Instagram is a major social media channel for individuals and brands. It’s highly competitive, gives you a great platform and is used by people who value really good content. As any social media marketing manager will tell you, your ‘grid’ – the way that Instagram lays out the images you post – is fundamental to the impact you have and the way you manage your brand, whether it’s corporate or personal.
Tell me about the grid
When you first join Instagram, you could be forgiven for thinking that those rows of three images are just the way that the channel organises your posts. And that’s true. But in reality, it’s much more. Unlike other social media service providers, Instagram is image-led. So that means your grid is the first thing that people see when they view your profile, and that in turn means that the immediate impression that your grid makes is really important.
And we’re not even talking about individual images at this stage. Instagram users are taking your grid in as a whole – not as individual images. So it matters that you give some thought to the overall look of your grid, how it differs from your competitors and how it reflects your brand.
Below, we’ve used our social marketing management experience to give you three key ways that you can transform and manage your Instagram grid like a pro.
Commit to a colour combination
Strong grids like consistent colours. If you’ve already got a brand palette, think about how you can use this to subtly brand your Instagram posts. You can do this in a couple of ways:
- Have two or three templates – you can use these for images or for times when you’re just posting a text image. The consistency of the template will give your grid a great look of uniformity and your followers will recognise instantly that the images come from you.
- Use your brand colours as highlights – when you snap an image, think about having some of your brand palette in there.
You don’t have to use your brand colours, of course. You can choose your own palette for Instagram and use that to give your grid some consistency and impact.
Create a chessboard effect
This requires a little more planning than just sticking with a couple of colours – but if you’re serious about growing your Instagram following, then you should already be planning your posts. In fact, a good virtual digital content marketing manager will tell you that you can save yourself a lot of time and hassle by using a scheduling tool when you’re managing your Instagram account – and this is definitely an approach that will help here.
A chessboard approach is where you alternate one type of image with another. The most common is to alternate a picture image with a text image. This creates a really nice clean look to your grid, which is attractive when people first click onto your profile.
It’s easy to do, as long as you remember to follow the same style for both content types.
In particular, if you’re using a text-based image, keep the font and colour consistent, and use a plain background so that the text stands out.
Embrace your border appeal
Borders are a quick and simple way to up your Instagram game. Some influencers use plain white borders to create space between their images and give their grid a slightly more formal look. But you can choose the colours and styles that match your branding and approach, so that you can bring an extra layer of consistency to your approach, and stand out from the competition.
There are lots of ways to exploit your Instagram appeal. Planning and scheduling your posts will help you to present a clear, consistent and brand-led grid, which will in turn be more appealing to your potential following. Whether you are posting yourself, or you use a virtual content marketing management support service, now’s the time to start thinking of your grid as a valuable marketing tool.
Need a social media marketing manager or general support service? If you’re short on time and need help with managing Instagram or any of your social media channels, feel free to call us on 0800 994 9016 or use our contact form in the menu above.