Instagram is a platform of possibilities. It may turn you into a celebrity and your brand into a bestseller. But to achieve it you have to learn some technical options of Instagram created especially for that. Posting pretty photos isn’t even a small part of what Instagram is capable of now. Get to grips with the newest editing and promoting tools and make your Instagram account look absolutely unique!
Filters
The simplest Instagram tool is the set of filters available for each photo you post there. You may use preset ones or adjust them manually to give your photos a special vibe, unique and distinctive. You may use a certain color palette, vintage look, blurry or sharp style and so on. Manual filters actually work better, because they allow you to stand out between those who use the preset ones. Using these filters may become your signature style, and people who see your photos in the feed will instantly understand that it is The Brand.
Filters also help you to keep your feed uniform. Even when you can’t keep the same photo style, angle, light and so on for whatever reason, the filter may make your feed more even and therefore more professional-looking. If a single filter doesn’t fit everything in your feed, you may develop a set for different purposes: one for portraits, one for landscapes, one for products and macro shots. It will give a feeling of categorizing your photos while keeping the overall style distinct and clear.
Third-party apps
Instagram editing tools are great, but sometimes you need something more. Try polishing your shots in some external editors until posting them onto Instagram (and, possibly, still applying some internal Instagram filters, too). Apps such as Facetune allow you to create stunning portraits, stressing the traits you want to show and hiding those you don’t want to grab attention. The majority of Instagram photos are heavily edited, so don’t be shy about it!
Also, a great way to bring users to your Instagram is to promote your profile via services like Jarvee (there’s is a wide variety of such companies). As we all know, the first thousand of followers is the hardest, so this could help.
Such apps as VSCO have a much wider range of filters than the Instagram native editor and function like Photoshop for your pocket devices. You may instantly turn any backstage photo into a masterpiece and post it right when you take it. There are lots of other extremely handy apps: SKRWT, TouchRetouch and so on. Try them all and find the right one for you!
Hashtags
Hashtags are the main thing that gives exposure to your content. Some agencies earn money predicting the trendy hashtags for the next week because it is really essential to bring your message to the widest range of people.
Learn the principles of using hashtags. Do you have to write them #thisway or #that_way? Do some generic ones like #love and #peace help you to reach the broader audience, or should you be more specific? How can you adjust your posts to make them relate to the most popular hashtags of the day? How much is too much, and how many hashtags are just enough to cover all your target audience? These things are essential for the organic promotion of your posts, and organic traffic is the most precious thing on Instagram.
Stories
Lots of people don’t see content that disappears after 24 hours as valuable. But stories are the vital part of the Instagram life. They have a separate place both in the hearts of the users and in the Instagram interface. Use more raw and less glossy photos in your Stories to give your brand a bit of human and adorable imperfection. Post at least one story a day, show the other side of your business and your personality, unedited, sincere, and funny.
Stories are also a great way to show a teaser of something, make a backstage shot or a snippet of your daily life. It gives a realistic feeling and is a completely separate Instagram sub-genre that has its own fans and audience.
There are plenty of different technical achievements that allow you to create a perfect Instagram profile that will be truly unique. Use them while keeping in mind the main ingredient of the magic potion: your sincerity and your story. It is you who make your Instagram profile unique; all the apps, filters, gadgets and tools merely help you to do that.