Style Your Social Media
Strategically planning your social media presence can be quite the task. You can't post just any photo at any time—your feed needs to tell a story and your timing needs to be impeccable. If you're like I once was, overwhelmed at the thought of adding even more tasks to your weekly to-do lists, you'll want to read through these tips to help put your mind at ease and get your style set for social media.
CONSISTENCY
Success and consistency go hand in hand, this also applies to your social networks. To help with my consistency, I created a theme for each day of the week that I wanted to post on Instagram. Mondays are all about #moodboardmondays, Tuesdays revolve around these wonderful & amazing ;) #bystinafayetiptuesday posts, Wednesdays & Thursdays are for sharing my recent projects, Fridays & Saturdays are reserved for inspirational imagery and quotes, and Sundays are my day off. As you can see from my weekly themes, posting frequently requires intentional thought + action—which brings us to my next tip...
SCHEDULE
I used to try to post on a whim, whipping up whatever I could in order to post right away within the theme of my day. This resulted in a lack of flow, less intent, and a feed that lacked cohesiveness. Once I started scheduling my social media posts ahead of time, my processes became more streamlined and my feed finally started coming together. When I initially decided to start taking my social networks more seriously, I designed and printed out a calendar to help me plan & write out the themes I would be applying each day to my posts. That was a great way to get the ball rolling, but I needed an upgrade. I researched social media scheduling apps and decided on Mosaico. With a one-time, affordable fee, I felt it was worth the investment of my hard-earned $5.99. Since my social networks are minimal and also linked (Instagram - Facebook), this Instagram-focused app was the perfect pick for my needs. The app allows me to schedule my posts, move them around to visualize the order that looks better, write my captions ahead of time for a quick & easy posting process, saves my most-used hashtags, and much more.
ENGAGE
(Hopefully) you're following those that you follow for a reason, if not—find one or remove them to make space for people you truly want to interact with. Use your social networks to connect with peers, potential clients, and people you might just think are interesting. Perhaps even more important to remember—engage with those who take the time to like and comment your photos. A simple 'thank you' or other quick (or long) response goes a long way and adds a genuine touch to your brand. Those who come in contact with your networks will notice and appreciate this.
COLOR STORY
Your brands color palette doesn't stop within your logo or your website. Your social media posts should be cohesive with your brand colors & elements. Not only does this make your feed more pleasing to the eye, it also develops a theme and makes your brand even more recognizable to your followers. Having an editable social media template via Photoshop, Illustrator, or Canva will also help you easily maintain your social media style without having to start over every single time. This is where having a Brand Identity Board & Brand Style Guide truly comes in handy as well to help you have a clearer vision of the colors you should be using!
TIMELINES
A major key to real engagement is being aware of the magic hours that you should be putting out content. A great way to identify this is by switching your Instagram account from personal to business if you haven't already. From there, you'll have access to amazing insights that let you know the times that your followers are most actively engaged as well as the posts that are receiving the most engagement. I utilize these peak times to post content and my engagement has never been better. If you aren't a business or don't want to have a (free) business account with Instagram, you can also utilize websites like Iconosquare for a monthly fee.
HASHTAGS
It's no secret that hashtags can help raise your engagement and organically expose your brand beyond your usual reach. Just be sure to use hashtags meaningfully, where applicable and within your comments vs. your caption.
Here's a list of some of my favorite hashtags to use:
For creatives: #creativepreneur #designisinthedetails #creativeprocess #designlife #creativeprocess #calledtobecreative #livecolorfully #colorcrush
For entrepreneurs/bloggers: #girlboss #womeninbiz #womenentrepreneurs #bossbabe #etsyseller #savvybusinessowner #therisingtidesociety #bloggersofinstagram
For all things pretty: #pursuepretty #thatsdarling #thehappynow #flashesofdelight #glitterguide #nothingisordinary
Try thinking up your own personal hashtags to use on specific posts to push your brand even further!