Instagram is more than just a social media platform; it’s a visual playground, a digital window display, and a crucial marketing tool. Central to maximizing its potential is developing an alluring Instagram aesthetic—a cohesive look and feel that locks in followers and keeps them engaged.
Whether you’re a budding influencer, a seasoned marketer, or a small business owner, creating an appealing aesthetic is a pivotal growth marketing tactic. This blog post will guide you through the key steps to building your distinctive Instagram aesthetic.
The Importance of an Instagram Aesthetic
A compelling Instagram aesthetic strengthens your brand identity, sets you apart from competitors, and makes your feed more memorable. Users are more likely to follow an account with a uniquely defined and pleasing aesthetic. Consequently, it ensures repeat engagement by building familiar and predictable patterns that followers can recognize and interact with. Your Instagram aesthetic is really the visual representation of your brand ethos.
Find Your Unique Style
Discovering your distinctive style is the initial and most crucial step. Reflect on your brand personality and values. If you’re a fashion brand running on minimalism, a monochromatic or neutral color scheme might suit your feed. If you’re a travel blogger, vibrant landscapes and vast topographies might reflect your adventurous brand best. It isn’t just about being attractive; it’s about ensuring your aesthetic aligns with your brand.
Choose a Color Palette
Consistency in color usage initiates recognition and reaffirms brand identity. Limiting your color palette does not mean restricting creativity. Quite the contrary—it encourages innovation within boundaries and ultimately leads to a cohesive look. Your palette can reflect your brand colors or preferences, which resonate with your brand vision.
Focus on Composition
Good composition is the backbone of attractive visuals. Regardless of your aesthetic, visual hierarchy, symmetry, rule of thirds, and maintaining balance can elevate your content quality. Simultaneously, it’s essential to maintain diversity within this consistency to keep your feed dynamic and engaging.
Utilize Natural Light
Emphasizing natural light can significantly influence the quality of your images. It brings out the vibrancy of colors, accentuates details, and adds a level of professional very hard to achieve with artificial light. However, if you need to shoot in artificial light, make sure it aligns with your established aesthetic.
Filters and Edit Consistently
Instagram filters can add an extra layer of fascination and uniformity to your posts. Applying the same filter to your images can tie different posts together, making your feed appear more harmonious. Using consistent editing techniques, such as the same level of brightness or contrast, can also help bring uniformity.
Plan Your Feed Layout
How your posts appear in your grid layout is just as important as the individual posts. There are various grid layouts, like the checkerboard (alternating between two post types), line (posts in a particular type of content in a consecutive line), or rainbow (transitioning from one color scheme to another). Choose a layout that suits your style and enhances your aesthetic.
Quality Over Quantity
Creating a beautiful Instagram aesthetic isn’t about posting as much content as possible—it’s about posting the right content. Ensure each photo aligns with your overall style, color story, and brand voice. If an image doesn’t fit the aesthetic, it may be more damaging to your brand to post it than not to post at all. It is paramount to prioritize quality and adhere to your set aesthetic rules.
Consistency is Key
Lastly, but most importantly, be consistent. Consistency builds recognition and triggers a sense of familiarity and comfort with your audience—traits successful brands strive to build. It applies to your posting frequency, as irregular posting can negatively impact your reach and follower growth.
Successful Instagram Aesthetic Examples
Airbnb utilizes user-generated content, emphasizing natural tones and real-life experience reflecting their brand ethos of exploring the world through local hosts. Their feed takes followers on a journey around the world, one square at a time.
National Geographic, on the other hand, employs an eclectic aesthetic. They constantly shift color schemes and subjects but maintain consistency in tone, quality, and storytelling, reflecting their brand essence of exploration and discovery.
To Conclude
A well-curated Instagram aesthetic can dramatically transform your brand’s success on the platform. It sets a visual tone for your brand, influences user perception, and encourages engagement. Constructing a captivating and consistent aesthetic enables the development of a strong brand persona that resonates with your target audience and fosters an enthusiastic community around your brand. It might require some time investment and meticulous planning, but the payoff in brand growth and audience engagement will be well worth it.
