The Ultimate Guide to Instagram Ads
If you are a business that wants to target a younger audience, Instagram Ads may be your solution!
Instagram has whooping 928 million users as of 2020. It is a drastically growing social media platform that usually has a young audience.
This is an extensive article on Instagram Advertising, its benefits, types and how you can do it.
1.
What are Instagram Ads?
Like other forms of advertising, these are also set up by businesses to reach users through Instagram posts or videos.
Businesses promote their content to their target audience across Instagram.
It helps businesses with visibility and exposure, conversion, generates leads and website traffic.
Moreover, what’s better is that it totally works!
Over 120 million people contacted a business through ads in 2017.
In fact, 60 percent of the Instagram users find out new products on the platform regularly.
Instagram mostly suits the urban young population.
Data shows that the largest age group of current Insta users is between 25 to 34 years of age.
Moreover, 32 percent of users live in urban areas.
While your ads will work on Insta if your target audience lies in this demographic, you should not dismiss it if they don’t.
It is a rapidly rising platform that is gaining new users regularly.
Moreover, it can give your business a new boost in the ways given below:
- Increase your audience
Insta is one of the fastest growing platforms. It regularly attracts users.
In fact, brands noticed a 100 percent growth in followers within a year.
Therefore, there are always chances of people converting to this side of the internet and joining Instagram to give you a wide audience reach.
These users also spend about 50 minutes daily on the platform.
- Target the exact audience
Insta uses the same advertising tools as Facebook ads.
This is one of the most accurate tools for targeting.
You can go into minor details and target their location, interests, demographics and behaviors.
Hence, you can target the kind of audience you want very specifically.
- Shows results
Stats show that they do work!
The ad recall was about 2.8 times higher than Neilson’s online advertising norms.
Moreover, about 75 percent of users take some sort of action after seeing an ad.
Either it is buying, checking the website or something simple like telling a friend about it.
Hence hop onto Insta advertising if you feel that you have the target audience on this platform and your business’s topics coincide with what’s popular on Insta.
These topics include beauty, fashion, food, travel and entertainment.
Another thing to notice is whether you are able to make visual content that coincides with your target audience’s Instagram feeds.
Why is that important? Read below to find out!
2.
Types of Instagram Ads
Instagram is a visual medium. Hence text ads are not ideal here.
You will either have images or videos as ads.
Moreover, the audience pays a lot of attention to the quality of the ads.
Hence, your ads should be appealing enough to gather your audience’s attention.
Stories ads
They usually have an objective of creating awareness, leading to conversions, generating leads and reach, increase views as well lead to app installs among others.
These ads come up when the user is streaming their “Stories” on Insta.
Moreover, you can use filters, effects, and fun gifs to make your ad look very seamless and the user may feel it is from their own following.
However, it will contain a small text at the top that will show that this story is “Sponsored”.
Every ad format has a Call to Action and the one for the Instagram stories ads is usually with a swipe up feature that will tell you to “apply”, “subscribe”, “see more”, “sign up” and much more.
Photo ads
The photo ads allow people to see your content or products in the form of a still image.
They will come in between their feed with a “sponsored” tag at the top.
Your objective to launch these could be to increase sales, awareness, lead to installs and increase engagement.
If you are already creating good visual content then you will not need to make a separate single image ad.
You can use the same content and use it as an ad.
Moreover, your call to action can be according to your goal.
If you want purchases you can go for “Buy Now” and link it to your website.
Though others include “Subscribe”, “Watch more”, “Send Message”.
Video ads
Instagram video ads are only up to a minute long like the videos available in Insta.
These bite-sized videos are actually quite effective if your Instagram advertising strategy targets the viewers in the first few seconds before they scroll down.
These also appear in the feed or your homepage as feed ads.
You can show your brand, products or even your setup in this convincing ad.
Your objective can be to increase video views, lead to conversion and engagement and increase reach.
The call to action will coincide with your objective.
It could be “Install Now” or “Play Game” for your game app.
Others include “Download”, “Listen Now” and “Donate” among others.
IGTV
Instagram TV (IGTV) does not currently have any ads.
However, Instagram announced that they will be starting ads on IGTV.
This is a new development and time will tell how these ads work.
However, these ads will help influencers and video creators receive 55 percent of the revenue.
They may be like Facebook video ads where they will stream in the middle of the IGTV video.
Explore ads
The homepage is not the only place to find the ads. You can also find them on the Explore screen.
This is where people see others’ Instagram accounts and content that they don’t particularly follow but their followers do.
Here you will not see the ads on the grid but once you click on an image or video.
Canvas Ads
These are the new immersive ads that allow you to experience an ad using 360 Virtual Reality Experience.
However, they require advanced technological skills.
They may become the most sought-after ads in the near future.
Carousel and Collection Ads
Carousel ads have a few images and videos appearing together in the feed.
The user swipes through them to see all of them.
This way you can show different products or share different parts of the same story.
Also, you can show a single product in detail with all the images and videos.
Furthermore, they have a call to action which is usually, “Shop Now” or “Watch More”.
In Collection ads, users can buy directly by clicking the ad without leaving the page.
A pop-up of Instagram Instant Experience Storefront opens up which allows them to purchase immediately.
It combines direct response marketing with visuals to lead to sales immediately.
Another way to make your audience purchase items immediately is to use Instagram Shopping Ads.
You need to connect with Instagram Shopping to take your audience to the product description within the app.
Hence, the purchase can be made within the mobile app and website.
Now that you know these different types of ads, you should choose one to start your campaign.
3.
How to Create Ads on Instagram?
You can promote your existing content on Instagram similar to how Facebook boosts posts.
However, a better way is to use Facebook’s Ad Manager.
Before diving in you should know that Instagram ads cost is high.
Therefore, make sure that you can afford it.
Choose a Goal
Facebook Ads Manager will simplify things for you.
Firstly, you will find out your marketing objective.
If you want more people to know your brand, you should choose brand awareness.
If you need more traffic to your website or need people to download your app then choose traffic.
Likewise, if you need your followers to engage with your content in the form of views, likes and shares then aim for engagement.
Other objectives and goals could be increasing reach, getting more video views, increasing leads and conversions as well as app installs.
Next, you will choose your audience.
Selecting Target Audience
Facebook is really good with targeting your audience specifically.
You can choose your target audience based on their location even specifically the state and city.
Furthermore, you can specify the age, gender and languages that you want to target.
Tip: Leave the language section empty unless your target language is not common in your target location.
You can also go further and target their interests and their behaviors like job roles, purchasing behaviors etc.
You can also add people who are already connected with your business.
Moreover, you can add a custom audience that you specifically want to target.
Additionally, Instagram will find a lookalike audience that is similar to your custom audience.
Hence, this will allow you to tap into the audiences that you want to reach.
Next, you should choose where to place your ads, on Insta, Facebook or both.
After you figure out ad placements, you will be taken to budget and schedule.
You can set up your budget for a day or lifetime to know how much you are expending.
Moreover, you can decide to schedule your ads on particular timings when your audience is most active or all the time.
Once you have set up doing this, it is time to create your ad.
Create an Ad
After deciding your main objective, you must be clear about the type of ad that will suit your needs.
Stories ads, Photo ads, Video ads and Carousel ads are common.
However, you may choose as per your businesses’ requirement.
Though whatever you choose, remember to make it creative and with a personality.
Instagram is full of influencers, people love to interact with content that is relatable and has its own personality.
Therefore, try to make relevant content that goes with the audience on Instagram and choose optimal times to show it.
Learn more about Snapchat Ads Company in Dubai
Conclusion
Instagram ads may not generate sales or your desired goal immediately.
Wait and trust the process. Gradually users will start to see your ad and will be intrigued to know more.
Then you may see a rise in your following eventually leading to purchases.
Hence, these are a good way for businesses to boost their brand awareness and sales if they are a new brand.
So, what are you waiting for? Step into advertising your business from today!