Building a brand on Instagram?

Does it really matter what my feed looks like? My tone of voice? My story highlight covers?

The short answer? Yes it does.

Instagram is a visual app with billions of users scrolling through. Having a consistent message, aesthetic and feel to your images, captions, stories, etc. will build brand awareness and recognition.

Take a look at some of your favorite Instagram accounts. For example, two of my favorites right now are @designlovefest and @roseenglandlondon. These two accounts are very different stylistically. One is bright and cheery, the other is natural and subtle. But what they do have in common is a consistent look and feel throughout their page.

Think about it. There's a sea of people posting on Instagram every day. The average follower of yours spends roughly 2-4 hours a DAY on Instagram. In other words, they see a LOT of content. You don't necessarily need to be the most unique or talented to get noticed. Sometimes all it takes is showing up consistently, beautifully and with quality in mind.

Related: Simple & Effective Instagram Strategies with Hairstylist Jamie Dana

How to build a brand on Instagram

Step One: Define the “look and feel” of your brand

Nail down your core colors and vibe (feminine and whimsy? modern and masculine? boho? etc.) and use this as a guide or reference point for the content you create!

Step Two: Define the “key message” for your brand

What do you create? And who do you create it for? Is your brand modern and edgy? Or feminine and sweet?

Step Three: Define 1-5 categories or buckets your account will post about

List out a brief summary of these buckets in your bio and have those buckets guide each bit of content you create! P.S. You can totally just have one bucket!

Bonus Tips:

• Consistency is key!
• Take your photos in natural light!
• Don't take your photos on a distracting background!
• Show up regularly.
• Comment back.
• Engage with similar accounts.

I’m not going to lie, growing on Instagram these days ain’t what it used to be. Be patient. The more consistently you show up with all of these tips in mind, the more recognizable and share-worthy your content will be. Along with that, it’s not about having thousands of followers just for the sake of having that sexy number under your name. Remember WHO you’re serving or who your ideal customer is and all you need to do is attract THOSE people.

Brands that stick around and create a name for themselves don’t necessarily have tons and tons of followers, but they’ve built a memorable brand across platforms and channels! 

If you want more help with building your brand on Instagram, check out my course Brand Plus Brand! We have a full module dedicated to Instagram in this course along with all the lessons and tips on surface pattern design, licensing your artwork and more!