Instagram Ads: How To Create Effective Instagram Ad Campaigns
“Believe what you see!”
While this ideology does not seem to be right every time, it has definitely ruled the social media marketing world.
Consumers tend to choose products or services they find ‘visually’ appealing.
These statistics below shows an example of this:
- Over 51% of B2B marketers consider visual assets an important part of their content marketing strategy. [ 1]
- Nearly 80% of marketers prefer visual assets for their social media marketing. [ 2]
- 32% of marketers say visual images are the key content form for their business. [ 3]
When it comes to visual marketing, it would be unjustified to ignore the breakout star that has many people raving about it, and this platform is Instagram.
Instagram is today topping the charts - this is an amazing platform that allows it users to share stories to every nook of the world.
All it takes is a few extraordinary snaps and a “post” button, and you’re all set to catch the attention.
The internet is flooded with statistics and success stories that prove that Instagram marketing is one of the most result-oriented approaches today.
With its own learning curve, it could be easier to attract more customers and earn more profits on Instagram than Facebook and Twitter.
Why Advertise on Instagram?
There are various reasons why every business should consider marketing on Instagram as a part of their marketing campaign. Below are some of the reasons why Instagram marketing for Businesses is a must for you!
Massive Reach
With Instagram ads, you can connect with over 150 million Instagram users!
This is indeed a huge opportunity to present your brand, product, or services in the most simplistic yet impactful way.
This massive reach allows you to put your business in front of millions of people regularly.
Hence, this is an exposure you definitely would want for your business.
Increased Engagement
Choosing Instagram sponsored ads as your marketing strategy can help you generate 58% more engagement than any other social platforms like Facebook, Twitter. Hence, this feature allows you to increase the overall engagement of your posts.
High Conversion Rates
Instagram is a promising platform when it comes to conversion. By advertising on Instagram, you can ensure more engagements like registration on your website, downloading a resource, sharing your posts, etc. These conversions could be further used to generate more sales.
Varied Target Audience
While it is believed that a majority of Instagram users are millennials, over 11% of people using Instagram include age groups between 50-64. Hence, Instagram allows marketers to target all types of audience group irrespective of their gender, age, and geographical boundaries.
Who Can Benefit from Instagram Advert Campaigns?
Instagram is a One-For-All platform. This is probably the best aspect of Instagram advertising. Whether you’re a start-up, an entrepreneur, a freelancer or you own a large organization, you can exploit this promising platform for your business advertisement to reap the desired results.
In short, you can benefit from Instagram ads if:
- You have a specific target audience on Instagram.
- You come from a buzzing industry and have products/services to offer.
- You have unique stories to share that resonate well with your target audience’s feeds.
So now, what’s next?
A majority of you reading this article would be waiting for the biggest question, “how to advertise on Instagram”? Luckily, the process of advertising on Instagram is easy and quick.
How to Advertise on Instagram
Creating Instagram Ads
There are two main ways to create Instagram ads:
- Using Facebook Ads Manager
- Using the Instagram App
Creating Instagram Ads Using Facebook Ads Manager
In this section, we would be covering how to create your Instagram advertising campaign using your Facebook Ads Manager.
####1. Navigate to Facebook Ad Manager The first step is to sign in to your Facebook Account and simply navigate to Facebook Ads manager.
####2. Choose Your Advertising Goal The next step is to define the purpose of running an Instagram Ad. Choose from a list of specific goals:
- Brand Awareness
- Traffic
- Reach
- App Installs
- Engagement
- Video Views
- Conversions
####3. Choose your Target Audience Once you are clear with your Instagram marketing objective, the next step urges you to define your target audience. This step is crucial because when you choose the right people, you can expect to achieve the desired outcomes of your Instagram advert campaign. For this, you’ll have to undergo a series of selections including:
- Location: Specify the country, city, region you want to target for your posts.
- Age: Choose the range you want to target. Example: 18-25.
- Gender: Specify the gender of your target audience, All, Men, Women.
- Demographics: This option allows you to choose your target audience at a granular level. You’ll see the option of ‘Detailed Targeting’ with several sub-categories. Make your selections according to your goal.
- Interests: This allows you to specify the interests of your target audience.
- Behaviors: This will help you specify the behavior of your target audience.
- Connections: This option allows you to choose your audience based on your connections with them.
- Custom Audience: Here, you can add your own audience from your contact list (generally used for upselling).
- Lookalike Audience: Allows Instagram to identify users similar to your other audiences.
####4. Choose Your Ad Placements While it is essential to choose the right target audience, it is as important to choose the right placements - whether you want to show your ads on Facebook or Instagram. If you skip this step, Facebook will show your post on both the platforms. Hence, choose from the options:
- Automatic Placements (For both the platforms)
- Edit Placements (Only for Instagram) - Under this option, you can further specify whether you want your ad to appear as your Instagram Feed or as your Instagram Stories.
####5. Set your Budget and Ad Schedule Setting your budget is tricky. You get two options to select from - Daily and Lifetime Budget.
In the case of your DAILY BUDGET, it assures that your money won’t be spent quickly. On the other hand, with the Lifetime Option, you can schedule your ad delivery. In addition to these options, you can choose your budget MANUALLY to control how much you want to spend on each lead you intend to gain.
You can also schedule your Instagram Ad on a specific day, time and for a particular duration.
####6. Creating Your Instagram Ad Post The post you choose to promote on Instagram plays a crucial role in the success of your Instagram advertising campaign. Nevertheless, Instagram offers four types of formats.
- Single Image (It allows you to choose from a list of CTAs).
- Video (It allows you to create a 60 seconds video with some interactive element)
- Carousel (It will enable you to upload 2-10 pictures/videos; an ideal option for new product promotion)
- Instagram Stories (Compilation of images and videos that lasts for 24 hours only).
Nevertheless, it is crucial to keep a check on your advert insights to measure the performance of your Instagram Ad Campaign.
Creating Instagram Advert Using the App
The latest Instagram update allows users to promote their posts using the app without the Facebook Ad Manager. Here are the steps:
####1. Select the post you want to promote on your Instagram Click the “PROMOTE” tab below the selected image.
####2. Choose the action The action is the action you want your audience to take. You will get 3 options:
- Visit Your Website
- Call Your Business
- Visit Your Business.
With each option, there are specific call-to-actions provided that allows you to choose your advert button. For instance, we have - Learn more, Book Now, Watch Now, Sign Up, etc.
You can also add the Website Link or URL you want to take users to.
####3. Choose the audience
After that, choose the type of Audience from the drop-down. For instance, if you are targeting small businesses through your posts, select “small business” from the list. Additionally, you can create your own audience apart from the list given.
Note: Instagram would choose “Automatic” as its default audience type.
####4. Set the budget
Lastly, set your budget. Based on the number of Instagram accounts, you want to target through your posts, select the amount you want to invest for your Instagram advertisement.
You can also choose the duration to run your Instagram Ad. Now, click NEXT button on the top right of your screen and review all your selections. Here, you will be asked to set-up a payment method for you to pay your Instagram advertisement fees.
####5. Get your ad reviewed & approved
After you’re done with creating the advert, your advert will undergo a review process. This might take some time. Once the advert is approved, you can keep an eye on the insights by clicking on “View Insights” under your posts.
The above are the ways to create your Instagram advert campaign immediately!
Nevertheless, while focusing on ensuring that you get the steps mentioned above right, it is essential that you also know some of the key considerations for any Instagram advertising campaign.
Hence, to make your Instagram adverts work effectively, here are some technical aspects that need your attention:
- Landscape: Minimum resolution (600 x 315 pixels); Maximum resolution (1,936 x 1,936 pixels)
- Square: Minimum resolution (600 x 600 pixels); Maximum resolution (1,936 x 1,936 pixels).
- Vertical: Minimum resolution (600 x 750 pixels); Maximum resolution (1,936 x 1,936 pixels).
- Video Size: Video ads in feed can be up to 120 seconds.
- Caption: The caption for your Instagram ad may include up to 2200 characters.
- Aspect Ratio: Landscape - 1.91:1; Square - 1:1; Vertical - 4:5.
Ready to run some ads?
Conclusively, Instagram is a useful visual platform that has aided the creation of various online brands. All you need to do is to focus on the right people, at the right time, with the right message and the perfect imagery.
If you concentrate on ensuring that you have the right message in front of the perfect audience, then your Instagram advert campaign is definitely going to be a massive hit!
Karen is a senior technical writer and copywriter here at GrowFollowing. Her area of expertize are social media apps and new media.