Oakland, CA — Social media has quickly become one of the best ways to develop a following, especially as an artist. As you start building a brand for yourself, you'll find that it’s important to have a clear visual aesthetic. This will help you develop and sustain a consistent following on your social media platforms, and who knows, you might even get picked up by a major company off the strength of your personal brand. In this "How To," I have outlined a few key things to focus on when building your social media aesthetic.
Step 1: Figure Out What Your Aesthetic Is
What do you always find yourself naturally doing and gravitating towards in your pictures? Maybe you pose with hand signs? Use disposable camera pics? Like capturing beautiful scenery? Figure out what style of photos feel most authentic to your brand and explore that.
Remember quality images receive the most recognition. The higher the quality of the image the more likely that you’ll get engagement. Take time to make your images look as high quality as possible.
Ask yourself: What do you want to implement on your page? Start small but dream big!
Maybe you want to take all your pictures with full designer outfits? Maybe you love bright colors like neon, pastels, etc. Find something that’s not hard for you to implement consistently like sneaker flicks, graffiti, beat snippets, etc.
Step 2: Find Out Who Your Audience Is and Who You’re Catering Your Content To
Remember, clear aesthetics help gain followers and the more eyes on you and your brand, the better! Think about the following:
- Who do you want to follow you?
- What type of following are you looking for? Streetwear enthusiasts? Music creatives?
Establishing who your target audience is will give you great ideas on what to post.
Step 3: Create A Mood Board
Create a visual mood board before you post to get some ideas and inspiration to guide your content creation.
Pick a color scheme!
- Almost every established brand has a clear color scheme! These will be the colors you’ll try to implement on your page to keep a consistent look.
- Use coolors.co to create palettes. This site provides an easy way to create color schemes.
- Here’s an example:
Also, remember this doesn’t have to be your permanent aesthetic, you can always change it over time.
Step 4: Make A Plan & Execute
To build up suspense before debuting your new content, you can archive all your older posts on Instagram, as well as change your profile picture to a high-quality image of yourself. This creates that “I wonder what they’re about to do” effect.
Being/staying organized is always a plus! Here are some tips to help you out:
- Create your content ahead of time, i.e. take your pictures a couple of weeks in advance, so you’re not flustered trying to create content and posting it within a short time frame. This way you have some leeway in case something comes up.
- Create a timeline to help you remember when you want to post, or when you want to have your content finished by. A timeline is like a calendar for your content. For example, if you get the most interaction on Wednesdays, you would schedule to post every Wednesday. You can create a simple timeline in your notes or phone calendar to stay on top of things. Make sure to make clear WHAT you’re posting and WHEN you’re posting.