Three Toronto Brands Who Are Killing It On Instagram (And How You Can Be Like Them, Too!)
You don’t have to be a big brand with a twenty person marketing team to create great content. Take it from us - some of our favourite brands on social media are small and local businesses!
So how can you create amazing content and stand out from the rest? Learn from these three Toronto brands who are leading the way on Instagram.
1. The Wanderly
If you’re on the lookout for a beautiful Instagram feed, head over to @TheWanderly. This Dundas West shop curates thoughtful pieces from their travels, and their Instagram totally embodies this. Their brand has this otherworldly, off the beaten path kind of feel which evokes a sense of adventure and a desire to travel. All the photos are carefully edited to have the same lighting, colours, and pinkish tones, so it fits together holistically and showcases their products beautifully. Plus, the vibe of their Instagram matches their website and flagship store, so their branding is consistent across all channels.
Lesson learned: Align your visual identity on Instagram with the other parts of your brand.
How can you emulate this?
Think about the overall look and feel you want for your brand. What vibe do you want people to feel when they walk into your shop, or land on your Instagram profile? Then ask yourself how you can make use of colours, textures, and shapes to create that vibe. Once you commit, stay consistent with your branding and make it translate across your Instagram, website, newsletter, and (if you have one) in-person shop as well. Enlist help from a branding professional if you need one.
2. Paper Plus Cloth
We’ve got to admit. We don’t know the first thing when it comes to stationary (washi whaaat?). But there’s a HUGE community out there that does, and where do they go? To Toronto-based @Paperpluscloth.
Scroll through their Insta feed and you’ll see lots of photos of paper, notebooks, washi tapes… and not much else. But that’s what makes them great! They know their market and what appeals to them, and they don’t stray too far from those topics. Paper Plus Cloth has also fostered great engagement by regularly interacting with their followers. They’ve built a community where die-hard stationary fans can just nerd out on the things they love.
Lesson learned: Know what your customers want and stay relevant.
How can you emulate this?
Ask yourself who your target market is, and why they would want to follow you. Do they want to see the behind the scenes? Do they really care about that photo of your puppy, or what you had for breakfast that morning? Don’t laugh. There are lots of brands where this content works AMAZING. If you’re selling directly to small business owners, for example, then yes! Lay out all the behind the scenes. If you’re a vegan brand marketing to animal lovers, they would love to see photos of puppies. And if you’re selling a niche product, ask yourself how you can build a community around it.
Always consider what brings the most value to your audience. Then stick to it religiously.
3. TAMGA DESIGNS
@TAMGADesigns’ Instagram feed is as lively as their clothing. Every time you visit to their page, there’s something happening - whether that’s a new Instagram post, a new profile link, an upcoming photo shoot, or an Instagram story (they upload 2-3 Instagram stories per day, pretty impressive, huh?) They’ve also done a great job at varying up their content. You’ll find an excellent mix of behind-the-scenes posts, fashion shoots, style profiles, and collaborations with models or key influencers. The excitement is real.
Lesson Learned: Keep things fresh and exciting by posting a variety of content on a consistent basis.
How can you emulate this?
It’s tough work to be posting and creating content this consistently, but it IS doable. From the outside, you might think TAMGA has a whole marketing team in tow, but the whole business only has THREE people. So don’t let social media intimidate you. Plan out your campaigns ahead of time, carve out time for creative work during the week, and schedule your content in advance. Consistency and planning are the key to social media success.
Do you need help creating quality content for your Instagram and social media? Work with our dedicated team of social media professionals! Book a free consultation with us and let’s see if we’re a match!