“Insta-grids” are the latest trend in digital marketing. Here’s what they are, how you create them and why they are effective, thanks to the social media savvy team at Six Underground Media.
It’s not entirely new to see a brand drop their content on Instagram as part of a grid, which combines multiple frames of one adjoining image. Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle, where each small piece shows a part of the bigger picture, which can be viewed upon opening the account page to see the connection between all the published content.
As each post (or tile) is posted and viewed in an Instagram feed, it can look a little odd, with the audience wondering what the relevance of an obscure image is. As such, the best Instagram grids are designed in such a way that every unique tile has its own standalone purpose and content. It is also a part of an intricate Instagram puzzle that creates a much larger and ongoing editorial artwork.
Accounts to be inspired by:
There’s a host of great concepts, brands and pages that have made this strategy work for them. Check out @yazbeksalon for a salon-centric take on the podcast, as well as @refoil, while @lifestylenation, @sixundergroundmedia and @poosh show you the technique in more general artistic terms.
Why is this necessary?
If you’re wondering why you need to adapt to something more complicated, there are a variety of benefits from this strategy. It will set your page apart from the competition and allow your branding to have a stronger social voice.
Furthermore, it will reset your posting habits and get more organic traction by implementing new images, videos and aesthetics. Technically speaking, the Instagram algorithm will reward you for changing and evolving the look of your images. It will read various colour changes in your content and identify a variation in curation, in return boosting your organic reach.
Other benefits include the fact that you can plan a campaign then set and forget it. All the content is done in large batches, which, if done well, can be quick and save time on sourcing content. You can still integrate video into the feed and Instagram stories are there for you to use for real time updates so you can have diversity in what you post.
Where to start:
Work out what you want to achieve, first and foremost. This will be the message that ties all of your puzzle pieces together to create the grid.
How to do it:
If you’re time poor or lack design/tech skills to create it yourself you can always outsource the work. There are plenty of agencies that specialise in this kind of content creation. At Six Underground we create a 30 piece grid for $600. This will give you a month of content that can deliver a brand activation with a strong ‘Call To Action’.
If you want to design one yourself we recommend working with tools such as Canva. It will allow you to create an image with custom dimensions.
Hacks and tips:
- Start by creating a square grid that is 3300px X 3330px. This will then be cut into 9 separate tiles using the free “image splitter” from Postcron: https://postcron.com/image-splitter
- Download the “9-grid” transparent template to identify where the content will sit in each tile frame – it will make the process much easier. Once you have worked the design to about 90 per cent, add the “9 grid” template over the top and move the final image components accordingly.
- If you want to add extra design elements download them from Six Underground Media’s online shop or take a look at the Creative Market or Etsy.
Good luck and happy posting!
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