If you are on Instagram, chances are you have seen accounts, both personal and business, that seem to have mastery of the power of a photograph to communicate to their followers. After all, nothing speaks so many words as a photograph does – they serve as emotional machines of time, reminding you of the past that you had a chance to experience, while giving you inspiration to go out on future adventures. It is not just the photograph on its own that inspires this reaction; rather it is the associations and memories that come with it.

No platform on social media takes advantage of the photograph as a means of communication than Instagram. You will notice that the most popular accounts on the site have certain things in common, particularly one: they all understand fully that images are essential on the platform, and they use them to communicate effectively with their followers.

However, a beautiful picture is not enough – the best brands and individuals utilize the platform to share pictures that not only remind them of their experiences, but also encourage genuine connections among their followers.

How is this goal achieved then? How do you maximize the impact of your photos on the site and increase your following?

We all love stories. Regardless of the platform, you can take advantage of it to tell people your story. However, Instagram is unlike most social media platforms, as it acts as the best tool to create an emotional tone with your brand. All without saying many words.

Well, how do you do this? Use your photos to tell a story of your brand. Instead of simply posting about products you offer, share images that provoke an emotional response in your follower. Use them to share your ideals, dreams and visions that are related to your brand.

Keep in mind that aesthetic beauty is what everyone, even personal accounts, aim for – so this will not help you stand out anyway. It is very easy to make and post stunning images, but you need something greater than that to make an impact on the site. This is where using your images to tell a story sets you apart, because it makes your followers feel like they are a part of your adventure.

Making sure you meet both these goals is a learning process, and it will take some time before you know what to do. However, as long as you pay attention to the details, you will always create a loyal following that is scrolling to get the next image from you.

Make sure that the platform fits seamlessly into your branding and business strategy. This will make your account remind any visitor that it belongs to a business, and it will reinforce the brand identity to them. It is good to let the unique personality of both you and the business to shine through. That means do not try to attempt to copy others, because it will be evident, and the results can be damaging to your brand.

Another tip from Gramista is ensuring the colors of your Instagram profile match the mood and palette of your business – if your business uses muted colors, the profile on Instagram should follow that. This reinforces the identity and uniqueness of your brand and makes it more recognizable.

Because pictures tend to stick in the minds of the audience (even more than words), ensure your images are great and unforgettable. Avoid posting pictures of low quality, unless that is what you are going for from the start – nobody will bother to follow your brand.

Taking visually pleasing photographs is difficult enough, it gets even more challenging when you are attempting to make them feel like part of one puzzle. The good news is that you can achieve it.

One of the best ways to achieve this effect is through using filters. These can help create a feeling of whether you want your brand to look serious, dreamy, romantic, artistic or funky. Your audience will associate this feeling with your brand and form emotional connections to it.

As with all things, consistency is key to building an audience. Spend some time looking through the filters that the site has, as some will increase the contrast and others make the images look timeless and paler in hue and saturation. If these filters do not satisfy you, there is the option of looking through other filters and making the image more unique and sophisticated, all at a small fee.

There are few things as important as maintaining your individual voice. The voice you use on the platform must be the same as everywhere else, such that someone recognizes you even on another platform. Captions must be authentic to your brand identity, so the most important part is considering the length of captions.

 

General rule is that less is more. Instagram is not like other sites where you can talk words and paragraphs of text the whole time; people are on it to enjoy beautiful pictures. Keeping this in mind, it is also important to ensure that the captions you use add value to the picture itself.

These showcase a perfect opportunity to show your human side. For instance, you can add a joke in there, or say what you love about that image. Use captions as cues that help your follower understand what is happening.

Nothing gets your brand out there than utilizing hashtags, especially to people who do not follow you or your business. However, like captions, less is more.

Avoid putting more than three hashtags in your caption, though you can add some more within the comment section of the photo. This helps do make your images discoverable, and jeeps the descriptions short.

Instagram is among the best social media sites for picture lovers out there. There are a multitude of them on the platform, and can represent a large customer base when you use it well. Just avoid spamming other users with irrelevant keywords that have nothing to do with the image itself.

Check The Most Popular Instagram Hashtags and How to Use Them