I believe the old saying is: a picture is worth a thousand words. Well maybe that was true 10 years ago, but in a day and age where social media, videos, and look books have a mind of their own, a picture is no longer just a picture worth a thousand words. A picture is a story, that looks into the past, present and future of its author. We can probably say a picture is worth a million words and some.

With a growing world and need to constantly be connected and sharing, platforms such as Instagram have made it possible to tell stories and connect cultures. Instagram is a platform not just for social influencers and bloggers, but a place where brands and people can go to build connections and expand. Creating that perfect story, however, can be difficult. But if you follow these 5 simple steps whether you are an intermediate blogger, established brand, or an individual who simply wants to be involved, you can create a medium that transcends the here and now…

 

Step 1: Define your aesthetic

You’ve gotten to the point where you know you NEED an Instagram. You think all you need to do is upload a couple pictures, slap on a filter, and caption, right? Wrong! In the world of Instagram, where people are viewing and following hundreds of pictures and accounts per minute, you must stand out. But how do you do this? Rather than giving your Instagram a clearly defined theme such as foodie, fashion, sports, etc., you should clearly define your Instagram aesthetic. What colors, shots, captions, will perfectly tell your cohesive story? Approach this step with color schemes and ideas which best represent you and your brand. When people view your Instagram, they should see a clear and defined story. A rule of thumb, picture your Instagram as a book. Does this chapter make sense? Should I rework this sentence?

 

 

Step 2: Plan your Instagram content, carefully

Every post and caption, is a representation of you and your brand. Before you post, make sure each picture and caption coincides with your mission and vision of your brand, idea, or overarching idea. Creating a cohesive story allows for better readability on the receiving end of things. I am not saying to plan out to a T what pictures you will post and on what day, but have a clear idea of the types of pictures you might post and be sure to connect this to the aesthetic you chose in step 1. Great Instagram-ers who clearly plan out their posts and follow a unique aesthetic are people/ brands like: @nike, @soakiba, and @lebolukewarm.

If you need more help in your planning stage, a great site to visit is http://www.marketinginthedigitalage.com/types-of-instagram-photos-that-drive-engagement/. This gives you a better understanding of how to strategically capture photos or ideas that correlate to your brand.

 

Step 3: Consistent filters

A minute but instrumental pillar in building and sculpting the perfect Instagram is ensuring a cohesive unit, but doing so in a way that still breeds creativity and distinctiveness. While it may seem counter-intuitive, maintaining consistent filters throughout your tenure as an Instagram-er is a sure way to create the succinct platform you are looking for. There are great apps such as VSCO, procamera 8, snapseed, and TouchRetouch that gives an array of filter options, but even within the Instagram app there are numerous filters to choose from. It is important to note; however, that in the quest of having uniformity amongst Instagram pictures, it is also important to maintain the picture resolution and quality of each flick. If at any point you are forsaking the quality of the picture, it is okay to attempt new filters and stray for the “Juno” or “Crema” that you are used to.

 

Step 4: Have Fun!

Lastly, and most importantly…have fun! After all, a picture is only worth a thousand words.  🙂

Aleja Ross, senior Accounting major. She is interested in free lance photography and DJ’ing. You can follow her on Instagram @theblakkunicorn.