Since its inception in 2010, Instagram has grown to 400 million monthly active users, making it one of today’s most powerful mobile advertising platforms. Until recently, Instagram ads were only made available as direct buys with Facebook to a select group of Facebook Marketing Partners and agencies. This pilot run consisted of 400 campaigns globally and resulted in a 2.8x higher brand recall than Nielsen’s norm for online advertising. Here are the five things you need to keep in mind when advertising on Instagram.

1. Capitalize on the Expanded Ad Offerings

It’s vital for every ad buyer to be versed in the different ad formats in order to match the ad type to the campaign objective. The ad offering has been expanded from Photo Ads, Video Ads and Carousel Ads to include Call-To-Action Link Ads. Brands want to drive a variety of business objectives such as generating brand awareness, increasing reach, driving website visits or stimulating offline sales. The new direct response format bridges the gap between brands objectives and user demands.

2. Leverage All Relevant Targeting Capabilities

Everything you’ve learned from Facebook can be applied to Instagram. So if you’ve seen success from a certain targeting group on Facebook, there is a good chance that will carry over. The wealth of Instagram’s new product offering lies in the substantial targeting capabilities that will transfer over from Facebook user profiles. Interest and demographic targeting as well as options for direct response initiatives create numerous strategic opportunities.Ad targeting can be tailored so that users will see ads for the things they care about. The ability to leverage Facebook categories, Partner Categories, Custom Audiences and Lookalikes will help advertisers reach people based on their interests and not just their age, location and gender, making ads more relevant and efficient.

3. Branding Drives Results

Think about your brand promise and how consumers perceive your brand. Consider beyond the tangibility of your business offering and create a visual display of your brand to highlight feelings that are evoked through the use of your products and services.It is fundamental that brands identify what they want to communicate to their Instagram community and then maintain a clear and consistent representation of the brand across all creative, both paid and organic. Users should be able to quickly perceive your brand message when they visit your account. Include your logo and any brand elements that are recognized by your consumers and stay consistent with color.

4. Be Concept Driven

Create an idea that resonates with your audience through images that are memorable. Visuals can produce powerful messages to drive metrics, so focus on building a theme or concept to tell a story about your brand. Don’t just take pictures! Add meaning to your content by connecting your brand to experiences and environments that make sense.

5. Craft to Grab Attention

Details are important. On Instagram, you are publishing content to users with high-resolution screens so take extra time to develop a solid point of focus for your creative. Be clear and concise in your composition. Design a polished image by giving extra attention to lighting, framing, balance and symmetry.Overhead shots (as pictured below) have long been a top performer for food and fashion photography. Leverage those organic insights for your ads and employ a photographer who knows what works in social.

Happy Instagramming!Want more tips and tricks for how to dominate social this year with Data, Creative and Amplification? Download our 2016 Social Media Survival Guide.