Effective Visual Storytelling with Instagram: Gaining Influence and Growing Your Brand

Imagine you're a small business owner, let's call him Sudhir, selling handmade bamboo furniture in Jakarta, Indonesia. You've recently expanded your business online but struggle to reach the wider audience and build a loyal customer base. Your teenage daughter suggests you to use Instagram as a marketing platform. Initially, you are unsure but later ended up loving Instagram because it's a platform that's all about visuals, and your detailed craftsmanship deserves to shine in that aspect. Here's where visual storytelling with Instagram comes into play.

What is Visual Storytelling?

Visual storytelling is the strategy of using images, videos, infographics, and other visual aids to convey a narrative or message, capturing the viewers' attention. It goes beyond merely posting a picture; it's about constructing a narrative that's enjoyable, insightful, and memorable so that viewers feel a connection to the brand and are more likely to become followers or customers.

Why Use Instagram for Visual Storytelling?

Instagram is primarily a visual platform, making it a perfect stage for visuals. Instagram's Stories, Reels, IGTV features provide a broader canvas to engage with your followers by leveraging different formats like short videos, behind-the-scene insights, Q&A sessions, etc.

How to Excel at Visual Storytelling on Instagram?

  1. Consistent and High-Quality Posting: Maintain a consistent posting schedule with high-quality visuals. This will keep your audience engaged and expecting.
  2. Use Various Instagram Features: Utilize Instagram's many features like Stories, Reels, IGTV, filters, boomerangs, and stickers for a varied and interactive experience.
  3. Follow Your Brand Aesthetic: Consistency in your visual narrative strengthens branding. Use on-brand colors, fonts, filters, and themes.
  4. Connect with Audience: Integrate customer-generated content, answer their queries, appreciate their engagement – create a sense of a community.

Sudhir's Instagram Transformation

  • Consistently Posting: Started posting daily updating about a new collection, sharing the creation process, highlighting the unique features.
  • Features Utilised: Sudhir started using IGTV for longer video stories, highlighting the detailed craftsmanship. Used stories for quick updates and behind the scenes insights.
  • Brand Aesthetic: Maintained an aesthetic aligning with the natural, earthy theme of the bamboo furniture, using bright and warm tones.
  • Customer Interaction: Started showcasing customer reviews, their setup images, also started a weekend Q&A session addressing customer queries.

Conclusion

By following these visual storytelling strategies on Instagram, Sudhir's business blooms. He started receiving more orders, had improved customer interactions, and built a stronger brand presence. Same as Sudhir, anyone can leverage Instagram for their brand growth, creating a visual narrative that brings your brand closer to your desired audience. After all, a picture might speak a thousand words but the right Instagram strategy communicates your brand message more effectively.

Test Your Understanding

A travel blogger is in a picturesque location. To effectively engage their followers, they should:

Question 1 of 2