Social media has grown to become one of the primary ways for eCommerce brands to communicate with their audiences. With over 4.62 billion users worldwide, tantamount to more than half of the globe’s total population, business owners and marketers value social media for enabling them to keep consumers actively engaged from anywhere in the world. According to Statista, as of January 2022 – Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger constitute the top five social media platforms worldwide with the most active users, with TikTok falling behind at the sixth spot.

Apart from producing content that is meant to catch the attention of potential customers as well as keep loyal shoppers interested, a lot of brands offer direct-selling through their social media pages. Social media has undeniably left a massive impact on the field of business. eCommerce brands continue to seek out ways to maximize their use of social media to reach a wider audience and boost sales.

Despite being the fourth most popular social media platform in the world, Instagram is no less of a juggernaut than Facebook or YouTube with one billion active monthly users and 500 million daily stories posted – making it the second most accessed social media platform next to Facebook.

Given these numbers, brands consider eCommerce Instagram marketing an essential strategy in driving sales. In the U.S., 71% of businesses are using Instagram to build and maintain brand awareness.

If you’ve been spending time on any social media platform lately, you’ve probably come across phrases like “It’s so aesthetic” or “My aesthetic is cottagecore”. Aesthetics is defined as a branch of philosophy that focuses on the nature of beauty and tastes. In recent years, social media savvy individuals have been using aesthetics to describe a particular vibe or mood that they resonate with or that they feel represented by. So if someone tells you that their aesthetic is cottagecore, that probably means they identify themselves with the atmosphere of romanticized country life.

The popularity of aesthetics is evident in almost every social media platform, with users opting to apply themes and filters that give their posts a common thread that is both memorable and pleasing to the eyes. Marketers have taken notice of this growing trend and most brands have started investing in their social media pages’ aesthetics.

Instagram is practically the most well-known place when it comes to aesthetically pleasing posts – with users maintaining well-curated and styled accounts. People are actually taking the time to plan their posts and edit their photos in a consistent manner just so they can have aesthetically pleasing Instagram feeds – and eCommerce businesses are taking their cues from these individuals to showcase their brand’s identity and advocacies.

Remember, your eCommerce brand’s Instagram aesthetic is key to attracting the attention of consumers. If you are able to use aesthetics to your advantage, you may just end up converting your followers to customers. To build your brand’s Instagram aesthetic, here are some of the elements you need to focus on – as well as some tips on how to keep your audiences hooked:

There are a ton of Instagram aesthetic ideas floating around online that you can look up for inspiration. However, you must find a way to stay true to your brand’s identity. Before you start picking out a color palette or filters for your images, consider what your brand’s goals are and what message you want to share with your followers. Your brand identity can also be a means for you to express your business’ core values.

The theme of your Instagram aesthetic should be able to reflect your brand’s personality. For this particular element, it would be best to have a good understanding of your audience. If your products or services are aimed at a particular age group, perhaps try going for a theme that’s relevant to their experiences and interests. Other eCommerce brands like to use a theme that goes well with the products or services they offer. If your brand specializes in organic products, you can opt for a more rustic theme for your Instagram aesthetic.

Colors play an indispensable role in defining your brand’s personality. Your choice of colors can dictate how your customers will perceive your intentions and ethics. Apart from being an indication of your identity, color is the first thing your consumers will notice when they come across your Instagram feed and it will likely leave the biggest impression on them. In fact, 85% of customers consider color a primary factor in inspiring them to engage with a brand or make a purchase while 80% say that color increases brand recognition. Choose colors that speak to your brand and your advocacies, but be careful not to pair colors that aren’t so easy on the eyes.

If you wish to spice up your store’s Instagram feed, it’s extra helpful to look at it from both the tree view as well as the forest view. The layout of your posts will be one of the first things your viewers will see and it could affect how they interact with your brand. Consider alternating your Instagram posts according to color, content, or post type to create an eye-catching and interesting pattern. It’s no longer fashionable to just post random photos that aren’t cohesive from a broad perspective.

Zooming into the tree view of your Instagram feed, you may want to invest time and effort into the quality of the content you intend to post. You can use images and videos to tell stories that will captivate your followers and encourage them to try out the products and services your brand offers. Choose filters, fonts, and editing styles that represent your brand as authentically as possible. Creating aesthetic pictures for Instagram requires creativity and photo editing skills. Luckily, Instagram has a built-in photo editor and tools that you can use to elevate your images and videos easily or if you prefer, you can go for third-party apps like Photoshop and VSCO. For videos, you can try out Adobe Premiere or VSDC.

Before you even get ahead with the aforementioned elements, the first step you need to take is to plan out your Instagram content marketing strategy down to the smallest details. You can create a posts calendar to help you keep track of what types of content you should post at a particular date to help you maximize your Instagram feed’s layout. This step requires you to consider the demographic your wish to attract as well as how you can turn them into loyal customers.

At some point, you may have heard of the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words”. However, if you’re an eCommerce business that aspires to keep growing, a thousand words may not be enough to fascinate new and loyal customers. This is why it is equally important to put time and effort into your Instagram captions. You can use captions to provide more information on what products or services you offer that your customers might find useful in their decision-making. Try to be creative in writing your captions as well – this can help you create a lasting impression and convey the authenticity of your brand’s voice. Captions that incite curiosity can help keep your customers coming back – a good mix of wit and knowledge should be incorporated. After all, your captions must be able to answer any of your customers’ questions as well as increase their fascination with your brand.

This is the most vital quality your brand needs to work on if you wish to create and maintain an Instagram aesthetic for your eCommerce brand. Consistent posts can do wonders for your Instagram feed both from a distance and up close. Not only that, it can be a manifestation of your company’s credibility.

Forming an Instagram aesthetic for your eCommerce business can be both challenging and fun. You get to utilize every ounce of creativity you’ve got but you also need to know how to be clever with what you upload in order for you to increase your followers and turn them into shoppers. Including Instagram in your eCommerce marketing strategy may just prove to be an influential factor in securing customer loyalty, increasing customer lifetime value, and boosting overall sales.