Instagram is quickly becoming one of the most popular social media platforms available, surpassing both Twitter and Pinterest in the number of daily users, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.
It’s also the second most popular platform for millennial users, with 59% of those surveyed between 18-29 saying they use Instagram, second only to Facebook, with 88% saying they use it.
It’s clear that Instagram has a huge influence over consumers, and businesses should be coming up with strategies to take advantage of the great marketing opportunities afforded by this platform. One of the ways to engage with customers is through advertising on Instagram.
If you’re new to Instagram Ads, don’t worry, we’ve got some great info today that can help get you started and on the path to earning yourself more business.
Different Types of Ads
With Instagram, you have a few different options for advertising your products and services to customers. Instagram is primarily a photo sharing platform, but videos have been growing exponentially in the service, thanks to the addition of minute long videos, live streaming, and Stories.
Routine picture posts are the simplest way to show off your products on Instagram, but videos are better at showing a more accurate representation of what you’re selling and keeping people interested in your post for a longer time. However, be careful when you post a video. If you don’t grab a user’s attention within the first few seconds of a video, then they’ll scroll right on past your content.
With Instagram’s new Multi-Upload feature, you can now add up to 10 photos to one single post, leaving the door open for lots of unique advertising opportunities.
And let’s not forget about Stories, Instagram’s unabashed clone of Snapchat’s own Stories feature. Certain brands have access to advertising capabilities in Stories and feature their ads in between a user’s follower’s Stories, but this is only open to a select few companies right now. Instead, think about using the normal Stories feature to give your followers something exclusive to check out, like behind-the-scenes access to your business operations, or exclusive promotional codes.
How To Setup An Ad
Sponsored posts in Instagram work a little bit differently than in other places. In order to set up an Instagram Ad through their service, you first have to have a Facebook Business Page. Facebook and Instagram advertising are tied together, which makes sense when you consider that Facebook bought Instagram back in 2012.
You’ll also need to make sure your Instagram account is set up as an official business account.
You’ll need to connect your Instagram account to your Facebook Page by clicking on Settings on your Page, and then going to the tab that says Instagram Ads on the left side of the screen. Connect your Instagram account using your username and password, and then add the accounts you want to Advertise on to finish up.
Next, navigate to the Ad Creation page, and then select your marketing objective from the list of options. Facebook makes it easy for anyone to create an ad, even if you’ve never done one before. If you’re unsure what one of the marketing objectives is on the list, hover over the “i” icon and Facebook will give you a brief description of what each type of objective does for you.
The next step involves selecting who your target audience for the ad will be, based on various demographics such as location, age, gender, interests, and more. You’ll also have to decide how much you want to spend on your advertising campaign, and whether you want to increase your engagement or impressions. Don’t worry if you don’t know what to do here; Facebook makes it very easy to set up a campaign and explains every part of the process in great detail.
The last thing you need to remember, and maybe the most important thing, is to add appropriate and engaging captions and Call-To-Actions on your advertisement. The ultimate goal of an ad is to drive users to your website to make a purchase, right? If you publish an ad with no CTAs to lead them to clicking on a button or making a call to your business, then your ad will be unsuccessful.
Lead your customers from your Instagram post, to your website, to making a purchase on your website. It’s all about conversions with advertising, and Instagram ads provide a new tool for you to get more sales!
What An Ad Can Do For You
Users on Instagram are far more likely to engage with branded posts than they are on both Facebook and Twitter. In fact, Instagram is known for having an extremely high engagement rate compared to other social media platforms.
According to data collected from YotPo, 30% of Instagram users have bought something they first spotted on Instagram. Not only that, visitors from Instagram stay on a site for an average of 192 seconds, meaning they’re a much more engaged audience than Facebook or Twitter users.
Instagram ads have proven year after year that they’re the kings of online engagement. Try advertising on Instagram today and see what it can do for your business.
For more on getting started with Instagram Ads for Business, check out their help page.
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