Why the perfect Instagram grid shouldn’t be your priority!

If you visit an Instagram Influencers profile, it’s more often than not that you will see a beautiful, colour coordinated grid. Every image has the same filter, lighting or focal point, and there’s no denying, they look amazing. 

In reality, as disappointing as it is, everyday life isn’t usually full of autumnal tones and perfect lighting. Which is why many influencers now sell lightroom presets, so you too can have the perfect grid!

Brands also spend time on creating the perfect grid. Zara posts their photos in groups of three ensuring each line has its own style and colour pallet. Whilst Waitrose have opted for warm autumnal tones to mirror time of year.

So is it worth it?

Whilst a coordinated grid may look appealing, it doesn’t necessarily do anything in terms of sales. You could consider it almost as a vanity metric, it’s nice to have but it doesn’t mean much if your sales are down for example.

The issue with a highly curated instagram, is that often more time is spent on the look of the post than it is the quality of the post. If you are posting images simply for aesthetic purposes, your posts will be instantly forgettable and will get lost. 

Your social posts should do one (or more) of four things: Inform, entertain or educate or convert. When you come to posting anything on social media, think about what that post is doing for your business. Is it providing new information to your followers on educating them on your product or service? Will it entertain your followers by encouraging conversation and improving your authenticity? Or is it going to drive sales eg. shoppable posts?

If it isn’t, don’t post it. 

It’s that simple. Posting content that has value to your followers will often result in an increase in followers and engagement, which in turn should convert to sales or leads. 

If you have a strong brand visual identity, you can still feature this without having every post perfectly matching up. As you focus on the quality of your content, you will begin to see a natural theme in terms of branding and tone of voice, that your followers will be able to connect with better as it will feel more authentic than a heavily curated and planned grid.

This doesn’t mean you should disregard the look of your posts. Instagram after-all is a very visual channel, so having aesthetically pleasing content is always good, just don’t spend too much time creating the perfect grid!

If you want to find out more about creating amazing Instagram content, or need a little help getting the most from your social channels,  get in touch!