Ah, Instagram. Love it or hate it, it looks like Instagram will remain as one of the world’s most widely-used apps for a long time amongst both businesses and casual users. As one would expect, content is extremely saturated on Instagram and competition amongst businesses – big and small – is extremely steep. So how can you make your Instagram feed more aesthetic?
Instagram might various functions for businesses to play around with. From Instagram Stories, polls, and Instagram ads, there are tons of opportunities for businesses to generate more brand awareness and engage with their audience. But if there is one thing no business can do without, it is none other than the foundation of Instagram marketing – visual appeal.
Humans are visual creatures – especially those on Instagram. Aesthetics make the world of a difference to your business reputation on Instagram (and other channels of course).
Fundamentally, winning big on Instagram depends heavily on having an attractive Instagram Feed. When you have a feed that is pleasant, good-looking and, more importantly, informative, it’s going to be a lot easier to impress prospects and turn them into customers.
So how do you make your Instagram feed more aesthetic?
We have just the guide for you.
7 Simple Steps to Make Your Instagram Feed More Aesthetic
Fact: you don’t actually need to have the artistic abilities of Pablo Picasso to design a sleek Instagram feed. Instead, you just need a plan and some tools to put an amazing design together.
1. Decide on Layout
There’s no right or wrong way to split your Instagram posts, but the way you choose to split the posts will significantly affect your concept and strategy.
To be on the safe side, go with either a set of 3, 9 or 12 posts. Here’s example from our own Instagram (@firstpagedigital):
As far as numbers are concerned, try to be consistent with the number of posts within on set.
2. Create a Branded Visual Identity
Brand logos and consistent colour schemes are probably going to be how your brand gets recognised. If you already have them ready, skip this step. Otherwise, take some time to design a visual identity that is unique to your business. Use these logos and colours throughout your visuals so that there is consistency in branding.
3. Start with a Single Message
Next, you need a theme – and that starts with a single brand message.
It might seem tempting to flood your feed with tons of brand messages in 9 Instagram tiles to reach your target audience. But if you want an Instagram feed that is well-organized, you might want to focus on just one brand message for the time-being.
For instance, if you are an owner of a hair salon, you might want to focus on home hair care ideas over 9 feed posts instead of advertising a full suite of services. Change the message when you create a new set of visuals.
4. …And Branch Out
Sure, you can’t possibly spread out a single branded message across 12 Instagram posts. Bulk up the written content with some context and examples. Elaborate on your ideas but try to be as concise as you can.
Say you are an owner of a skincare company and you want to do a 9-post set of images based on your anti-aging skincare range. The main theme of your posts will be anti-aging skincare, you could branch out into other sub topics like:
- Habits that cause your skin to age prematurely
- When you should start using anti-aging skincare
- How to eat healthily to boost collagen
- DIY face massages to rid your skin of wrinkles
- Your line of products
Distribute these across your feed.
5. Start Designing
This is where the fun begins! Rope in texts, photographs, vector images, and even videos. Spice it up by playing around with different arrangements.
Like your layout, there’s no right or wrong way to design your Instagram feed. What’s important, however, is having consistent branding.
You might need to invest in a few design tools like Photoshop, Canva or Pixlr to make your Instagram feed more aesthetic. Pen and paper just isn’t going to cut it!
6. Pen Captions to Accompany Your Visuals
Remember how we said that you don’t only need design to make your Instagram feed more aesthetic? That’s because you’ll need some copywriting too.
Write captions that give your images some context and add relevant hashtags. While the star of the post should be the image, don’t forget to use the captions to educate your readers.
7. Plan a Schedule
So you have put the finishing touches on the images and you have a full set of captions ready. So should you proceed to upload them all at once?
The answer is a resounding NO.
Sadly, this might get you penalized by Instagram for spam. Instead, publish one post per day.
Avoid Doing These if You want a Killer Feed
Doesn’t seem too difficult now, does it? But there are many ways it could go wrong. Here’s a list of things you should avoid at all costs.
1. Using Stock Images
Let’s be real, using stock images is the lazy way out. Instead, use real images of your team members, products and premises. This helps you generate a more approachable brand images.
2. Selling, Selling and Only Selling
Remember how we talked about support marketing? Here’s a video to refresh your memory:
Save your selling for ads. Focus on adding value when you do organic Instagram feed posts.
3. Being too Reliant on Just Images/Texts
Bombarding your feed with just images or text-in-picture visuals will probably get boring after awhile. Have a good mix of both instead.
Aesthetics Matter – ’nuff Said
Finally, digital marketing today is all about adding value, being supportive and educating your target audience.
Art is subjective. Rather than trying to captivate your audience with jaw-dropping artwork, focus more on how you want them to feel after visiting your Instagram profile. Ask yourself why you want a user to continually return to your page and think about how you align your messages with their interests.
