When you’re launching a business, it can feel like there are too few people trying to do too many things. Sometimes remembering to share anything online feels like an achievement. But if you make a few small decisions now it can make your posts way easier to do and more effective.
1 – Use the same font(s).
There are so many beautiful fonts out there and, thanks to the internet, you can get lots of them for free! What’s to stop you from indulging in the smorgasbord of fonts???
Nothing but your own determination to keep your business focused. Pick one or two fonts to use online, then use it on your website, on text overlays for your blog images, for quotes you post on instagram, and everywhere else that you can control the typography.
2 – Format your text the same way.
If you share images with text over them, put the text in the same part of the image. Decide if you want to centre your text, right align, or left align. Will the text be at the top, bottom, or in the middle? Then do that always. You can also apply this to the text on your website.
Pro tip: for long stretches of text, don’t centre or right align. It makes it harder to read.
3 – Use images with a similar colour palette.
Decide what your brand’s vibe is: are you white and minimalist? Muted and warm? Bright and colourful? Pick one and do that. Then use the same instagram filter (or do the same kind of editing) on every photo.
Lalafauxbois has a great Instagram account: her subject matter varies but the brightly coloured photos all seem to fit together.
4 – Narrow in on your subject matter.
Since you’re probably surrounded by beautiful things as an integral part of your business, this should be relatively easy. But other than garments, what else will you share? Showing your personality is great—and it’s totally fine for there to be a blurry line between the personal and professional—but decide where your line is.
Perhaps your subject matter is: the clothes you make, behind the scenes at your studio, and customers wearing your brand’s clothes. If that’s what you decide on, don’t share pics of the lake view from your cottage. That’s not what your audience is there for.
Matt and Nat’s Instagram account mixes photos of their vegan leather bags with nature/flower pics. Since their brand draws inspiration from nature (that’s what the Nat stands for), this works well for them.
5 – Have a recurring series.
The internet has decided on a bunch of day-of-the-week hashtags that you can jump on board with—or even better: create your own! For example, you could have a “Customer of the Week” day where you share a customer’s photo.
Not only will your audience come to associate these posts with you, but it will make your social media planning a little easier.
The biggest thing is: make a decision then stick with it. Also, reallllly don’t mix and match all of the internet’s fonts. Seriously.
Elise Epp is a graphic designer who works with fashion and creative entrepreneurs.
