Social media can be hard to keep up with. Algorithms change faster than the weather in Cape Town and there always seems to be someone else doing something cooler than you. I think the most important thing to remember about Instagram is that it should be a creative platform for you to express yourself and connect with your audience, whether you are selling a product, service or creating a brand.
Keep In Mind
- Consistency is King – Make sure you are active on your platform. Share fresh content on a regular basis and make sure you are being true to your brand when you put stuff out there.
- Be present – Comment, engage, message, these are the best features of Instagram. You can’t just throw birdseed out on the lawn and sit and watch like a creep. Get involved!
- Follow accounts like yours – Find accounts that are similar to yours and engage. The more you engage the more visible you become
- Use the correct hashtags – Use hashtags that relate to what you are posting or to your specific industry. Hashtags are like little tracking devices that allow people to find your content so the more quality ones you can find to use the better.
- Post more people – Post more photos of yourself or of people. People love to connect with other people and the more life you breathe into your account the better.
Content Is Essential
So there are a few things to remember, but nothing will save you if you have average content and amateur pictures unless you’re Justin Bieber then no one cares but let’s be honest, we’re not, so lets be better.
My Photo Curation Process
Take A Quality Photo First
We are so lucky to be in a day and age where some phones are taking better quality pictures than some cameras and most have access to good quality images. You do not need the cream of the crop cellphone or camera to get great pictures. Sorelle Amore has a great video on how to take a self portrait so you don’t even need an Instagram Boyfriend.
I use a combination of the Nikon D750 with a Sigma 35mm lens – Keep in mind I am a professional photographer, you do not NEED this camera, any camera will do. I also use my Samsung S10+. If your camera has Wifi, this is a winner as it will help with sending your pictures directly to your phone. If you are not sure if yours has Wifi, Google that shit!
Editing That Echoes Your Brand Voice
How you edit your photos will determine the whole look and feel of your feed. There are so many editing apps that I would recommend for both iPhone and Android. The fist step is to pick one of these babies.
The second step is to decide on a constant preset / filter for your feed. You want everything to look the same so that your feed has a personality of sorts. A great idea is to look at some Instagram Themes on Pinterest. These help to give you an idea on which filters to use and at what degree to tweak them. My personal favourite filter within VSCO is M5 and J5. Ypu may have to use your eye to tweak the lighting depending on the original state of your photohraph but feel this out.
Organising Your Feed
Once you have some rad content, it’s important to make sure there is a spacial “flow” on your feed. Everyone’s eye is different and there is no right way to do this, you have to feel it out. I like to use Preview App or Later to organise, store hashtags and schedule posts. They are both super easy to use and will have you organised and sleek AF in no time. If you are not certain of what to post where, Pinterest has you covered again. Try searching for Instagram Layouts and see what you come up with. Preview also has some great ideas!
Another Great Story Tool
Once you have your beautiful photographs, share share SHARE! The app I love for creating beautiful Instagram story templates is Unfold. If you want some gorgeous templates for your gorgeous photographs, it’s a must.
And so! This is how I do things on the gram. It’s not the only way nor is it the best but it’s how I do my thing. Give it a try and if you have some helpful tips to add, please do drop a comment below!
