Social media branding matters big time for your business––no matter the social platform you use! You want people to be able to recognize your brand across all platforms and have a moment of “wait, I know that brand!”

Instagram is undeniably one of the most important social media platforms around! We’re positive that if your brand is not utilizing Instagram in its marketing strategy, then you’re missing out on big opportunities. But when it comes to marketing on Instagram, which matters most: brand voice or aesthetic?

In this blog, we’re going to dive deep into the ways you can use brand voice and aesthetic to shape your brand on Instagram.

Know Your Audience

As digital content marketers, we understand how important it is to visually connect your brand to your customers. What’s more? Having a solid brand voice for your business is important for establishing yourself as the thought-leader of your industry. You want to be clear about who your customer is because you want to create an Instagram account that will appeal to them.

Naturally, messaging and captions are very important to your audience, but the visual aspects of your Instagram account are what resonate first and foremost. You don’t want to just use any old images on your Instagram feed and hope they resound with your audience. You want to curate a feed that immediately captivates your audience!

So, how can you accomplish this?

1. Build a Color Palette and Stick to It

The first thing you need to decide for your feed isn’t which hashtags to use. Instead, you need to focus on one of the most basic layout choices: your color scheme and color palette. Having a designated color palette is the difference between a jumbled stockpile of pictures and messages and a nicely organized Instagram feed.

When choosing a color palette, try to choose colors that have more of a complementary feel––colors that will yield the most contrast on your feed. Similar lighting conditions can also mean a lot for your brand, too! Photos with brighter whites are more likely to garner more shares and likes, as users tend to gravitate toward these styles more.

2. Follow a Consistent Theme

In the same sense that you want to have a consistent color scheme for your feed, you also want to make sure you choose a consistent theme to follow. Whatever your theme, it’s okay to experiment! Of course, when establishing a brand on Instagram, you need to consider a lot more than just the theme and individual photos––you need to think about how each photo you post relates to your overall Instagram grid as a whole.

Remember, your grid should tell your audience a story.

3. Incorporate General Hashtags for Your Brand

Have you noticed hashtag blocks underneath photos that perform well? The reality is––hashtags are the secret to success! Instagram has very limited search capabilities as a platform, so one of the best ways to get found and have more people see your content is through the use of hashtags.

Want a fool-proof formula to follow for maximum exposure? Read this!

• Pick three to five popular hashtags. Popular hashtags include more than 300,000 to 1 million posts for a specific hashtag.
• Select a handful––three to five-–hashtags that fall within the 80,000 to 300,000 range. In addition, pay attention to hashtags that are super-targeted specifically to your industry.
• Include one or two of your own branded hashtags––niche to your business.

4. Follow Your Brand’s Niche

One of the great things about Instagram is that there is always going to be a spot for niches to thrive. You can use this as an avenue to build a strong brand voice for your company. Things like high-quality images, professionally designed logos, and curated content will be expected of you––bad content simply won’t cut it!

Remember, Consistency Is Key

Whether your Instagram account has 200 followers or 2,000 followers––the consensus is the same! Consistent feeds with striking visuals can enhance your feed in ways that written text and captions can’t. Being consistent across Instagram will help your audience have those “wait, I know that brand!” moments everywhere they go.