Instagram has turned into an independent online market for selling clothes and footwear. Many brands don’t even put much effort into website creation. They start by building a community and gathering people around their content. People get attracted by the style of visuals and then when products launch they are already sold.
There’s one essential rule for the aesthetics of an Insta shop – and you need to obey it in 2021. It can be expressed in one word: DIVERSITY. Look at the examples below. Two grids of shops, one is out-of-date and one is diverse, hence more appealing.
So, the most vital thing is the diversity of content. Monochrome, monotonous feeds that are based on templates should be left in the past. Hence, if you sell clothes, you need to post not only outfits but quotes, manicures, memes, movie frames. The only condition you should have in mind is that the style you pick for these visuals should match your audience’s lifestyle and values, as well as with your brand style.
Let’s review top Instagram photography ideas with examples. You can adapt them for clothing, footwear, jewelry, or any other shop.
Instagram photography trends to pick up
I scrolled hundreds of feeds to define top visual tendencies that will help your account look stylish in 2021. Note that even if your business is not connected with clothes, you can pick up these ideas for your niche.
#1 COLLAGES
These tips will help to add contrast to your feed and give you ideas on styling. You can design such collages in any mobile photo editing app. What’s even simpler, you can take a screenshot of your grid or a saved collection, and – voila, a collage post is done. Creative solutions are always simpler than you might think.
#2 WHITE BACKGROUND
Simply cut off the face and body of your model or dummy to help the viewer focus on the outfit. This trend was spotted in numerous shops, so try it for your Instagram as well. You can combine several looks and products. This trick is a great solution to present your product without any distractions. But don’t make all posts in this way – mix them with some other ideas from this list.
#3 TEXT OVER IMAGE/VIDEO
Almost every Instagram shop uses such visuals to announce sales, giveaways, and coupons. These posts will stand out in the grid when an account is first opened. Viewers will be attracted by such words as “voucher,” “coupon,” and “gift codes,” so be ready that this post will gain many views a long time after publishing.
#4 MEMES
Memes are highly trendy now; you can find them in any top Insta shop. These posts are engaging and help to make the grid look dynamic. You can find top memes on Twitter or meme accounts. Read the blog post Instagram Memes: 6 Hot Content Ideas for 2020 to find out how you can include funny posts in your content strategy.
Essentially, you need to adjust a meme to the style of your products and account. Change the background and add your logo. We will show you how to edit such posts later.
#5 MIRROR SELFIES
These one-second photos can be made by your customers, bloggers, or staff. Include such images in the feed, stories to create a slightly carefree look. User-generated selfies are the best social proof that will stimulate random viewers of your account to order and try the products.
#6 NO-EDIT EDIT
This trend has been with us for a long time, and it’s still on the cusp. If you’re doing too much editing, please stop. Just minor improvements are all you need to make: the image should be close to reality.
When you edit just slightly, the color of your product in the photo is identical to the real color. If too many edits have been done, potential clients might feel deceived and dissatisfied.
Remember that these major trends are applicable for all niches but they are full-blown for clothing shops.
#7 SINGLE STYLE HIGHLIGHTS
Highlights create the first impression of new visitors. That’s why shops try to match them with their overall aesthetics. For example, you can use the letters of your shop name for covers.
Best hashtags to grow your reach and sales organically
Hashtags are necessary, especially if your shop is new – potential clients can find you only via the right hashtags. Surely, million-dollar shops no longer apply them. But if you are looking for customers organically, adding hashtags to captions is a must.
Inflact Hashtag Generator is an AI-based tool where you can research, copy and paste hashtags. If we compare this service with the in-app search, it has numerous advantages, such as:
- Copyable hashtag ideas suggested by Instagram – you can’t copy them from the application.
- Semantically close search results – the Hashtag Generator will show you not only the hashtags including your keywords but relevant synonyms you might not even think about.
- Quick AI suggestions – if you don’t have time, simply upload an image or a post URL with your products and appropriate hashtags will be suggested for you.
For example, here are the best hashtags suggested for a swimwear shop:
It took me one minute to generate them with the Generator. It’d take hours to find and manually write them from the Instagram app.
This set can be saved in a spreadsheet or in the Notes on your phone. But remember you need to renew hashtags regularly – new ones appear every day.
Read the great instructions on hashtag strategy in the article The only hashtag strategy that boosts your Instagram reach in 2020 + myth buster.
With trendy visuals and effective hashtags, your Instagram feed will bring you a lot more green!
