Five Steps to a Better Feed

In the digital world, our feeds (or in other words, our individual profiles) serve as our first impressions of one another. It is the first place that we can go to learn about another user and it is the first place other users can go to learn about us. That being said, our feeds are a great tool for building a brand because we have the control to portray ourselves or our product/service however we want, even if it's an illusion. However, people new to the influencer industry often fail to recognize the work that goes into achieving a feed that best represents your brand, not just you. My previous post gave tips on entering the influencer arena, but the following five steps can help you specifically tackle the visual challenges of building your influencer brand:

1. Decide on a Starting Point: As I mentioned in my previous post, you have a decision to either build your brand from scratch (a.k.a. a brand new social media presence) or work off your pre-existing profiles. First off, you will only make this process harder if you are focusing too much on working with old content, a reason why some people are drawn to a blank canvas. On the flip side, working with your original profile(s) typically allows for a stronger initial audience because you get to keep all of your original followers. But, again, if you continue to work on these platforms, you must be aware of any and all past content that you are associated with. This is an entirely personal choice but it is important to consider this thoroughly before moving forward any further, as your decision cannot really be altered. 
2. Initiate a Plan: Once you have either decided to start with an entirely clean slate or gone in and cleaned up your original feeds, you can start planning ahead. Your plan will develop and maybe even change a bit as you follow the next few steps, but for now, you should create what is known as your content cycle. This content pattern will ensure a middle ground between variety and consistency of content. For example, a fashion influencer who primarily uses Instagram would have a cycle that looks something like this: individual shot, product shot, filler image, group shot, personal content, etc. This is just an example, but it shows the most suitable series of content, which you must identify for yourself based on your sub-industry and content, as well as an order that should be followed consistently. All of that being said, remember that cohesive content is the top visual priority, so feel free to make small adjustments to your cycle if necessary. 
3. Choose a Color Palette: Now that we have established the beginning of the planning process, we can move onto the next step. If you chose to work with your pre-existing feed(s), go look at any of your content that is already posted. Is there a pattern with colors? If not, or if you are starting from scratch, think about the style and colors that you often use, wear, see, capture, etc.  This will help you identify the colors in your specific palette. For example, if you are a minimalist, then you should have a primarily white feed. Similarly, if you like more rustic themes and settings, then you should incorporate different shades of brown.
4. Create an Editing Strategy: Your raw content should fall into the color palette that you have chosen, but the real key is in your editing. You should have at least one editing applications where you can adjust lighting and other details to enhance visual quality. Then, you should have only one editing application that you use to adjust colors. You should choose only one colored filter from your options, similar to the presets that Instagram offers you, but you can always change the strength of the effect to fit your specific image. This is one area where content creators either really thrive or tend to struggle, but as you become more familiar with your own process, I promise that it will get easier. Practice makes perfect, especially here.
5. Follow Your Plan: With a definitive starting point, a content cycle specific to you, and an identified visual style, your have successfully started creating a plan for your influencer brand. However, continuing to plan ahead is imperative. Going forward, you will need to stock up on content. Remember, you're creating a brand here, not displaying your most personal self. You are no longer just posting when you feel like it, but rather following things like a specific schedule (i.e. every other day at 5 pm PST) and your specific content cycle. You are not going to produce the highest quality content, or even most relevant content for that matter, unless you give yourself enough time to collect and curate it. Take advantage of applications, such as Planoly, to help you with this. Additionally, pay attention to the responses from your different posts, understand the analytics behind them, and make any necessary adjustments to your plan.

The last step says it all, as sticking to your plan is key! Like anything else, you must not get discouraged. With an influx of people trying to dabble in this new industry, that may been difficult, but it is essential.