These 5 Things Will Help You Create An Instagram Feed That Is Distinctive

Let’s face it, like it or love it, Instagram is an important marketing tool that you should be taking advantage of. Not only can it help you to increase the reach of your business, but it’s also a social platform where more personal and one-to-one relationships can be built. Think of Instagram as a more friendly, un-staged and more relaxed environment for you to show your potential clients who they could be working with!

But before you dive in and start creating posts and stories, you need to think about pulling together a content plan. I can talk to you about ideas of things to post, but before we even get into that, there are five key content planning elements you need to consider:

1. Set your parameters

Decide how many posts you want to create each week to add to the Instagram feed. Whether it’s four times daily, four times weekly, four times monthly or anything in between, don’t set yourself up to fail! Make a decision and stick to it. This will allow you to plan your content ahead of time so that you can avoid rushing or publishing posts you may not be 100% happy with – but most importantly it will ensure you maintain consistency.

2. Create a list of categories you want to create content for

On most devices, people see the first 9 posts on your grid when they look at your profile. Decide on the categories you want to use and how you want to lay these out for every 9 posts in order to keep a thread going. When someone visits your profile, they should be able to immediately grasp what you do, get a feel of who you are, and also how you can help them. Think – what will your target audience respond to? Include the ‘real’ you; for example, who would we see at home? Post pictures of your pets/hobbies… anything that you’re happy to share publicly. Make it a theme of your work!

3. Be clear on your message – but keep it fun!

If a potential new client is doing their due diligence and scrolling through your Instagram feed, realistically they aren’t going to look through all of your content. Make sure to keep your most recent content fresh and if you are repurposing older content, always update your captions and imagery to avoid appearing too repetitive. Experiment with the content you use within your categories and keep things fun! Be personal, maybe a little bit cheeky and a little bit funny. Stock photos can sometimes appear quite flat, so if you don’t use your own photos make sure that you are choosing something appropriate that links to your brand where possible! Apps and tools like Canva are great for creating images that you can add your branding to and create branded templates.

Check out our handy image cheat sheet to make sure the sizing is correct too!

4. Use all features available to you with your posts.

Instagram is visual, but each image or video is accompanied by features that allow you to be easily found.

• Add a caption. The first 10 words you use should be captivating.
• Make sure to always add a location.
• Use a minimum of 10 hashtags in the main part of your post, after your caption.
• Make sure to tag people where it’s relevant!

5. Repeat the above for stories!

If you’ve set things up correctly, you’ll be able to cross-post your stories to Facebook. Use stickers to drive engagement and stay on top of your interactions. Remember that engagements via stories are received 121 via your direct messages, and nobody likes it when their message or response is left unread!

In Summary…Keep things Organised!

• Make sure each of your posts has a purpose, and your purpose is clear – otherwise it may not have any engagement.
• Make sure you are keeping to the schedule – stick to the parameters that you set yourself so that your clients and prospects can see you’re active. 
• Remember that Instagram is a place where your business can ‘relax’ – make sure your posts reflect this.

Many people come to us for support, having failed to implement the points above, therefore missing their chance of maximising their reach and getting in front of an audience of potential clients. If you’re feeling hot under the collar right now, for your next steps, make sure to watch our webinars, keep reading our blogs and check out our Instagram 5 a day.

Happy Instagram-ing!