When it comes to appearance, you cannot afford to make mistakes on Instagram! How your feed looks can influence whether a user opts in to follow your account or not. While the atheistic is important, don’t let this overshadow the quality of your content. If you’re using an Instagram business profile to promote your business, you are more than just a pretty page. Follow these Instagram best practices to help elevate your profile and grow the success of your channel.
DO: Use bright, light, photos
Photos proven to do best on Instagram are high quality, light, and bright pictures. You’ve got just seconds to catch the eye of the user as they are scrolling through a feed. Steer clear of dark photos with shadows and make sure your photos are in focus and are of the highest quality possible.
Don’t: Over edit or use unnatural filters
Unfortunately, you can’t rely on a filter to change a poor photo. Use filters to enhance your pictures, not completely alter them. Instead of using pre-set filters that can be harsh and unpleasant to the consumer, use Instagram’s “edit” feature to emphasis the best part of your already great photo.
DO: Feature product sales and promotions
Don’t be afraid to promote your product on Instagram. Your Instagram followers love a good sale and will look towards your account for the latest discount codes or promotions. The key to promoting your company on Instagram is to keep a healthy balance of promotions and other content. Not every post should be about your sale. Keep this in mind and alert your followers of a current deal once or twice a week.
Don’t: Use bold graphics and heavy text to promote
Unlike Facebook and email promotions, graphics do not perform well on Instagram. Odds are, your followers are following your account to see photos of your products, not receive constant advertising. Reserve your graphics and posts with heavy texts for other channels and keep your Instagram posts to photography.
DO: Keep a consistent theme
Instagram is one of the best places to establish your brand and create a consistent theme for your company. We recommend using similar filters and colors in every photo you publish to keep a theme that others will see when they click on your profile. This should be in line with your overall branding and be consistent across your website and other social media platforms.
Don’t: Make every post the same
The unfollow button is not your friend; don’t make your audience use it. If you are posting the same content every day, your audience will get tired of your posts and will stop engaging and even potentially unfollow your account. While you want a consistent theme, you don’t want every photo to be the same. Mix up your content with a variety of photos ranging from flat lays, to product shots, to landscape photos, etc.
Instagram content creation takes practice. After some time, it will come naturally as you learn more about your brand and the type of content that resonates with your audience. While these are best practices, you’ll never know what works for you, and your audience, until you try it out for yourself! For more Instagram and social media tips, check out our daily KWSM blog.
