Are you or your business on Instagram? It’s a great network to showcase your products, services and make connections, although as it’s such a visual network, it can sometimes be hard to know what photos and images to share, especially if you’re marketing a service-based business and don’t have gorgeous products to photograph. I’ve found that a great way to connect with your audience is by posting quotes they can relate to.
When used correctly, quotes work well, as they are easy to read, eye-catching and can really connect with your audience. They are great for engagement, as people are happy to comment and regram a quote they can relate to.
However, it’s important to follow a strategy to avoid posting either randomly or too frequently, otherwise, the impact becomes diluted. The strategy doesn’t have to be complicated; just think about the type of quotes you want to post.
If you’re a life coach, for example, you could post motivational or mindfulness quotes. Or consider whether productivity or funny quotes may be more suited to your business, audience and general message. You could also post quotes from client testimonials as social proof of your business. Or quotes that tie into key social media dates such as International Women’s Day or Mother’s Day.
In your strategy, you should also think about the overall design of the quotes you use. Have a look at a few Insta feeds and see what you like. Do you want to design each quote differently, with a mixture of photos and text? Or would you prefer to give your Insta grid a more professional layout with quotes in the same design and spaced evenly?
One advantage of creating a professional looking layout for your Insta grid is that it helps you plan your content in advance. If you know that every 5th post is going to be a quote, for example, you can create 5 quote images in advance, which soon becomes quick, simple and easy to do.
Where do I find quotes?
Google is a great place to start. There are lots of websites that provide quotes. But be sure to verify the source, and NEVER just copy and paste quote images you find on Google. In a lot of cases, you will need permission to use them or you could be in breach of copyright. The best way forward is to find a quote you like, then create your own design.
Planning your design
This is the fun bit! Don’t panic! You don’t need excellent InDesign skills or expensive desktop publishing programmes. There are a number of desktop and mobile apps that are free to use, including DesignBold, Typorma, Adobe Spark and Easil.
In summary:
- Think about the type of quotes you would like to post, motivational, funny, testimonials.
- Find and bookmark some sites that provide great quotes.
- Decide on your design, e.g. random and non-uniform or consistent and professional.
- Choose and learn a design tool.
- Get creative and if possible, create your quotes in batches saving you time.
Finally, do try and write something about the quote when you post it. Are you able to link the quote to some aspect of your business or life? Writing about why you picked the quote or elaborating on its meaning to you is a great conversation starter and makes you and your business more authentic to your audience.
It is social media after all…