As you dive into the world of social media marketing, you’ll hear the term “Instagram aesthetic” tossed around a lot. On that photo-focused platform, it’s important to create a cohesive, on-brand display of posts that will engage your fans. This can be challenging enough on its own, but you should also try to match your social media aesthetic to that of your blog.
The importance of consistent branding
Why does it matter if your Instagram and website have similar appearances? It’s all about consistent branding, which has been proven to positively impact business performance, presenting a brand consistently across all platforms can increase revenue by up to 23 percent, according to DesignRush.
Studies have shown that color increases brand recognition by up to 80 percent, according to DesignRush. For instance, most people are familiar with Tiffany and Co’s signature blue and automatically associate it with the brand.
How to create an on-brand Instagram aesthetic
There are several key factors to consider when creating your Instagram aesthetic, and if you already have an existing blog, you’ll want to carry the same themes over to your social media page.
1. Consistent colors
As mentioned above, color plays a key role in branding. It’s often beneficial to create a brand color palette (this guide from 99designs can help with that) and use the colors in your logo, website, and marketing materials.
Your Instagram posts need to incorporate these colors, too. Tiffany and Co. does this well. It uses its signature robin’s-egg blue in every post, even if it’s just a subtle pop in the shadow of a product.
2. Take advantage of filters
Have you ever wondered how Instagram influencers get their photos to look so cohesive? A lot of it has to do with photo editing — adjusting contrast, saturation, light, and other aspects of a photograph. If you’re interested in how this works, Instagrammer Destination Chaser has a separate account called Andi Presets where she explains how she edits her most iconic photos.
However, if you’re not particularly savvy with manipulating images, premade filters can help you achieve a consistent aesthetic across both Instagram and your blog. Instagram has some of its own filters — Clarendon and Juno are the two most popular, according to Iconosquare — but photo editing apps like VSCO and Afterlight offer larger collections of filters, including both free and paid options.
3. Photography style
While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think of branding, a consistent style of photography is another way to link your social media and website. There are many different types of photography, and it’s best to stick with one or two rather than jump around.
For instance, lifestyle company A Beautiful Mess uses close-up shots of food on its Instagram along with images of neutral home decor. If you go to their website, you’ll see photos styled in the same way. Since that style is their brand, it would seem out of place if they suddenly posted photojournalism-style images.
4. Captions
Your Instagram strategy likely focuses mainly on photos, but you’ll want to ensure your captions match the tone and message of your blog as well. Consistent wording and syntax will help link the two platforms and further solidify your brand.
Instagram aesthetic and brand
Planning your Instagram aesthetic can be easy if you try a few of these tips. When you create guidelines for your Instagram, you’ll be able to craft a more cohesive page that naturally links back to your blog or website, helping to establish your brand.
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