The Ultimate Guide to Running Ads on Instagram

Instagram as a platform should not be ignored. While it may be younger than its parent company, Facebook, Instagram happens to be the breakout star of the family. Currently, there are 800 million active users on this platform, and the rapid growth since 2013 has simply been outstanding. How can a company like yours afford to stand out when there are so many active users browsing through the feed at odd hours of the day?

At this juncture, Instagram ads come into prominence. To run ads on Instagram, you need to focus on the right people at the right time. Before you get started with an Instagram ad campaign, there are a few pointers of which you should be aware.

The definition of Instagram advertising

Instagram advertising is a method of reaching a larger and more targeted audience by posting sponsored content on the Instagram platform. There are numerous reasons for a business to advertise, but Instagram ads are all about providing relevant exposure to the brand, generating new leads, and moving the current leads down the funnel.

Instagram is a visual platform, so text ads are not a concern. You are going to require an image, a set of images, or videos that are accompanied by instructions on how to run ads on Instagram. The best part about all this is that Instagram works and results are assured. It is a lot like Facebook ads, where you put some money behind a post that will lead to more exposure for your brand. You gain better control over who sees your brand.

Do you think Instagram advertising is right for your business?

This points to the question, “Who is on Instagram?” Despite the fact that there are more women than men on Instagram, the gender gap is not as large as it appears. If this may not seem like the platform that you are using to target your audience, do not dismiss the social network as a foregone conclusion. Similar to other platforms, running ads on Instagram provides you with specific control over the targeted audience.

Though the advertisers would harp on the fact that Instagram uses demographic data to serve up ads to the relevant audience, this would make the tool a super asset for the audience to target a niche audience. Facebook already has a history of demographic targeting options. Instagram is a viable tool if you are in a creative industry like craft marketing or the restaurant business.

Steps to start advertising on Instagram

Taking stock of the ins and outs of how to make Instagram ads may seem overwhelming at first. The good news is that if you are advertising on Facebook, there is not much to learn. Direct configuration of Instagram advertising is possible from a Facebook Messenger ad.

There is no reason to freak out if you are not doing Facebook ads. There is a direct option to create simple ads using the Instagram app. Configuring Instagram ads is not complex, but there are a few steps by which you may get the process of how to run ads on Instagram started.

Navigation to the Facebook ad manager

Navigating to the ad manager on Facebook, follow the relevant link. You need to be logged in to an appropriate Facebook account. There is no dedicated ad manager for Instagram. Instagram ads are navigated through the Facebook ad UI.

Setting up marketing objectives

Now for the fun part: choose a campaign goal. The majority of the objectives are self-explanatory. If you require more traffic, you need to set a traffic goal. On the other hand, if you are looking to enhance brand awareness, you need to choose the relevant goal. A point to consider is that Instagram ads work with the following goals:

• Brand awareness
• Traffic
• Reach
• Conversions
• Video views

Though these goals are intuitive, a few of them require a few additional steps. For example, if reaching new audiences is your objective in setting up an Instagram account, then while creating the ad itself, make sure that you select an Instagram account. An interesting aspect is that you can cash in on the benefits of the Facebook spill testing feature.

The target audience needs to be configured

After selection of the objective, the appropriate audience is to be targeted to get the right ads in front of the right people. This is one of the specializations on how to run Instagram ads since you will be relying on the demographic knowledge depth of Facebook to tap on the right people. If you have done this process for Facebook, then you have several audiences that are familiar with the process. If you are new to the process, then a rundown of the various targeting options is necessary.

Choice of placements

After targeting an ideal demographic, the time is right to choose your placements. If the objective of your campaign is to display ads on Instagram, this is crucial. Facebook will display your adverts on both platforms if you skip this step. This is not a negative thing, but if you have content that is specifically developed on how to make ads on Instagram, then select “Edit placements here. Then you can select Instagram as a specific placement here if you are looking for the ads to appear in the stories section.

The budget and ad schedule are to be set

Setting a budget and ad schedule on Instagram is a trial-and-error method. The good news is that you have the liberty to stop or control your campaign at any time if you feel that the budget is not allocated properly. It is better to lean toward daily budgets since it assures that the budget will not be spent quickly. Lifetime budgets allow you to schedule your ad delivery, as there are pros and cons to each option. A suggestion is to explore the advanced options section too. Even an ad schedule can be operational to target specific times of the day or a week.

Creation of an Instagram ad

Now comes the final step in learning how to run ads on Instagram. After complying with the above steps, you should have some ideas in the back of your mind about content creation. The setting up part may look different from a campaign objective, though there are a few ad options from which you can choose.

The best practices for Instagram ads

By now, you may be aware of the basic principles of Instagram advertising. It is possible to avail a better ROI by complying with the best practices of Instagram advertising.

Each advertisement should have a distinct personality

It could be an intriguing image or an emotional video, but if the Instagram post is not humanized, you will not reach your engagement potential. People use this platform to be amused, entertained, and amazed. Hence, appealing to the emotions is the right approach to follow.

The ad has to be conceptually relevant

What may work with one social media platform may not work with the other. For example, your business would not promote the same content on Twitter as it would on LinkedIn, as the audience is in a different state of mind. The same logic is applicable for Instagram. You need to put yourself in the shoes of the buyer and figure out where you are headed. Make sure that the ads are not overly sales-driven, as this is not what Instagram is known for.

Using hashtags

Do not use hashtags for love or “food. Adopt a creative approach and undertake some research at your end to figure out which hashtags are likely to be searched by your audience. At the same time, do not overdo things with hashtags. This may make your post look desperate and sloppy. A trend that is visible is that longer hashtags are known to perform better.

Posting at optimal hours

Using the feature of ad- schedule with lifetime budgeting is a viable way of getting the right people at the right time. If you know your audience well, this would not be a hard step to determine but the concept of trail or error can work here. Asking a few basic questions before you begin your journey is a worthy move.

To sum up things without wasting much time, start your journey and advertise on Instagram! It is one platform that you should not ignore, and the above-mentioned information will provide you with relevant information to get started.

For more such blogs, Connect with GTECH.