How To Take The Perfect 'Foodstagram'

How To Take The Perfect 'Foodstagram'

We’ve all been there before, snapping the latte art on our coffee or delectable breakfast at one of our favourite café hotspots to post on our Instagram account, but how do you get the perfect 'Foodstagram' without embarrassing yourself?

The trick is all about planning ahead, selecting the right lighting and choosing places that have their tables adorned with pretty props to do the hard work for you.

Read more about the top tricks below:

Select the best lighting:

Selecting the best lighting is the number one rule and trust us, it really makes a difference. Natural lighting is your best option, so make sure you choose your table next to a window for a natural light that isn’t too harsh.

Find a table with pretty props:

While gorgeous latte art stands out by itself, surrounding your focal point with pretty props can instantly make your Instagram picture look amazing. Pick a café that has flowers or candles on the table if possible, otherwise simple wooden tables, marble benches or white tablecloths also create a great contrast. If there are none present, a designer bag or pair of sunglasses are always a great addition. When choosing a prop however, make sure your breakfast or coffee is still at the centre of the image or to the left or the right without having any unnecessary props taking over the shot. Centred images are great for beginners, as they always look neat.

Choose the right angle:

Along with choosing great lighting, picking the right angle is essential. While we don’t recommend standing on the chairs, don’t be afraid to stand up to get the best shot, as food and drink looks best when shot above or on the side. Everyone does it!

Do you need someone to take these professional Instagram images without you having to embarrass yourself? Lucky for you, here at Melbourne Social Co we are experts (at both). We have a series of social media and content creation packages available for any business.


Need help creating 'double tap' worthy imagery for your social media channels? Eye-catching images are key to engagement and success on Instagram, but do you have time to source and create beautiful images on a regular basis? Our creative team can take care of this for you!


Melbourne Social Co's Product Photography For Instagram Package:

As part of this service, your business will receive:

14 professionally styled product images per month. Our team will style, photograph and edit a series of product images for use on Instagram, (as well as Facebook, Pinterest and within blog posts.)

Together we will plan a look that will not only suit the aesthetic of your brand, but will push you in a new and exciting direction, showcasing your products in the best possible light.

Cost: $599 + GST per month

Want to get a feel for our style? Follow us on Instagram @melbournesocialco.


Need help managing your Instagram accounts on a daily basis? We can take care of that too.

Tailored specifically to your businesses needs and goals, our team are experts in social media strategy, content creation and audience engagement, and would be more than happy to discuss managing and building your Instagram profile on your behalf.

Contact us for more information – [email protected]


Product Photography For Instagram Package Terms and Conditions:

  • These rates are only valid for clients who sign a 3 month booking with Melbourne Social Co. Month by month rates are available, please ask us about these
  • Each booking will be specifically quoted after a consultation with the client
  • The images created by our team will become the property of your business. We may share these on our website and social media channels from time to time, crediting your business. Please let us know if you don't want us to do so

Building A Following On Instagram

Building A Following On Instagram

Are you thinking about Instagram Management for your business? If not, you should be - as one of the fastest growing social media platforms in Australia, Instagram could be your next great marketing tool.

By using Instagram, you can showcase your products/services in a visually appealing manner, take followers behind the scenes of your organisation, (making your business more personable) and you can take advantage of the growing number of users looking for great images to like and share.

So now you know why it’s an important platform for business, here are some of our top tips on Instagram Management for your brand:

  • Post good quality images. Instagram is after all, a social media platform for people that love visuals! So to ensure maximum engagement, make sure you're posting high resolution images that are both on-trend and visually appealing.
  • Post often. Building a big following on Instagram is a balancing act: You need to post often enough to keep your followers’ attention but not so often that they feel spammed and block you. 2-3 posts per day is a happy medium that seems to appeal to users. Remember - consistency is key and regularly posting good quality images will go along way to helping you build your profile.
  • Strike a balance between strategic and fun posts. It is also important to strike a good balance between business (strategic) posts, and fun/lifestyle images. Instagram is not about hard selling - you want all sales messages to be subtle and appealing to your followers. Where possible, tell a story with your image and if you are utilising the image strategically to tell users about a service or product, use your caption to talk about your message and direct users to your website (by including a relevant link in your profile and using the #linkinprofile hashtag) for more information.
  • Follow & interact with others. Follow and interact regularly with like-minded brands and influencers within similar industries. This encourages these users to follow back and like/share your images.
  • Get to know Instagram's filters. Instagram offers more than a dozen automatic image filters, but they’re not all created equal.  Choose a filter that not only looks good, but leaves you with a sharp, clear , professional looking image.
  • Experiment With Video Clips. To give it a try, use the movie camera icon within Instagram to record up to 15 seconds of footage and then apply a video-specific filter to improve its look.
  • Now try Stories. Recently, Instagram introduced 'Instagram Stories'  as a way to share all the business moments of your day, not just the ones you want to keep on your profile. Swipe right into the camera to take a photo or video. Create anything you want, from product sneak-peeks to your worst selfies. Unlike your timeline posts, these photos and videos disappear from your feed after 24 hours, so there's less pressure to maintain your aesthetic, allowing you to have a little fun with your content!
  • Introduce Key New Employees. Whenever you hire a key new employee, take a photo of him or her and post it to Instagram.  Doing so helps your followers to build personal relationships with your team, while also filling your feed with content that isn’t directly self-promotional.
  • Use Relevant Hashtags. Hashtags are incredibly important on Instagram.  It’s a good idea to regularly search around for similar content to see which hashtags are likely to lead to the most awareness and engagement. We recommend posting 10-20 good quality hashtags in the first comment on your post - this seems to generate the best results for content.
  • Host Competitions. One of the best ways to quickly build followers is through competitions. Check out Instagram's blog for some examples of successful competitions and for tips on the best ways to run these competitions on Instagram.

Need Help?

Tailored specifically to your businesses needs and goals, our team are experts in social media strategy, content creation and audience engagement, and would be more than happy to discuss managing and building your Instagram profile on your behalf.

Need help creating beautiful imagery for your social media channels? Eye-catching images are key to engagement and success on Instagram, but do you have time to source and create beautiful images on a regular basis? Our creative team can take care of this for you!


Our Instagram Management Packages start from $599 + GST per month.

Contact us for more information – [email protected] 

Want to get a feel for our style? Follow us on Instagram @melbournesocialco


Why is Social Media important for small business?

Why is Social Media important for small business?

Because your customers are already using it.

Consider these statistics of Australian Social Media users from August 2014:

Social Media Statistics Australia – August 2014 - source socialmedianews.com.au

1. Facebook – 13,400,000 users (steady)

2. YouTube – 13,000,000 UAVs

3. WordPress.com – 6,100,000

4. Tumblr – 4,600,000

5. LinkedIn – 3,900,000

6. Blogspot – 3,050,000

7. Twitter – 2,791,300 Active Australian Users (see calculation)

8. Instagram – 2,060,000 Active Australian Users (see calculation)

9. TripAdvisor – 1,550,000

10. Yelp – 1,300,000

11. Snapchat - 1,070,000 Active Australian Users (see calculation).

12. Tinder – 1,000,000 Australian users

13. Flickr – 740,000

14. Pinterest – 380,000

15. Reddit – 160,000

The chances are that much of your target market is already using social media. If you want to reach clients and prospects, you need to be where they are – by using social media you’ll increase the odds that your marketing message will get through to a significant number of them.

It will help you connect with your customers/clients.

Most marketing channels are one-way in nature – a business sends out its marketing message, and the consumer receives it. With Social Media, you can actually have a conversation with your audience. Social Media helps to create a community of fans and followers that see you as more than just a business entity.

They’ll view you as someone they trust, and people use the services of those they trust.

žNot sure where to start in the crazy world of Social Media? Melbourne Social Co offer a range of packages for businesses looking to begin, expand on or capitalise on the ‘noise’ their brand is making in the digital world.

Contact us for more information - [email protected]

 

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