How To Create Your Own Content

Creating your own content for Instagram is both easier and harder than it seems. Harder because it’s far from being as simple as snapping a photo and uploading it to your feed, and easier because the gadgets and equipment available to the everyday person are as high-tech as they’ve ever been. Tri-pods, mounts, ring lights, clip lights, lens kits, the list goes on and on and on and on and that’s before editing even comes into play. The accessories are out there, trust us. We had to start somewhere, too. In fact, we’re feeling extra nice today: here are a few of our favorite products to help any beginner get started:

1. Link ur fave!! (selfie button)
2. Link ur fave!! (ring light)
3. Link ur fave!! (some type of lens or tripod)

In this blog, we’ll continue to break down a few of the most important concepts that play into successful content creation, and how you can use them to start representing your brand on social media.

Study Your Audience

Before the content comes the audience. Who are you trying to engage? Getting clear on who your brand is gearing its services towards is the first step in creating a campaign that works. If you specialize in fine jewelry, you’re going to want your photos to communicate a sense of luxury, magnificence, and class in order to appeal to the audience that potentially wants to purchase your product. The audience in question, if we had to assume, probably enjoys some level of glamour, likes the finer things in life, appreciates expensive taste; how is this information useful in terms of creating content?

This information gives you direction. It tells you to stage pieces under proper lighting to maximize their shine, it tells you to make sure photos and videos are sharp and clear, it tells you to conceptualize themes for product shoots rooted in glamour. It tells you to work with influencers that mirror the lifestyle that your customers want for themselves.

Remember: your audience won’t tell you word for word what their interests are. It’s on you to develop a solid understanding of your customer base based on their actions and reactions to your products and campaigns.

A Purpose Behind Each Post – Value-Added Content

This may come as a surprise to some of you, but Instagram is a very calculated place. Successful influencers and brands don’t just upload any old picture and hope it’s a hit. Photos are posted to private feeds to make sure they’ll look good side by side, promo codes are rolled out on specific days at strategic times, certain colors and aesthetics are used depending on the product being shot or advertised.

This thoughtfulness makes a difference and it brings us to our next point: your content should always be value-added, meaning the imagery or the information you’re presenting cannot be found anywhere else. Your content is special, and adds value to the viewer’s life in some way, shape, or form. This added value looks different depending on the industry that you’re in, but the goal remains the same: be different and be memorable. Why? Because a study by Monetate found that “…79% of businesses that exceeded revenue goals have a documented personalization strategy.”

If you’re a fashion influencer, adopt a signature look or product that you become known for pulling off. If you’re a beauty guru, upload tutorials: after all, there is only one you! No one will be able to duplicate your face. If you specialize in fitness, think about offering something that reassures potential clients that they’ll get the results they want if they train with you. Maybe this looks like a discount code on your guide, or offering a free meal plan if they sign up with you.

High-Quality Content

It’s almost 2021 and there is no excuse for low-quality content. Anything that is being uploaded to your feed should not be pixelated, poorly edited, or come off as unprofessional in any way. Even if you’re using an iPhone camera, there are so many apps and gadgets you can invest in to further enhance the quality of your phone photography! Scroll back up to the top of the page, we even gave you our top three picks at the beginning of this blog. If you do end up investing, let us know which products worked for you.

We’re eager about getting your branding just right because we understand how important it is to have your story communicated the right way. We know how much effort we put into our own branding, the significance behind it, and how well it has worked to our benefit. We know what you want, too: you want customers to know what to expect when it comes to your company, you want customers to understand the passion behind your work, and you want customers to believe in the consistency and the quality of your product. It’s incredible when you think about it; that a small, simple graphic can encompass so much and create such an impression. But it certainly can, and if you’re willing to reach out, we’re happy to help you transform your story into a powerhouse brand.

If you’re new to the content creation game, and you do your own work on your platform, YouTube is going to be your best friend. There are so many tutorials on how to pose, how to place products, how to use editing software, how to give your feed a uniform look, how to do basically anything involving photography and videography.

We’ll leave you with one last pro-tip: content follow-up should play a very important role in the future of your content creation. Once you’ve taken a few of your photos to social media, make sure to check up on how they’re doing from an analytical standpoint. Which photos are reaching a wider audience? Which photos have higher engagement? What days and times are best for posting? Pay attention and let the statistics guide the direction in which to take your content. Numbers never lie.