In this article, we'd be exploring 5 expert tips and tricks for curating your Instagram feed to make them appear pro.
Instagram is a photo and video-sharing social networking service that allows its users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. The site was originally founded by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger in 2010 and in roughly two years of launching, it got acquired by Facebook Inc. for approximately US$1 billion in cash and stock.
Instagram has over the years recorded massive success, growing to over 1.3 billion monthly active users across the globe. This makes it the 4th most popular social network. In front are Facebook 2.85b, YouTube 2.29b and WhatsApp 1.6b.
In fact, according to recent data, the Meta owned social networking site has been adding over 100 million new users every 4 to 9 months consistently since 2014.
Considering the stats above and the degree of growth, any good brand should leverage Instagram in order to reach more potential customers. Having a curated Instagram feed will well-chosen images and content on your Instagram are feed is like a digital mood board to your fans. It doesn't just grow your following but also gives your followers a feeling of what your brand is about in a matter of seconds. It also helps you in attracting new customers.
Tips For Curating Your Instagram Feed
Below are some tips that on how you can get the most out of a curated Instagram feed:
• Be consistent
Cohesive branding involves ensuring consistency in your brand no matter which platforms you use so that your brand is immediately recognizable. This doesn't mean that you have to repeat posts, but rather, it means picking a theme and sticking to it.
In other words, pick an area that's relevant to your brand and go for content relating to them. if you sell shoes on Instagram, posting football news will also help you connect to your customers who wouldn't be needing the shoes for sports.
Think about how your images will appear in a grid formation and strategically opt for colour themes and design touches that will complement each other. An Instagram feed comprising of sporadic and ill-matched images appear unprofessional and messy thereby making your profile forgettable.
• Try to avoid hard selling
In advertising, a hard sell is an advertisement or campaign that uses a more direct, forceful, and overt sales message. One of the first steps in social media marketing should be building a relationship with your potential customers by building trust.
When people love and engage with your posts, they tend to trust any product or service that you offer. Show your followers that you care about them by offering content that helps make their lives easier and better.
• Establish a visual identity
We always recommend you establish a visual identity from the beginning and stick to it unless a rebrand happens. Curating your Instagram shouldn't be hard if you know your onions. Endeavour to combine and alternate colour palettes and filters to keep things looking as clean and tidy as possible. There are numerous impactful Instagram post templates available online for you to choose from and edit to suit your taste.
When it comes to posting regular images, there are hundreds of filters available online that you can choose from to stay in line with your colours; Dark and moody, bright and airy, sepia, colourful, low-brightness, high-contrast...the possibilities are just endless.
• Quality or quantity?
This has always been a topic of debate among social media users. When it comes to building your Instagram as a brand, high-quality content is KING! This doesn't necessarily mean all beautiful photos every time, but anything your audience will appreciate, including purposeful content.
By purposeful content I'm talking about; content that teaches someone to do something inspires someone positively, helps in making someone's life easier or more.
• Use a planning app
There are many free apps that can help you to visually organize your content feed so that it looks exactly how you want it to look. Once you’ve chosen your content pillars (we recommend having 4-5 content pillars), you'll proceed to pick out a colour palette.
This will be followed by your filter, then organizing a content calendar and finally, creating the content. Instagram curating shouldn't be hard, and free apps like Planoly and Later have even made them easier.
• How often should you post?
I always recommend posting consistently for better results. Remember, you're fighting for their (your followers') attentions and they'd probably be following other accounts. So, if you only publish once a week, your updates might never get to be seen by your target audience.
Ideally, you need to post as many as one to three articles each day. But while considering this, always have in mind that quality always supersedes quantity. Only a great post per day is better than publishing three lower quality posts that don't fit your brand's image.
• Add your Instagram content to your website
This is another great tip for getting the most out of your content. Make sure that your content is being repurposed by adding it to your website, preferably on the homepage. There are many tools and plugins that will help you achieve this easily, and free of charge too.
In addition to this, I also encourage embedding your Instagram content when writing blog posts. It'll help people discover your account more.
Summary:
Thanks to the internet, reaching and retaining customers have never been easier. You can now build your business and deliver your product/services to potential clients without having to even rent a physical office or space.
Every wise entrepreneur should tap into the already established Instagram community by connecting with related users and brands. Know what your competitors are doing, and how they have been able to achieve success in the business, then you can replicate that in yours.
No matter your industry or what you're selling, having a curated Instagram feed with relevant content will help transform your page into a source of interest. Always remember to work carefully on your strategy to discover what content appeals to your audience most.
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