They say ‘never judge a book by its cover’, but on Instagram this hardly ever applies: when it comes to social networks first impressions do matter—and how!
In comparison with all other social networks, Instagram centres on pictures: its very raison d’être lies in the opportunity it provides to share experiences and moments of life in real time through the use of photographs of people and places whose significance may be further increased by geo-localization and tagging. Furthermore, one can even add some riveting background music designed as a perfect match for the photograph (or the video) which is being published.
Exactly because using it one can freely express one’s creativeness and interact with one’s target in a friendly, straightforward way, Instagram is becoming ever more popular. Just think how easier it is to share a picture with a click rather than draft a text and publish it, as one has to do on other social networking services.
Instagram profiles—in short
Anything which gets posted on someone’s Instagram ends up in ones’ own personal profile and becomes part of that area, a distinctive space distilling one’s peculiar style and nature. Because of this one must never leave anything to chance—rather, one ought to pay painstaking attention to every detail, so that people visiting that profile may be able to figure out one’s specific way to communicate and appreciate it.
Instagram is a sort of slick world which looks bright and colourful but sometimes turns out to be quite artificial and unreal. Of course, photographs are expected to be technically perfect, but that is far from enough: they should also be in harmony with one another. Visiting a well-thought-out Instagram profile can be a very rewarding experience, as you can appreciate that its beauty does not lie in the features of single shots but rather in the combination of well-matched pictures, working like abstract paintings that turn into showcases where each object is perfectly and carefully placed. Indeed, Instagram is widely exploited by many companies as a virtual environment where they can introduce and sell their products—with a difference: the number of opportunities is only limited by one’s imagination.
Taking care of one’s profile and keeping it regularly updated will attract more fans, more followers, and, when all is said and done, more people likely to take an interest in one’s business. Yet is there any rule of thumb to set up a flawless Instagram profile? Predictably, there is no silver bullet; all depends on matching creative skills and the way you intend to showcase yours business. Nevertheless, as in every kind of creative planning, one has to set oneself a goal and define a strategy to achieve it.
A hater-proof profile
Visual impact is paramount whenever one has to fine tune one’s Instagram profile; when it comes to pictures, the hardest part is to ensure consistency.
Start by choosing a theme hue, or possibly also a palette of hues that go together well, such as pastel colours. In so doing, never lose sight of your actual target. Are you a fashion-conscious influencer? Then opt for neutral colours that will set off your outfit. Are we talking about a brand in the food industry? Colours, colours and then again colours!
In a word, set your creativity free and apply it wisely.
You may find it challenging to shoot pictures with properly matching lighting and colours. Never mind: Instagram offers you a chance to pick a filter and apply it to all your photos, you will thus ensure consistency of content without messing up your profile. Maybe using just one filter looks boring to you. In that case, change to another every ten photos, or alternate several filters. The trick here is harmony.
Of course, sometimes the theme can hardly be changed at all, for example with a fixed theme like ‘plants and flowers’. If this is your case, do try to break up the look of your content with a disruptive image, likely to stir up interest. For instance, have a peculiar, different photo succeed every fourth picture of trees—but make sure that photo it is still in line with what your communication effort is supposed to be focused on. By way of exemplification, you might insert a view of some more or less exotic place where those trees grow. Such a well-managed, captivating Instagram profile will stand out among its peers.
Also, you have to decide whether your profile should be fully characterized by pictures, graphics and text alone; as an alternative, you might prefer to arrange all this on a grid, in columns or rows, possibly with images placed diagonally. The choice of a layoutis equally very important to define how your profile is to be show: for instance you may go for square photographs only, maybe add frames, or opt to align pictures either horizontally or vertically.
Instagram provides an opportunity to unleash your imagination, but remember that while your communication should be easily recognizable I must never be predictable.
Perhaps you are already thinking of a profile on which you might draw, but you are at a loss as to what to do next? Our creative team will help you find the perfect solution to showcase your business on Instagram.