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When looking into how to advertise on Instagram, there are multiple ad placements and formats that can be used in a campaign. But in order to take advantage of influencer platforms and advertisement possibilities, brands must begin their campaigns with a thoughtful plan for deciding which types of ads to run.
You might be wondering, “how to advertise on Instagram?” Instagram advertising allows brands to reach their targeted audience via Instagram’s Feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore pages. There are over a billion active users on Instagram each month! A report from Instagram indicated that on a weekly basis, 44% of users are shopping on their platform. Thoughtfully created ads showing up in the right Instagram user’s daily scroll can encourage users to interact with the ad, likely driving sales and conversions.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BE1G9k0wpUS/
The First Steps to a Thoughtful Ad Campaign
1. Set your goal
Before running an ad campaign, it’s vital to have a goal in mind. Are you interested in increasing awareness? Do you want to drive sales and conversions? Are you looking to promote a new product or service?
When looking at how to advertise on Instagram effectively, brands need to look at whether their ads would go better on the Instagram feed, Stories, Reels, and Explore. Your goal will help you decide these things. For example, if you’re looking to promote a product, you may have a call-to-action (CTA) in a Story advertisement that links users directly to the product. If you’re looking to spread awareness about a new company, you may use a Reel that introduces your company, along with a CTA button that brings viewers right to the company’s website.
Check out this NeoReach blog to see why Fashion Brands Love Instagram Influencer Marketing!
2. Know your audience
Knowing your audience means knowing how to advertise on Instagram. This may be targeting different genders, interest groups or different generations. For example, if you are targeting Gen Z, you might be more prone to running ads via Reels or Stories because those are the newest features on Instagram. Whereas, if you are targeting an older generation of Instagram users, perhaps consider running in-feed advertisements, or Explore page ads more reminiscent of Facebook.
Also, think about what influencer platforms might be relevant to your audience. A Gen Z audience might be more prone to following newer creators, while a Millennial audience may be loyal to creators they’ve followed for years. How might you work with or be inspired by certain influencers favored by your target audience?
Interested in Instagram influencers? See The Evolution of the Instagram Model
What to Choose: Types of Ads
Instagram offers many types of ads to choose from -image, video, and carousel ads are popular, as are Reels and Stories. Instagram has recently come out with new ad placements and formats. Without a clear campaign plan in mind, it can be tricky to choose which ads will be most effective.
1. Ads on the Explore page
83% of people use Instagram Explore to discover new products and services, with over 200 million accounts visiting the Explore page each day. In the past, it has been exceptionally difficult to get ads on the Explore page, let alone get normal posts on the Explore page. In order to get on the page, a post must have a lot of engagement. This can be difficult to come by, especially since ads are often seen as invasive and annoying.
With this new feature, brands can more naturally incorporate engaging ads on the Explore page, instead of only the Explore feed. This means that ads will show up on the grid of the Explore page, not just after users tap on a single Explore page post and begin scrolling. This makes the ads easier to find and will likely lead to an increase in reach and impressions.
2. Take advantage of influencer platforms with Profile Feed Ads
In the newest update, advertisers will be able to take advantage of influencer platforms with the ability to display ads in the profiles of other users. Eligible creators will be able to monetize this, though at the moment only select U.S. influencers have access to the feature. No further information is yet available.
Instagram shared, “Ads in profile feed give advertisers the opportunity to expand their reach easily using existing feed assets while giving people the same personalized ad experience they enjoy in their main Instagram feed.”
Click here to check out How to Make Influencer Marketing Better for your Campaigns.
3. Multi-Advertiser Ads
Instagram uses AI-powered multi-advertiser ads to show its users related ads from different advertisers. When a user is in a shopping mindset they express “commercial intent.” This means that they have clicked on and interacted with a certain ad in a way that implies an interest in the product advertised. Instagram will then display related and complementary product advertisements based on a viewer’s curiosity. According to a study conducted by Instagram, multi-advertiser ads improved efficiency when it came to obtaining conversions.
See NeoReach’s Top NFT Influencers on Instagram by clicking here.
4. AR Ads
AR ads, or augmented reality ads, are a new technique used to drive conversions. Instagram introduced an open beta of this feature that allows AR ads to be displayed in Feeds and Stories. The idea is that users are able to interact with AR ads, spending time on and engaging with the ad, which will eventually drive conversions. Ads will also include a CTA button for users to open a link to purchase a product or go directly to the brand’s website.
5. Music Optimization
Finally, the latest update has boasted an option for optimizing music in Instagram Reels. Younger generations especially are captivated by short-form content on all social platforms – it’s no secret that many influencer platforms have come into existence because of Reels and TikTok. Instagram rolled out free, high-quality sounds from their Meta Sound Collection library. Importantly, these sounds are royalty free, meaning advertisers no longer have to spend money on buying a license or creating music of their own.
Love music? Take a look at the Rise of Spotify Influencer Marketing!
These sounds can be used in carousel Reels, but be careful! Studies show that 92% of U.S. users tend to watch their videos with the sound off. Be aware of your audience and don’t rely too heavily on sounds to get your message across. A good ad should be about 15 seconds long, with an attention-getter within the first 2-3 seconds of the ad.
How to Advertise on Instagram: Key Takeaways
When it comes to how to advertise on Instagram effectively, brands need to go into their campaigns with a plan – specifically looking at the goal and target audience. This will decide everything from CTAs to how to take advantage of existing influencer platforms. Finally, brands need to look into Instagram’s newest features. From AR ads to Explore page improvements, learning how to advertise on Instagram has never been easier!
