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Create Your Ideal Instagram Feed

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Create Your Ideal Instagram Feed

One of the fastest growing social platforms for the creative business owner is Instagram! So here are my tips on how to create your ideal instagram feed. Images are just as important as the content you want them to read. 

So wouldn’t it make sense to have an image drive plan to help deliver your content and marketing? I mean, think about it. The images you show off will either attract or deter potential customers. So what does your feed say about you? Let’s start with a few proven suggestions on how you can improve and grow your instagram feed today.

 

The first and most important part to planning your ideal feed is to create posting or visual categories. These are the things you want to focus on posting consistently that will start to create your visual pattern. You can use them as a continual guide to focus your content and choose images that fit the pattern. It will also help your followers start to recognize your images and posts at a glance.

The ideal number of categories would follow the grid pattern. So focusing on 3, 6, 9 or 12 categories is most ideal with the prime focus being around 6 or 9 to create consistency through lighting, coloring and the types of images without too much variety.

Have you seen my Instagram feed? You will see I run different patterns all the time but maintain consistency in the flow of lighting, coloring choices and topics. Some of my visual categories are things like photos of myself, product or stock, branding projects, kids, family and so forth.

Next step, would be to have a good source of images. Through my Instagram Package we create a setup of unique, styled and fun images to help you show off your product. Everyone oohs and ahhs over a cohesive, pretty and styled Instagram feed, am I right?!! So with this package I help you focus on what you want to post and making sure you have images that will marry together perfectly. If you’re not in a position to hire a photographer you can look to resources that provide a good variety of stock images that you can pull from.

Lastly, make sure you have a tool! Planoly is my tool. It is super cost affective and has a great free planning option, too. So no matter the size of your budget you can use Planoly to get your instagram under control. There are so many scheduling platforms but since I am a visual kind of gal I like Planoly’s grid view. This helps me visually align what I am posting, focus on those categories, plan the posts and automate them so content is constantly provided.

With these steps I am confident you will start to better align your feed visually and attract your idea client with the consistency and style you you desire!

So now that you’ve seen one way that the process can go you can move forward feeling more confident about working in what your posting. Are you ready to take your business to the next level? Let’s chat about the many photography options I have made, just for you! 

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About Crystal

 

Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

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Brand Photography – Just 1 Part Of The Big Puzzle

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Brand Photography – Just 1 Part Of The Big Puzzle

Where does photography fit into the branding process? Great question, right? So let’s stop and see how photography fits into the puzzle that is branding your business.

Photography is just a piece of the overall branding puzzle this is why you will meet so many different people who can specialize in many areas that help make up your overall brand for your business. These people can be branding specialists, website designers, graphics designers, brand photographers, the list goes on and on.

 

So let’s start with wrapping our minds around the fact that a brand isn’t an actual thing. You can’t grab it, hold it or use it per say. Having a brand is a combination of your visuals, marketing, values, color or mood, style and so forth.

When you look at your brand to change it, create it or enhance it you may wonder where a Photographer might fit in and when you would need one. Most of the time your branding process will look something like this:

 

  1. First, you need a strong business vision. This for you is probably the first thing you thought of. What you want to do with your business, the kind of impact you’re going to make and how your product will stand out from the others on the market.
  2. Second, you need to develop your brand identity. Your brand identity would be things like your logo, fonts, tagline, shapes, etc. You might work with someone on a mood board to help identify these key things and have them in one nice layout. This layout is valuable because you can share with people like me, the photographer, or your website designer.
  3. Next, you need a good website designer. They’re going to work with you on the client experience and what your site will look like. From this you can also see where images would go, what kind of images might fit best on certain pages and so forth. The website designer will likely will provide you with a mockup site for this part (something you can share with the photographer to help communicate what you need.) While that is going on you can move on to the next step…
  4. The photographer!! You will want to seek out a few people to identify the right photographer to fit your style but this is the fun and important part of the process. You will partner with the brand photographer to create the images – pick a location, style, props, etc. that are going to compliment your brand, your personal style and the design of your website.
  5. Lastly to tie the images and overall design together you may need a graphics designer. Some times your website designer and graphics designer are the same person. If you’re unsure they can help ask! This person will help with the finishing touches on graphics, and placement of your images within your new site, marketing materials, etc.

So now that you’ve seen one way that the process can go you can move forward feeling more confident about working with a brand photographer. If you’re past the branding phase though and still need to figure out if you’re ready to hire a brand photographer, click here, for my tips on how to know when you’re ready to hire a brand photographer.

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About Crystal

 

Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

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How to Know When You’re Ready for a Brand Photographer

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How to Know When You’re Ready for a Brand Photographer

Starting a business is stressful, girl! I totally get it. So how and when do know you’re ready to hire a brand photographer? Great question, right?!

This post is important to all business owners so it was a short but special one for me to do. There are SO many tools and outsourcing options, enhancements, marketing tricks and areas you can invest in to enhance your business. Navigating the waters of business ownership is tough. So of course when you’re looking to invest in your next steps, who would turn away a bit of guidance? Am I right?!

 

Having a Brand Photographer can be a key and beneficial part to brand recognition, effective marketing and selling in the visual world that is our social media platforms. So how can you identify when you’re ready to have a Brand Photographer help you?

You know you’re ready for a brand photographer to support your business when you reach a few different points in your business. Here are a few common points that my clients have personally experienced and you may, too.:

  1. You have identified and defined what your brand is, so now it is time to bring it to life.
  2. You have a set of products or services and need a virtual or physical catalog to show them off.
  3. You are starting to become overwhelmed in making, packing and shipping that your marketing is falling to they wayside.
  4. You are leveling up your business, branding and marketing so it is time to step up your photo game!

When you find yourself reaching one of these phases in your business it is time to hire a photographer to help you. Hiring a professional brand photographer is just like enlisting your marketing agency to manage and help with Ads and content or hiring an assistant to help you  keep up with the workload. Still have questions? Let’s chat! I am always happy to do a FREE 30 minute consult to help you with your photography needs.

Through working together we will be able to help you take your product photography to the next level whether we are starting out with catalog images to enhance your online store, styled flat lay images to increase instagram visibility, staged lifestyle environments or getting in action shots with real life models! I’ve got many options to help serve you and be the photographer your business needs.

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About Crystal

 

Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

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How to Make Your Photos More Evergreen

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The Blog

How to Make Your Photos More Evergreen

There is nothing more frustrating than constantly recreating content. ESPECIALLY when you’re the business owner. On this Vlog I talk about how you can make your images more evergreen!

Having a core set of images that are timeless, capture your brand and help you continue to sell are important to your business. 

It all starts with your props. When you’re looking to create a set of images you can use no matter what time of the year it is you want to focus in on just what exactly are you using in your photos. Are they things that you can find everywhere at any time? If not, chances are those props are dating your photos.  

So stop for a moment and create a list. Now before you doubt the process, try it! When you start this list think of the things you use all the time or can find around your home all year. One of the number one things I go to is any type of greenery! Eucalyptus leaves, cactus or any other green plant can be found almost all year long. How about books and magazines? Using the covers can date your image but flipping them open to certain pages or photos that help your storyline can work out great! Of course magazines and books are awesome layering pieces so details are less likely to stick out.

Don’t forget other things that may appear minor like coffee mugs, coffee beans, fun paperclips and other accessories that compliment your product and brand. Start collecting today and stay tuned for more blogs and tutorials to help you improve your stock and product photography.

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About Crystal

 

Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

[fts_instagram instagram_id=295745005 pics_count=6 type=user width=100% profile_wrap=no super_gallery=yes columns=6 force_columns=yes space_between_photos=0px icon_size=40px hide_date_likes_comments=yes]

How to Create a Visual Story that Sells!

The Blog

The Blog

How to Create a Visual Story that Sells!

Creating a visual story can mean many things to a lot of people but it is simple. It is one of the main causes for why your images fall short and don’t attract the right audience. 

So what does that mean for you? Well that means that you will need to do more work on the back end to make sure the image is both compelling, relatable and provoking to increase your sales and attract your ideal client. So let’s get started!

Photographing your images on your own can take a lot of time but doing it right the first time is rewarding. Focusing in on these key areas, doing your research and selecting the right props will help make sure your images help, instead of hurt, your sales.

First you need to make sure you know your audience! Now this might seem like a hard thing to focus in on but it really isn’t. You can start with thinking about WHO would buy your product. Now if you’re an Etsy shop seller or Amazon product seller you might have a better idea by looking to past purchasers. You can also start with broad characteristics like is your ideal client most likely to be male or female, younger or older, a Mom or Father, etc? See what I mean! You can get more specific on where this person might shop, like Target, Home Depot or Hobby Lobby!

Knowing these key aspects of the person you’re selling to will help you make sure you’re able to select props and backdrops that are on trend and visually appealing.

Now don’t get yourself caught up in all the stuff! You want to make sure you continue stay on brand. So if your branding is primarily white you can add in a few variations to appeal to the farmhouse trend like white washed wood, white subway tiling, etc. Same goes for other colors or elements in your brand. For instance if you have squares a key element in your branding you can focus on square shaped props (like picture frames, coasters, soaps, etc) that are still on brand but fit the current style. 

Lastly, don’t forget to help your ideal client envision themselves using or applying your product. Think about the last thing you bought. Seeing and relating to the how, when and where the product can be used makes it easier to click the buy button. Knowing this can also help you get creative with setups, backgrounds and additional props to compliment your product. When you bought those Nike shoes for your new gym membership, you probably saw a Crossfit athlete using them. So think, how, when and where might your client use your product? Then capture it!

Don’t forget to comment if you need more help, share with a friend who could benefit and make sure you follow my Youtube channel for the latest videos and tutorials for your product photography needs! See you in the next post!

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About Crystal

 

Crystal is the Creative Director, Photo Stylist, and Commercial Photographer behind Crystal Clear Creative Studios. From increased sales, visibility, and trends to conversions and full production, Crystal and her team, experts on the subject matter, provide clients with confidence to take your photography and videography needs off your plate. We support you in your growth with the creation and implementation of transformative ideas.

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