Instagram Content Creation For Your Small Jewellery Making Business

Creating valuable content for your businesses social media can be both rewarding and challenging. When creativity is flowing and ideas are coming at you left, right and centre, it is a fantastic feeling to know you are sharing valuable information and visually pleasing content that your followers will love. But, we have all faced the doom in one way or another… That’s right. Creative blocks! There is nothing worse than a complete brain fart when trying to come up with new content strategies. We have definitely faced this more than once, and truly understand the frustration! We are definitely still learning, but we have picked up a few tricks we are going to share if you are looking for some content ideas.

In the industry of jewellery making and beading, it is crucial to have a well presented and aesthetic brand image that is also going to have its own voice and messages. But that is definitely easier said than done! In today’s blog, we are going to be talking through what content creation is, why it is crucial to your jewellery making business and also some tips to making fantastic content that your followers and customers will love. 

What is Content Creation? 

“Content creation is the process of generating topic ideas that appeal to your buyer persona, creating written or visual content around those ideas, and making that information accessible to your audience as a blog, video, infographic, or other format.” (Hubspot)

Focusing mostly on Instagram, photography and film are the key content areas you should work with, and can be a great platform to redirect your audience to other platforms, whether it is blogs on your website, Youtube videos or useful infographics. Now, it is easy enough to say, just focus on great imagery and quality videos for reels, stories and your feed, but it goes much deeper than that. You need to create a strong brand image that picks up on your key messages and overall feel of your brand. Try going through and answering the questions below to build your brand identity and image, so you have a defined mission and clear style for your content.

The answers to these questions will help determine the overall emotions and feelings for your brand, whether it be light hearted, trendy (served with a side of alternative), tranquil and so on. 

Now you have developed an image for your brand, you can start to create a theme that your content will follow. It is important to maintain a strong theme to create a recognisable brand that your followers will be able to identify. Remember, your followers will have A LOT of content being shown to them, and you don’t want your content to get lost in the noise. Some basic, yet effective ways of creating a theme throughout your content include:

• Use a consistent filter throughout your posts to create a connected look throughout all of your content.
• Use branded fonts that stay the same (unless you are undertaking a rebrand).
• Develop a colour palette of between 3-5 colours, that can be used in graphics, as well as inspiration for your photos and videos. (Tip: Check out Coolors to easily generate a palette that works for you, and take note of the colour codes so they can be used throughout any future projects).
• Use the same fonts and colours throughout your Instagram stories to keep continuity over different formats.
• Use location as a theme. Whether you use bold coloured studio shots, our beach themed snaps, stay continuous. (Tip: if you fancy mixing studio and location shots, link the two through colour schemes). 
• Consider adding your logo on to your photos in a subtle way. Not only does this make them stand out as your content to your followers, it also helps protect your work against copyright violations. 

Getting Content Creation Right

Now you have your brand image down to a tee, it is time to start thinking about the next steps of creations. When producing one of a kind, high quality content, there is much more to the process than posting images and reels sporadically to Instagram. Bare in mind these three stages when curating your social media presence: 

1. Planning 

Content is only as good as your organisation skills. Although it may seem a bit daunting, it is a good idea to work with a content scheduling tool, to create a solid and consistent calendar of work. This is a great way to keep a strong brand tone, and can help you plan an aesthetic feed of quality photography and video content. If you are looking for free tools (a word we all love!), we would recommend simply using the official Facebook scheduling tool, which allows you to plan content to be published directly to both Facebook and Instagram. Simply access this feature through the Facebook Business Suite. 

Not only will using a scheduling tool make it easier for you to keep track of the type of content you are posting, it will help you with timing. You may have a beautifully curated post with exceptional photography and perfect copy, but if you are posting it at the wrong times, it will inevitably flop. But again, this is much easier said than done…. We are still trying to get to grips with good posting times! With Instagram algorithms constantly changing and learning from engagement statistics and trends, it can be really tricky to understand the best times and days to post.

TIP: Try a few different scheduled times so Instagram can build insights on best times to post throughout the day and week. This will give you clear data into the best time slots. Once you have gathered this data, try staying consistent over the next couple of weeks to see if your engagement sticks. Instagram likes consistency with posting, as it means happier users that can rely on brands to provide quality content at recurring times. 

Along with scheduling and timing, it is key to create an aesthetic feed which will optimise your brand image. Another tool which we LOVE to use, is Preview. This is a great, free tool for planning the appearance of your Instagram grid, where you can easily move around your content to create the look you want. This is especially great if you use quotes or types of images that you want placed in a symmetrical pattern. 

2. Research

Obviously, it is important to have your own voice and create content that is yours. However, it is fine to be inspired by others, especially with the beading industry being all about community. Like any business, trends are crucial to not only show the timeliness of your brand, but also to get social media algorithms to love you. This is especially important when it comes to creating reels! Try researching some different reel trends and apply them to your brand, with a focus on your own identity, brand image and products. 

It is also important to research the different types of algorithms that platforms are currently working with. There are constantly changing updates to all social channels, and will update what content they favour and what is likely to reach new audiences. For example, Instagram highlights that reels should be:

• Entertaining 
• Inspiring 
• Use a selection of their own filters, texts and stickers
• Use the correct vertical dimensions
• Use their music, or original music you have created yourself
• Be creative and try something new… Have your own voice that will stand out.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Instagram’s @Creators (@creators)

It is important to do thorough research about different types of formats, including reels, main feed, stories and IGTV, as there will be unique requirements for each. 

3. Don’t Be Afraid To Try New Things

Whether you have been using Instagram for a while now or you are starting out fresh, it can be easy to get in a rut. For those of you who may have noticed a drop in reach and engagement, it is important to not freak out about this. You may have got in to a routine with something that did work well for a while, but it is crucial to mix up your content which will keep both Instagram and your followers happy and engaged. Try experimenting with different formats, locations (studio or on location), with or without people and trends, including popular reel sounds and filters. 

Now, For The Fun Part… Content Ideas!

Now your brand identity is popping, your planning is down to a perfection and you are a pro on what Instagram and your followers are going to love, it is time to start getting creative. With endless possibilities for content ideas, it can seem really overwhelming to either start out fresh or try some new things. Here are a few ideas to keep you busy!

These are just a few ideas to get you brainstorming about your business and what your followers are most likely wanting to see from you. Of course, we are still learning in this social media wild west (I mean, who isn't!). But we see the beading world as a strong community that supports one another. We want to share what we have learnt with you to forward your small jewellery making business as much as possible. 

If you have any tips and advice you would like to offer to others, drop a comment below!