinner you had in a fancy restaurant. In a span of a few years, the photo-sharing site has morphed from a personal hangout to a serious marketing platform. More businesses are realizing how a visual content could play well to their advantage.
Today, Instagram is the second leading social media platform for businesses, next to Facebook. In fact, it is growing five times faster than any other social network, with the number of users expected to hit the 100 million mark in 2018, in the US alone.
Instagram by the Numbers
There is enough statistics that shows the value of Instagram on your social media strategy. Here’s a breakdown of the few:
About 33% of Internet users or more than 400 million people are on Instagram daily. An average person spends 25 mins. per day on the platform.
There are more than 100 million photos posted daily which overall receives an approximate of 4.2 billion likes within 24 hrs.
Its engagement with brands is 10 times higher with Facebook, and is 54 times greater than Pinterest.
With Instagram winning the statistics game, you should now focus on how to plan your feed to achieve a consistent theme that will help you ace the Instagram game.
Instagram for Business
Candid photographs still have a place on Instagram, but when you’re a business, you have to be more strategic. When done correctly, your Instagram game can offer a significant opportunity for your brand. As it allows you to engage your targeted market with a visual content, it also helps you gain their trust and in turn, be recognized as a key player in your niche. But, how exactly will you do that?
Enter Instagram feed goals: the hype that has long been receiving attention not only from bloggers but also from successful international brands whose digital successes are largely attributed to their presence on the platform.
How to do it? Here’s a comprehensive guide to keep you on track:
A Complete Guide to a Perfect Instagram Feed
Be Selective
Being selective of what you post on Instagram will keep your feed looking quality and clean. If it’s too blurry or too grainy, refrain from posting a photo no matter how perfect you think it will fit your feed. Nevertheless, you can always share these photos on your other social media profiles so your followers can get a unique content that they’ll not find on other platforms.
Be Consistent
The key to a perfect Instagram feed is to keep the photos consistent. When you decide to use a white background in a natural light, this should apply to your overall feed. You can also play between multiple filters when editing so a picture becomes cohesive to the ones around it. In order to achieve this, you will need to plan your feed ahead and an editing app such as VSCO can help you with just that.
Be Inspired
For some ideas to help spark up your creativity, Instagram never falls short of inspiration. For whatever kind of photos you’ll have to take, there are just countless types of feed to choose from to deliver the message and the feel you want to convey. To help you decide which one will work best for you, we’ve rounded up 7 of the most popular themes on Instagram:
7 Popular Instagram Themes
1. White Theme
Instagram: @meganhanrienks
An easy way to get started is by using a white background. Even when you share unrelated photos, following this tip will guarantee your overall feed will look consistent. But, while it’s almost an instant solution, you have to know that maintaining a white theme is a lifestyle. You’ll need a lot of natural light as possible to make sure your feed will definitely stand out.
2. Dark Theme
Another trend that’s a sensation on Instagram, a dark theme has a grunge and moody feel that allows photos to pop with colors. It doesn’t pose too much restriction on photos, but you will need to have everything underexposed to get the look you want to achieve.
3. Black & White Theme
Instagram: @gilcuerva
You can also consider a black and white theme if you’re feeling slightly adventurous. It’s one powerful theme without the usual color distraction. Plus, while it appears to be already specific, you can actually play with textures, saturations and other effects to give them an extra edge.
4. Color-Coordinated Theme
Instagram: @phoebesoup
Here, instead of sticking with a single color, you can play with two or more colors that you will use as a palette for your theme. A great example is Instagram account, @phoebesoup which uses white and pink as its main colors and the feed is very accurate in using the same palette in its feed.
5. Same Filter Theme
Instagram: @kimkardashian
The idea of this theme is to literally use one filter as your trademark. This way, people can instantly recognize your photo even when surrounded by many others on the Explore Page. It’s a great alternative if you don’t feel like sticking to just one tone or palette.
6. Minimalist Theme
Instagram: @serjios
A tiny detail is powerful enough to tell a great story. If you want your feed to be a bit more unique and a standout among many other brands, you should consider creating a minimalist theme instead. Its ingenuity will entice your followers to scroll through even down to your first Instagram photo.
7. Flatlay Theme
Instagram: @flatlays
Flatlays are a great way to crop everything in one square. The trick is to elegantly spread all your favorite things on a surface and let your imagination do the rest. It’s rare to find a brand that is devoted to flatlays exclusively. In fact, it’s actually one that you can incorporate with any other theme.
Whatever theme you may choose, it should be a reflection of who your business are and what it delivers. It doesn’t necessarily mean sticking to the rules.
Theme in Blocks
True, it’s not always easy to keep your feed looking the same. One solution to this is to change your theme at least every after three rows. This will help maintain a coordinated look for your feed without being limited to a single theme all the time.
Tips to Improve Your Instagram Feed
Shoot Photos in Bright Light: Take photos where there is an adequate amount of sunlight. A good light brings out the details in your photos and helps give you clearer photos that are easy to process when editing. These wedding photos taken by Jeff Brewer is an ideal example.
Explore Editing Apps: Aside from the built-in editing tools on Instagram, there are many other photo editing apps in store. VSCO is a mainstay app among millions of Instagram users.
Among many other tools, it’s helpful to get familiarize with the following:
Brightness - increasing the brightness gives your pictures a desirable crisp-white look.
Contrast – slightly adjusting the contrast adds a pop of color to your images.
Warmth – decreasing warmth adjusts the color from yellowish to a nice stark white.
Saturation – when adjusted subtly, saturation brings more color to photos beautifully.
Sharpen – when used sparingly, a sharpening tool can bring out more details into the picture.
Choose a Theme: A theme is the vibe and mood of your entire feed. It should reflect the personality of your brand – whether you want it grungy, bright or minimalist.
Balance-Out Photo: Unless you own a coffee shop, don’t pose a cup of coffee twice in a row. It works to space out similar photos so your entire feed will look more balanced.
Crop the Same Way: Another key is to always crop the same way. Using square photos is the simplest way to do it, but you can also have a white border theme or rectangle photos.
Look at Your Feed as a Big Picture: Finally, to ensure that your feed remains coherent, you need to see it as a whole. After all, it is how your visitors will see it and will be a primary factor when they decide to tap the follow button.
What theme are you following on Instagram? How did it help build your brand on social media? Let us know in the comments section below!
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