Instagram ads are paid messages shown to Instagram users. These ads can help a business promote a specific product or service, increase brand awareness, or drive traffic to a website. Instagram ads can appear in a user’s feed or Stories section and may also be featured on the Explore page.
Instagram ads are created and managed using Facebook’s advertising platform because Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012. This integration allows advertisers to easily create and manage ad campaigns on both Facebook and Instagram simultaneously.
Types of Instagram Ads
Instagram offers various types of ads for businesses to promote their products and services. Each of these types can be tailored to a specific target audience or goal. Here are the main types of Instagram ads:
Photo Ads: This is the simplest type of ad on Instagram. It includes a single image and a caption. It can be effective in capturing users’ attention and promoting a specific product or service.
Video Ads: These ads work similarly to a photo ad but include a video. Videos can provide a more engaging way to promote a product or service. Instagram allows video ads of up to 60 seconds.
Carousel Ads: These ads include multiple images or videos that users can horizontally swipe through. It’s ideal for showcasing a series of products or telling a story.
Slideshow Ads: Slideshow ads present a series of images or videos that automatically rotate as a sequence. It can be an effective way to promote multiple products or services simultaneously.
Story Ads: Instagram Stories is a feature where users share temporary content, and it presents a significant opportunity for advertisers. Story ads appear between user stories and are displayed in a full-screen format.
Collection Ads: These ads consist of a cover image or video and a series of product images. Users can click directly from the ad to purchase a product.
Explore Ads: These ads appear in a user’s Explore feed, where users discover new content and accounts to follow.
IGTV Ads: IGTV is Instagram’s long-form video platform. IGTV ads are visible to users while they are watching an IGTV video.
Each of these types of ads can help achieve a specific goal, whether it’s building brand awareness, driving traffic to a website, or increasing sales. Choosing the right Instagram ad type will depend on your goals, target audience, and current content strategy.
Creating an Instagram Ad Campaign: Step-by-Step Guide
I can explain the step-by-step process of creating an Instagram ad campaign as follows:
Connect Your Instagram and Facebook Accounts: Since Instagram is an integrated platform with Facebook ads, to advertise on Instagram, you need to use the Facebook Ads Manager tool. Therefore, the first step is to link your Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Use Facebook Ads Manager: Log in to your Facebook account and go to Facebook Ads Manager. Click on the ‘Create Campaign’ option.
Set Your Campaign Objective: You should determine the goal of your Instagram ad. It could be brand awareness, reach, traffic, app installs, video views, or conversions.
Define Your Audience: You can determine who will see your ad. When defining your audience, you can use demographic information (age, gender, location, etc.), interests, and behaviors. You can also use the ‘Custom Audiences’ feature to target your existing customers with ads.
Set Your Budget and Ad Schedule: You can set your daily budget or the total budget for your ad campaign. Then, you can choose an ad schedule to determine when and how often your ad will be displayed.
Choose Ad Format: You can select the appearance of your ad and choose in which formats it will appear on Instagram (Stories, photos, videos, etc.).
Prepare Ad Copy and Visuals: Create your ad by using a compelling headline, description, and captivating visuals or videos. Since Instagram is a visual platform, it’s important for your images to be of high quality and attention-grabbing.
Review and Publish the Ad: Lastly, review all the details and click on the ‘Place Order’ option to publish your ad. Your ad will go live once it’s confirmed to comply with Facebook’s ad policies.
These steps are the general steps to create an advertising campaign on Instagram. However, there are always more options and tools to optimize your campaign with more knowledge and experience. For example, you can conduct A/B tests to determine which ad receives more engagement. Additionally, you can use the analytics tools in Facebook Ads Manager to analyze the performance of your campaign.
Why Should Instagram Advertising Be Chosen?
Instagram advertising offers a range of advantages and is therefore preferred by many brands and businesses. Here are a few reasons for these choices:
Large User Base: Instagram is a large platform with millions of active users. This allows brands to reach a very wide audience.
High User Engagement: Instagram is a platform where the likelihood of users interacting with brands is high. A large portion of users follow brands and regularly engage with brand content.
Visual Focus: Instagram is a visually focused platform, making it an excellent choice for brands that want to promote their products and services visually.
Targeting Features: Since Instagram operates through Facebook’s advertising platform, brands can access the same rich demographic and psychographic targeting features. This allows brands to directly address a specific audience.
Story Ads: Instagram Stories is a feature that users check on a daily basis. This enables brands to regularly reach users through daily story content.
Purchase Features: Instagram offers a variety of shopping features that enable users to make purchases within the app. This is an excellent opportunity, especially for e-commerce brands.
Instagram advertising allows brands to reach a wide audience, achieve a high level of user engagement, and more directly and effectively reach their target audience. Additionally, its visually focused nature and purchasing features enable brands to showcase their products and services in an attractive and effective way.