{"id":382,"date":"2025-08-29T01:52:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-29T01:52:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/?p=382"},"modified":"2025-10-27T22:37:29","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T22:37:29","slug":"7-steps-to-creating-a-stunning-visual-voice-on-instagram","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/7-steps-to-creating-a-stunning-visual-voice-on-instagram\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Steps To Creating A Stunning Visual Voice On Instagram"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As a social media keynote speaker I do a lot of public speaking on social media, and one of the most common messages that I give is that every company needs a visual voice<\/strong>. This is especially true on purely visual social networks such as Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We understand what voice means. When your mom calls you on the phone, you pick up and hear her voice, and you know who it is. And that\u2019s what businesses should aspire to do with the visual content<\/strong> they share on social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Customers should begin to build a relationship with your visuals<\/strong> and become familiar with the look and feel of your content. So when they see your posts, they don\u2019t think \u201cHey, what is this doing in my feed?!\u201d Instead, they say, \u201cThis feels familiar to me! This is coming from someone I know and trust.\u201d In doing so, you will undoubtedly build a stronger community and create Instagram posts that get more likes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That sounds fantastic, but how in the world do you actually do it? How do you as a business owner or a marketing director, begin to craft the visual voice of your business? Here are 7 ways to get started:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Represent your brand in creative ways<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you run a brick-and-mortar business, figuring out what visuals will represent your business probably won\u2019t be an issue. You have plenty of things right in front of you: the products sitting on your shelves, the smiling faces behind the cash register, or your store itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When starting your website, make sure represents your niche well. You can easily generate domain name ide<\/a>as to make a better and more creative choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Likewise, even if you don\u2019t run a brick-and-mortar store but you sell a physical product online, you have a lot to work with. Think about pictures of your goods ready to get shipped out or happy employees packaging products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge comes when you don\u2019t have visuals conveniently placed in front of you. What if you offer a service? What if you sell digital products? What if there is no physical representation of your business?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actually, once you get creative, it can be really easy. Remember, the goal is to simply express the essence of your brand in a visual way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So ask yourself, \u201cWhat is my brand?\u201d What are the thoughts and feelings you want customers to associate with your business? When someone hears your name, what ideas do you want to pop into their head? Answer these questions, and it will make it much easier to craft your visual voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you want your brand to convey happiness and joy? Take pictures of employees having fun at work, or children playing at a company picnic. This is just an example of how you can convey the essence of your business in creative ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Don\u2019t post blatant ads<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you have been using social media for your business for a while, you probably remember the time when Facebook\u2019s EdgeRank strongly favored displaying images in the newsfeed. Readers of Maximize Social Business should already know this, but Facebook Edgerank (whether they call it that now is in question, but the existence of a similar algorithm is not) is an algorithm that Facebook uses to decide how valuable a piece of content is, and therefore what it should show you in your news feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The algorithm takes into account thousands of factors such as likes, comments, and shares. The idea, in its simplest is that if other people are engaging with a post, it means they like it, and chances are you would like it too. On the other hand, if a post is getting no engagement, it probably isn\u2019t very valuable, and Facebook wouldn\u2019t bother putting it in your feed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instagram doesn\u2019t have an algorithm like EdgeRank. It simply shows you all of the most recent content from everyone you follow. As a business owner, this is a double-edged sword.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s great because you don\u2019t have to compete for the attention of the audience you\u2019ve already built. Facebook can be frustrating because your posts are often seen by only a few percent of your audience. No such frustrations in Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you take advantage of this and get complacent, it can turn around and bite you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, nobody wants to see blatant ads in their Instagram feed. Even if there are no penalties for doing so, it\u2019s just not a great practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So a good rule of thumb is: \u201cIf you wouldn\u2019t post it on other sites, why would you post it on Instagram?\u201d Stay true to your brand and resist the temptation to blatantly advertise. This is why Facebook won\u2019t show your visual post in an advertisement if it contains more than 20% text. That might be a good rule of thumb as to what might be considered a blatant advertisement by your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Find ways to engage organically<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I heard a great case study sometime ago about a boutique clothing store in Georgia called The Red Dress that I still share when I speak on visual social.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rather than simply take pictures of their clothes hanging on the rack, they did something really smart. They got local college students to actually model the clothes in the pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So when potential customers looked at their Facebook or Pinterest page, they didn\u2019t just see advertisements saying \u201cBuy these clothes!\u201d Instead, they saw images that looked like the same thing they would see their friends post: people their own age smiling, having fun, and hanging out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course the difference was that these particular students looked incredibly fashionable, and the posts made the viewer wish they were more fashionable too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The key here is that the social content looked completely organic. It wasn\u2019t forced or artificial. It looked effortless and discreet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That should be your goal with your Instagram posts as well. Get your point across \u2013 which of course means promoting your business \u2013 but do it in subtle ways that feel natural and consistent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Don\u2019t try to be perfect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s the famous quote, \u201cDon\u2019t let perfect be the enemy of good.\u201d Which means sometimes we can get so fixated on making our work be perfect that we never actually release it, thereby depriving the world of our good work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The same idea is true on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes businesses try to create the perfect Instagram post. They hire someone to manage the account, they choose the most beautiful stock photography or even hire a photographer, they spend hours crafting the perfect \u201cbrand message\u201d\u2026 and what is the result? Posts that feel artificial and impersonal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Think about the pictures that your friends take. How often are they blurry or off-center? Maybe they\u2019re quickly snapped with bad lighting?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it comes to posting on Instagram, you can use this to your advantage. Make sure that what <\/em>you say is valuable, but don\u2019t worry too much about how<\/em> you say it. If your pictures feel less than perfect, that only means they\u2019ll fit in and feel authentic. This will help potential customers feel like your company is real and relatable, rather than some giant impersonal corporation, because you\u2019re speaking the same language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly enough, new businesses are emerging to help businesses create images that will perform well on Instagram. Click that link to read about a company doing just that and my take on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Resist the low-hanging fruit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

I admit, this is kind of a pet peeve of mine: the quote image<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you follow more than 50 people on Instagram, I\u2019m going to go out on a limb and guess that your feed is inundated with quote images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Do you know why companies use quote images? It\u2019s simple. They\u2019re super easy to make and people like them! They work\u2026until they don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens when your quote images get lost in the feed, completely indistinguishable from every other business that posts quote images? Maybe people like your quotes, but they blend in with everyone else, and they don\u2019t actually help you establish a relationship with potential customers. They do nothing to reinforce your brand. They are a mere transient and fleeting image, much like those images that everyone used to post on Facebook as a tactical way of improving their Edgerank. There is no tactical advantage of doing so on Instagram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I suggest is taking a step back and starting at the beginning. Ask yourself, \u201cWhat are we trying to say?\u201d And then ask yourself if there is a better way to say it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are you trying to make your followers feel inspired? Maybe you can take a great picture with your phone, and then put the quote in the description. Or maybe you can even get quotes from your own employees that truly represent your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The point is don\u2019t use quote images as an automatic fallback. Put in a little extra thought and effort to differentiate your brand if you intend on using them as part of your visual voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Know why you\u2019re using Instagram<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Right now many people feel like there is an \u201cInstagram boom.\u201d Businesses are flocking to the platform. But before you get swept up in the stampede, ask yourself, \u201cAre my customers even on Instagram?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The whole goal of social media marketing is to go where your target market is spending time. So it\u2019s absolutely critical that you know your demographic and know that they\u2019re on Instagram. If not \u2013 that\u2019s totally fine. Double down on Facebook or Pinterest or Twitter or wherever they are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if your customers are on Instagram, make sure your actions are congruent with your desired outcomes. For example, are you trying to generate leads? Then you\u2019re probably going to want to put a link to a landing page in the bio, and in the descriptions of your pictures, write \u201cclick the link in the bio for more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe you just want to increase brand awareness. Maybe you just want to have fun meeting and interacting with potential customers. This will give you the freedom to not be so \u201csalesy\u201d and just enjoy the interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No matter what Instagram benefits for business you aspire to achieve, don\u2019t do anything on Instagram because someone said you have to. Make sure you\u2019re doing everything for a reason and that it\u2019s consistent with your business\u2019s goals \u2013 otherwise, you\u2019re simply wasting your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Use a flexible frequency schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Many businesses get caught up in social media \u201crules.\u201d They think you have to post a certain number of times per day to achieve maximum success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my opinion, if you don\u2019t have anything valuable to say, don\u2019t say anything at all!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your business is putting on a big event and you have lots of exciting things to photograph and share, by all means, post it! But if it\u2019s just a mundane week at the office and there\u2019s nothing to share, don\u2019t feel obligated to fabricate something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember, that doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t engage with other people\u2019s posts all the time. In fact, that\u2019s a great way to meet people who could become partners or collaborators, or customers. But don\u2019t dilute your company\u2019s visual voice because an infographic said you MUST post twice a day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 3 most important things to remember<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everything I\u2019ve said so far \u2013 and actually anything you hear anyone else say about Instagram \u2013 is not set in stone. Social media is always evolving, and therefore, best practices for businesses to stand out on social media are constantly evolving too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just keep these three things in mind: experiment, provide value, and measure your activities. If you can have fun as well while doing so, even better!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can succeed in doing those things, everything else will work itself out and you will also organically grow your Instagram followers. Don\u2019t go for the jugular and try to make the hard sale all the time. Engage with potential customers and let the essence and personality of your business shine through in your visual voice. Try new things, help people, and enjoy yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019d like to hear more on this topic, listen to my podcast episode below, where I dive even further into detail (feel free to subscribe to all episodes in your favorite player using the links below the player).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a social media keynote speaker I do a lot of public speaking on social media, and one of the most common messages that I give is that every company needs a visual voice. This is especially true on purely visual social networks such as Instagram. We understand what voice means. When your mom calls […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":383,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":384,"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382\/revisions\/384"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/smartphotostock.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}