How to Build Brand Awareness on Instagram in 5 Easy Steps

Anyone who underestimates the power of Instagram for building brands' awareness is ignorant of the social media platform's capabilities to reach a wide audience and large selection of smartphone users.

Not only is Instagram one of the best social media platforms to use to get more brand exposure, it can also be the vessel through which your social media following can grow. And by extension, your email subscriber list and website visitors might follow.

In the past years, Instagram has proven itself as an effective platform for businesses (big and small) who want to crank up their brand advertising tactics.

And regardless of what most of society thinks, Instagram is more than just a platform for seeing the latest photos of family and friends. Instagram is a powerful advertising tool.

But do we have proof?

Instagram: A Powerful Social Media Advertising Tool

Instagram is a social media platform that can place your brand in front of millions of people. It has worldwide appeal. And by using the platform wisely, a brand can build an audience that's situated not just in Australia or the US, but even around the globe.

• More than 500 million people use Instagram everyday. And they have over 1 billion monthly active users (TechCrunch).
• 60 percent of users log in daily; second most engaged network after Facebook (Global Web Index).
• There are 25 million brand accounts on Instagram (Instagram Business).
• 80% of users follow at least one brand account (Instagram Business).
• In the top 100 brands across the world, 90 percent have Instagram accounts (Sprout Social).

With these statistics in mind, it's easy to see why a lot of people like Instagram. And a few of their reasons for doing so include Instagram being:

• Easy to use
• Visually and aesthetically appealing
• Mobile-friendly
• A social media platform that caters to the masses.

All of these reasons and more can be used in favor of your brand awareness campaign. And that happens through a smart Instagram brand advertising strategy.

Brand Advertising on Instagram in 5 Easy Steps

Instagram incorporated into your brand advertising on social media is your winning strategy. To build that winning increased brand awareness campaign, here are some simple steps to follow:

Step #1: Practice consistency in brand personality

Saying this and putting it as the first step can already seem like a no-brainer for a lot of people. But when it comes to platforms like Instagram, it's very easy to get carried away on social media.

If you run it by yourself, it's sorely tempting to post images that you personally find interesting, humorous, or plainly pretty. Know, however, that these are things you can do in your personal account.

Don't do this in your Instagram business account.

The key to a successful brand advertising campaign on any social media platform is consistency. Instagram calls for it, obviously. Your directions have to be clear. And so, you need to post images that coincide with your goals and your brand's personality.

Don't make the mistake of coming across as robotic though. Be as human as possible. You're looking to attract people, after all.

Stick to your brand colors. Highlight your products and services. And once in a while, don't hesitate to post quotes and updates for your followers in the form of appealing visuals that still align with your brand.

Step #2: Picking pictures wisely

Instagram is a visual platform. Not to mention, it's very image-centric.

For this reason, the copy that goes along with your post is very important. Building brand awareness depends on the photos you choose to. As Neil Patel would say it, Instagram is great for business because it gives you the opportunity to promote products without being overly sales-y.

There is no need to oversell a product with endless copy lengths. Let the pictures do most of the selling for you.

There's no need to give a bullet list of benefits. List down one important benefit that the picture is trying to communicate and be on your merry way.

Step #3: Strategically use hashtags

Hashtags are there for a reason. They help you build brand exposure and engagement with your audience. But take care not to abuse this though. The way to go about it is strategically.

Social Media Today makes a great acronym to remember.

Remember: STRICT

• Specific
• Targeted
• Relevant
• Innovative
• Concise
• Thoughtful

Step #4: Take advantage of Instagram Stories

There's a reason why ephemeral content is a hit on social media. It creates the thought of needing to see or visit a specific page before time is up. Since Stories usually disappear after 24 hours, Instagram Stories are perfect for brand advertising mixed with a little FOMO marketing.

Instagram utilizes two powerful visuals: aesthetically pleasing images and engaging videos.

Instagram Stories are the perfect vessel to increase your brand awareness in a very human way while boosting overall engagement.

Step #5: Stick to your posting schedule

Just as writers and content marketers have a calendar, so should you. We mentioned earlier that consistency was the key to a successful brand advertising campaign. And that's exactly what you'll be nailing down when you create a posting schedule for your Instagram brand advertising campaign.

In social media, it's out of sight, out of mind.

Take a lesson from Instagram influencers. They have large followings and they post anywhere from a few times a week to several times in one day—mostly in Instagram Stories to broadcast things about their day.

How often you post is on you. The main thing you need to remember is to stick to your schedule. This way, followers you gather can expect content cropping up on those particular days.

Be careful of over-promising or under-delivering. It's not bad to be inspired, but don't be overly ambitious about your goals -- especially if you're just starting out.

Keep objectives realistic and easily unattainable.

The Takeaway

If you're wondering about how advertising agencies in Perth, Toronto, California, London, etc are doing it, then we hope this was the article that helped you grasp the basic idea of it.

There are billions of people making use of Instagram for their own brand advertising all over the world. Now's the time to grab that tool and use it to your own businesses' advantage.