Things you need to know when you start using Instagram ads

March 04, 2023
Naser Emad
Naser Emad
Naser Emad
Naser Emad
15 mins read
Things you need to know when you start using Instagram ads

Mouth-watering layered chocolate cake. Cute puppy wearing a tie. And...advertising?

At first glance, Instagram-sponsored posts seem a bit out of place on extreme sports, extreme food, and extremely cute social networks. However, in reality, Instagram marketing requires only one thing to be successful: a good photo.

In other words, for most brands, Instagram’s new advertising is still an unknown variable. What do they look like? How do they work? What are the best practices for advertising on Instagram? The power of Instagram is undeniable in its aesthetic appeal and quantity. Instagram users contribute 80 million photos and more than 3.5 billion likes every day. The social network has 400 million monthly active users, 100 million more than Twitter.

 

No wonder brands will keep up with trends and try to use Instagram-sponsored posts. If you are thinking about starting, here are five tips to help you improve and get some help (and a photo) from our friends at AdRoll:

1. Instagram And Facebook Are Linked

Getting started with Instagram-sponsored posts is very simple. You only need to have a Facebook account. Instagram ads can be set up through Ad Creation, Power Editor, or Facebook Ads API.

This gives you access to the full set of Facebook ad targeting features, allowing you to filter by demographic data such as age, gender, and interests. This can help you optimize your Instagram marketing campaign by providing the right content to the right people.

 

2. Set Your Stage and Leverage the Community

Instagram sponsored posts are native, which means they are integrated into the content and user experience of the platform. What's really clever is how the Instagram feed displays one post at a time as the user scrolls. Your ads will be integrated directly into the feed, but will also have the upper hand when users log in.

This is really powerful because you can gain visibility without the risk of angering potential customers. The fact is that 92% of consumers trust the real content of their peers more than traditional advertising by marketers. Therefore, when you try your campaign, consider selecting photos from your community or "rewriting" to increase engagement. This shows how happy customers are with your product and motivates your followers to share by tagging you or your brand hashtag.

 

3. Double, Triple The Visuals

Last year, Instagram launched Carousel Ads, a new slideshow format that allows brands to edit a series of photos for users to browse. This feature provides a lot of room to increase the depth of advertising, which can sometimes be a challenge in the mobile field. Depending on your business, you can try a series of carousels-from behind-the-scenes settings to step-by-step tutorials or look books.

Showtime produced a very interesting commercial that highlighted various characters when they made their debut on the horror show "Penny Dreadful". On the other hand, Samsung used Carousel Ads to create a photo tutorial when it launched the Galaxy S6.

 

4. Try Switching Up Your CTA

Did you know that Instagram ads have a series of call-to-action-buttons? These include: "Learn More", "Download", "Install Now", "Buy Now", "Register", "Buy" and so on.

These options allow you to be very strategic when planning the post-ad user experience. Do you send users to your mobile application? If you don’t have one, maybe you want to direct them to a simple capture form on a responsive login page.

Don't forget to consider the entire user flow so that you can fully capture potential customers and/or conversions end-to-end!

 

5. Don’t Forget To A/B Test

Like all marketing activities, thoroughly test to optimize results!

If you’re just starting out, you might not immediately think of A/B testing on Instagram. After all, this is an application, and A/B testing of an application can be daunting.

But in fact, there are many simple ways to measure which ones are effective and which ones are ineffective. You can start your campaign by running a small number of ads, in which you keep everything the same, except for the test variables.

If you are testing content, please run two ads, keeping the image and call-to-action unchanged, but one with a longer copy and the other with a shorter copy. Run these ads at the same time, and slowly eliminate them as you better understand which ads lead to higher conversion rates.

Once you master the basics, all that remains is to adjust to understand what your community is talking about. Providing relevant, eye-catching images at the right time is bound to win the hearts of users-both literally and on the screen.

Continua a leggere

Altri post dal nostro blog

Understanding the X-Twitter Algorithm: A Comprehensive Guide
By Naser Emad March 28, 2024
Deciphering the Twitter (X) AlgorithmIn the bustling world of social media, understanding algorithms is paramount to maximizing your online presence....
Read more
How to Create a Successful Social Media Campaign, Step by Step
By Naser Emad March 28, 2024
Social media campaigns have become essential for businesses aiming to reach and engage with their target audience effectively. With billions of users...
Read more
Enhance Your Professional Brand: How to Create & Change Your LinkedIn URL
By Naser Emad March 26, 2024
In today's competitive job market, having a stellar resume is just the beginning. Employers now expect candidates to present a polished online...
Read more