In this guide to Instagram Advertising, I’ll take you through all of the reasons you should be on Instagram. Plus, give you some helpful hints towards building your Instagram advertising strategy. As well as, setting objectives, and delivering results.
Eventually, Instagram hosts dozens of original filters that users can add to their photos. Not to mention, these preset filters make various changes to photos. Including adding light, giving the image a warm or cool tone, increasing or decreasing saturation, and much more.
Additionally, users can edit images directly in the platform, as opposed to using a third-party photo editor. And if they don’t like one particular filter, they can use Instagram’s editing feature. Like individually change the contrast, brightness, structure, warmth, saturation, sharpness, and more.
In other words, it’s now a global platform that allows brands to humanize their content, recruit new talent, showcase products, and inspire their audience. Furthermore, Instagram users aren’t just active — they’re engaged.
What is Instagram?
By all means, Instagram has taken the world by storm. And it seems like everyone — and their cats, dogs, wealth, name them— is on the platform. On the other hand, you may have also noticed the increase in brands who’ve developed a presence on the platform.
For beginners, Instagram is a photo and video-sharing social networking platform originally created for smartphones. And since its inception in 2010, the platform has soared in popularity, especially among millennials. But, is Instagram worth their time, and should your business also be on the platform?
Of course, Yes! And here’s why:
- Instagram sees over one billion active monthly users and 500 million daily Instagram Stories
- 60% of adults online use Instagram, including 35% of adults in the U.S.
- However, 80% of the app’s user base is outside the U.S.
- There are 25 million business profiles on Instagram.
- 80% of Instagram users follow at least one business, and 72% of users say they’ve purchased a product they’ve seen on the platform.
As can be seen, it’s clear that Instagram isn’t just for personal use anymore — whether for you or your assets. With more than half of the platform’s active users visiting the site daily. And 35% of them saying that they check it multiple times a day.
What is Instagram Advertising?
Instagram Advertising or Lead Marketing is the way that brands use Instagram to connect with their target audiences and market their offerings. Recently, it’s gained popularity as an exciting method for brands to utilize it in various forms. For instance, to show off their cultures, recruit new employees, engage with customers, and show off products in a new light.
Just like Facebook and Twitter, everybody who creates an Instagram account has a profile and newsfeed. Where users can interact with one another by following, being followed, private messaging, and commenting on or liking photos or videos.
Basically, the in-app filters and editing options Instagram offers make the app unique because it was the first app to offer in-app editing to this extent. Another important point is that Instagram allows users to upload photos and videos to their profile and edit them with various options.
As a matter of fact, through Instagram advertising, you can greatly grow your brand awareness and introduce new products. Keeping in mind, 70% of Instagram users have spent time searching for a brand on the platform.
Related Topic: 10 Things You Need to Do When Getting Started on Instagram
What’s more, Instagram allows you to promote your brand and product in a friendly, authentic way without hard selling to your customers. But, even with all these Instagram statistics, you may still be unsure of how to get started. Personally, I know the platform can be a little bit intimidating at first, and that’s why I’ve created this guide.
Before we begin, it’s important to note that Instagram is intended for in-the-moment content. So, to stay relevant amongst your audience you’ll need to invest the resources required to post regularly. And the best way to keep your followers engaged is to keep your Instagram profile up-to-date.
Below, I’ll dive right into how to build and maintain a successful brand through Instagram marketing. But, if you don’t have it already, download the Instagram app from the App Store or Google Play Store. You can view content on Instagram’s website, but you can’t upload it via your desktop. You’ll need the app for that.
Why should you Invest in Instagram Ads?
As of February 2019, Instagram boasts over 1 billion active users, 500 million of whom use Stories every day to quickly update their followers. And according to Instagram, 60% of people say they discover new products on the platform, and 20% of users visit a business profile every single day.
Plus, 33% of the most popular Instagram Stories are shared by businesses like yours. Similar to Facebook ads, throwing some money behind a post will lead to more exposure for your brand, as well as more control over who can see your post.
Via Instagram.
However, what advertisers should really latch onto is the fact that Instagram uses Facebook’s demographic data to serve up ads to the appropriate parties. Making the tool super valuable for advertisers looking to target a niche audience. Simply, because Facebook already has a decent history and thorough demographic targeting options.
But, if you’ll need more convincing, feel free to check out on Instagram’s success stories page where you can sort by industry, goal, product, region, and business size. To find stories about how similar businesses are seeing success with advertisements.
How is Instagram Advertising done?
Surprisingly, it’s hard to believe that Instagram used to be the younger, immature sister of Facebook where people would filter pictures of their ramen. Now businesses have adopted Instagram as one of their main revenue-generating tools. As of today, Instagram has over 2 million advertisers and 25 million business profiles!
Instagram advertising model used is based on CPM’s (cost per impressions). While Instagram ads on average receive much higher engagement than Facebook ads, it does come at a price. According to Keith Baumwald, founder of leverag.com, Instagram ads costs are slightly higher in cost than Facebook ads.
Additionally, Baumwald claims that since the ads are so highly targeted you could end up paying as high as $5 a CPM. According to CPC Strategy, the average Instagram CPC is $0.70 (compared to an average of $0.35 on Facebook). That figure tends to be higher for Instagram users between the ages of 18 and 44, for women, and for Apple device users.
Related Topic: 7 Marketing Tips to Help Grow Your Brand on Instagram
On the bright side, advertisers do have control over how their budgets are allocated. For example, you can choose between a daily budget to limit the amount spend per day. Or a lifetime budget where you would set up your ads. Then run for a length of time until the budget is depleted.
Other ways to control your Instagram ad spend include setting your ad schedule. For instance, you can specify certain hours of the day you want your ads to run. While at the same time, setting your ad delivery method.
There are three options involved— à link clicks, impressions, and daily unique reach. As well as setting your bid amount (manual vs. automatic). Below are the Main Features of Instagram Ads that yo are more likely to find;
1. Ads in Explore
Explore is where people go to serendipitously discover content, watch, shop, and connect with creators and businesses. Every person’s Explore page is unique, featuring curated content that’s personalized based on each individual’s interests.
Now, businesses have the ability to reach people in this discovery mindset with Ads in Explore. Using Ads in Explore, reach people in a discovery mindset! By extending your feed ads to audiences who are looking to expand their interests beyond the accounts they follow.
Why Ads in Explore?
Simply, because Ads in Explore give advertisers an opportunity to extend their campaign to additional audiences. Becoming part of what is culturally relevant and trending.
Below is a screenshot of Ads in Explore at work. The first image represents Instagram Explore (grid of photos and videos). Followed by Ad in Explore Feed Ad (scrollable feed of photos and videos). And lastly, the image represents Ad in Explore Video (scrollable feed of videos).
From the Instagram Explore grid, clicking into a small media leads to the Explore feed (middle image). Where both photo and video ads will show up as they would appear in an Instagram feed.
Clicking into a larger media leads to the Explore Video experience (right image), which will only show video ads.
Please Note: Ads will not appear in the Explore page itself, in the topic channels, or in IGTV, Shopping, or Stories destinations.
While reaching people who are looking to discover something new. Leverage existing feed assets in this new placement to reach more people in more places. You can learn more about how Ads in Explore works, or get started straight away when you create your own ad.
2. Stories ads, Photo ads & Video ads:
Complement your feed content with Stories ads through your Instagram Stories. Connect with over 500 million accounts using stories daily.1 Learn more about story ads and specs.
Tell your story through a clean, simple, and beautiful creative canvas. Photos ads can be in a square or landscape format.
Get the same visually immersive quality Video ads as the photo, with the added power of sight, sound, or motion. And now, you can share videos up to 120 seconds long in landscape or square format.
Carousel ads & Collection ads:
Through Carousel ads, add another layer of depth to campaigns, where people can swipe to view additional photos or videos in a single ad.
You can use Collection ads to visually inspire and help your audience discover, browse, and purchase products. Tell an integrated story with a product or lifestyle focus, through video, images, or both.
A Quick Guide on How to Design Instagram Ads
Above all, before you get started with Instagram marketing, you need an Instagram for Business account or an Instagram Creator account. With this in mind, here are 17 Instagram Marketing Tips You Can’t Afford to Ignore!
It’s no secret that your business needs to be active on Instagram. With more than 500 million users, it’s a social network that provides a great marketing platform. Allowing you to reach potential customers from every corner of the world.
Advertising on Instagram | Instagram for Business
In order to improve on your Instagram advertising, you need to increase your following on a steady and consistent basis. After all, the more people that come in contact with your brand and follow you on Instagram, the larger your audience is that you can potentially reach every time you post.
What I can say is that Instagram can be an incredibly powerful platform for marketers. With such a huge population now using it, there is no better platform for marketers who want to promote visual content. While the app alone may be enough to get you started, using the right marketing tools can really ramp up your results.
How to Create Instagram Ads in Ads Manager
When you’re ready to run Instagram ads, start in Ads Manager, and select Instagram as a placement. You don’t need an Instagram account to run ads on Instagram.
Equally important, you can use your Facebook Page or a connected Instagram account (if you have one). But, before you begin;
- If you’d like to connect to your Instagram account, you can add to your Business Manager or connect through your Page’s settings.
- Prepare images or videos that you’d like to include in your ad.
- Determine which Facebook advertising objective aligns with your marketing goal.
Getting Started with Instagram Advertising
To select Instagram as a placement for your ads:
- Go to Ads Manager.
- Select Create.
- Choose an objective that supports Instagram as an ad placement.
- Select Continue.
- Fill in the details for your ad set.
- At the placements section, you can select Edit placements and select Instagram to have your ads appear on Instagram. If you select automatic placements, your ad will run across a variety of Facebook placements, including Instagram to give you the best value for your ads.
- Select Continue.
You have now selected Instagram as a placement. And in that case, you can complete your ad by adding details for your ad’s identity, format, as well as the related links.
Once you have filled in these details, you will be able to preview your ad before submitting it for review. Your ad will appear on Instagram soon after its approval. You can learn more about;
Resources:
Finally, I hope the above-revised guide on Instagram Advertising was helpful to you and your online marketing team.
But, if you’ll need additional support, more elaborate guidelines, or question answers related to this or more of our blog topics, please Contact Us. You can also leave your thoughts in the comments section. Below are more resourceful and related topic links;
- Social Media Is for More Than Just Marketing
- Google Ads | Get More Customers With Online Advertising
- Pinterest Ads | How to Promote your Pins Step-by-step
- Facebook Promotion Campaign | Step-by-step Guidelines
- 9 Tools to Improve Your Instagram Marketing
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