Do you want to reach a large number of users on Instagram, where you want to connect and engage with them? Do you want to transform them into customers?
Well, it is possible through Instagram Ads. Just like Facebook, Instagram ads are also evolving and improving, allowing us to create better ads.
Instagram is a visual platform, where you can reach your audience with images or videos through Instagram ads.
There is a lot covered in this article. Here we will walk through everything you need to know about how to advertise on Instagram along with some useful Instagram ads tips to create better Instagram ads.
What are Instagram Ads?
The posts or stories that appear in your Instagram feeds are nothing but Instagram Ads. The paid Ads are done by businesses who want to promote their ads to user’s Instagram feeds to reach maximum audiences and generate leads to convert them to customers.
These paid ads look similar to regular Instagram posts but can be identified through the “Sponsored” label. Here, you can also add a call-to-action button to drive traffic and increase conversations.
There are some additional e-commerce features added to Instagram types that we will discuss later in this article. So continue reading till the end of the post.
How much do Instagram Ads cost?
It is a sensitive question to answer. There are many factors which put an impact on the cost of your Instagram ads. Some of them are:
- Targeting
- Ad format
- Ad placement
- Time of the year
There are also a few factors that are not revealed to us by the platform. The model is based on CPC(cost-per-click) and CPM’s(cost-per-impressions), and the prices are set according to Instagram’s ad auction.
Other than that, the best way is to decide how much you want to spend per result. You can start over with Instagram advertising with a small budget.
Facebook says, “Tell me the amount you want to spend on the ads. We will try to give you maximum results for your amount. The price you want to spend depends on you. It can be $3 per week or it can also be $300,000 per week”.
A good strategy on spending limits and daily budget can let you have control over your Instagram Ads.
Types of Instagram Ads:
Like Facebook, Instagram also provides various ad formats like
- Story ads
- Photo ads
- Video ads
- Carousel ads
- Collection ads
- Explore ads
- IGTV ads
- Instagram shopping ads
Businesses having different goals adopt different ad formats having different call-to-action options available. Let’s see them in detail below.
1. Story ads:
In between the user’s stories, the Instagram story ads appear in full screen. There are 500 million Instagram story viewers who view Instagram stories every day. It can help you reach maximum audiences with Instagram stories.
There are some supported objectives like:
- App installs
- Brand awareness
- Conversations
- Lead generation
- Message
- Reach
- Store traffic
- Traffic
- Video views
You can also use Instagram story features like video effects, face filters, funny text, and unique promotions to make your story more creative and can create a flawless experience for the users.
There is a swipe-up feature at the bottom of the story, which will take you to the call-to-action page that consists of options like:
- Apply now
- Book now
- Contact us
- Download
- Get showtimes
- Get quote
- Get offer
- Install now
- Learn more
- Listen now
- Order now
- Play game
- Request time
- See menu
- Send message
- Shop now
- Sign up
- Subscribe
- Use app
- Watch more
2. photo ads:
Photo ads are used to display products and services through attractive images. When you craft top-level visual content, Instagram provides you the platform to share it with more users.
You can also create new content specifically to run it as a photo ad.
The supported objectives are:
- App installs
- Brand awareness
- Catalog sales
- Conversations
- Engagement
- Lead generation
- Messages
- Reach
- Store traffic
- Traffic
There are call-to-action buttons like:
- Apply now
- Book now
- Book test drive
- Call now
- Check availability
- Contact us
- Donate
- Download
- Get directions
- Get quote
- Get showtimes
- Get offer
- Learn more
- Install now
- Listen now
- Open link
- Order now
- Play game
- Pre-register
- Request time
- See menu
- Send message
- Send WhatsApp message
- Shop now
- Sign up
- Subscribe
- use app
- Watch more
Which of them do you think is best to achieve your goal? Do you want to redirect your visitors to your website? Or you want them to check your profile? Please do comment and share your answers with us.
3. Video ads:
The supported objectives are:
- App installs
- Brand awareness
- Conversations
- Engagement
- Lead generation
- Messages
- Reach
- Store traffic
- Traffic
- Video views
Instagram provides you 1 minute to promote your brand, products, or services through video ads. Short videos are more effective. Also, video ads can be more effective if you include branding in the first few seconds of the ad.
The call-to-action buttons are:
- Apply now
- Book now
- Book test drive
- Call now
- Check availability
- Contact us
- Donate
- Download
- Get directions
- Get showtimes
- Get quote
- Get offer
- Install now
- Learn more
- Listen now
- Order now
- Play game
- Preregister
- Request time
- See menu
- Send message
- Send WhatsApp message
- Shop now
- Sign up
- Subscribe
- Use app
- Watch more
4. Carousel ads:
Supported objectives are:
- App installs
- Brand awareness
- Catalog sales
- Conversions
- Lead generation
- Messages
- Reach
- Store traffic
- Traffic
In carousel ads, there will be a sequence of photos or videos which you can swipe to see. You will also get to see a call-to-action button that will directly take you to your website.
The call-to-action buttons are:
- Apply now
- Book now
- Book test drive
- Call now
- Check availability
- Contact us
- Donate
- Download
- Get directions
- Get showtimes
- Get quote
- Get offer
- Install now
- Learn more
- Listen now
- Open link
- Order now
- Play game
- Preregister
- Request time
- See menu
- Send message
- Send WhatsApp message
- Shop now
- Sign up
- Subscribe
- Use app
- Watch more
Carousel ads are used to emphasize multiple products, share multiple stories and photos.
5. Collections ads:
The supported objectives are:
- Catalog sales
- Conversations
- Store traffic
- traffic
Instagram collection ads provide an eCommerce feature: From the ads, Instagram users can directly purchase the products. When they click on the product ads, they are redirected to Instant Experience Storefront. These ads become all-in-one powerful advertisements that combine the power of images, videos, and direct marketing.
The call-to-action buttons are:
- Learn more
- Purchase
6. Instagram explore ads:
The supported objectives are:
- App installs
- Brand awareness
- Conversions
- Engagement
- Lead generation
- Messages
- Reach
- Traffic
- Video views
New content and accounts are discovered by the users in the explore Instagram screen. Many Instagram users access it every month. Explore grid or tropic channels do not contain explore ads. These ads appear when someone clicks on the photo or video in the Explore.
If you choose to Explore as an extra placement, you can use your regular images and videos in Explore.
The call-to-action buttons are:
- Apply now
- Book now
- Book test drive
- Check availability
- Contact us
- Download
- Get showtimes
- Get quote
- Get offer
- Install now
- Learn more
- Listen now
- Play game
- Preregister
- Request time
- See menu
- Send message
- Send WhatsApp message
- Shop now
- Sign up
- subscribe
- Use app
- Watch more
7. IGTV ads:
Advertisements in IGTV is a brand new development, announced recently by Instagram. As the details are not yet clear, the creators will receive 55% of the ad revenue.
8. Instagram shopping ads:
The supported objectives are:
- Brand awareness
- Conversations
- Link click
- Post engagement
- Reach
The shopping ads can be run by Instagram shoppable posts. These posts directly take the users to the description page of the product. Through a mobile website, they can purchase.
How to choose the best Instagram ad type:
You can choose the best Instagram ad type if you know your target well. Your target will give you the way to select one format for your ad.
What is my goal?
Through a review of your social marketing strategy, you can discover smart goals for your Instagram ad campaign. You can use the business objectives of each Instagram ad format that can help you achieve your goals.
You can also consider the content in your Instagram feed that gets more responses.
Once your Instagram ads are placed, you can view them in Instagram Insights to monitor your success. You can also change or modify the ad type to improve your Instagram advertising strategies.
How to advertise on Instagram?
Like the Facebook boost post option, you can promote an existing post on your profile that is performing well and achieving lots of engagement. It is the best way to start advertising on Instagram with a quick and easy method to reach more audiences.
To perform this, you need to have a business account or creator account on Instagram. Then go to your post and click promote below the post.
Now, connect a Facebook business page to your Instagram account. Or else you can also create a new one.
Now go for some options like, who will see your ad, where you want to send them, how much you want to spend, and for how much time you want to run this ad.
Now, click on create a promotion. In case if you want to track the result, you can see the promotion tab of your Instagram profile.
Steps to advertise on Instagram using Facebook Ads Manager:
- Go to the ads manager.
- Select create.
- Choose an objective that supports Instagram as an ad placement.
- Select continue.
- Fill in the details for your ad set.
- In the placement section, you can select edit placements and choose Instagram to have your ads appear on it.
- Select continue.
Instagram ad tips and best practices:
After having a brief idea about how to advertise on Instagram, you need some tips to keep in mind while you create Instagram ad campaigns.
1. Know your audience:
When you come to know your audience, you will be able to create Instagram ads according to their choice. The most important thing you need to know is-
- Their needs and wants.
- What offers you provide them.
- Use text wisely:
2. Use text wisely:
In Instagram ads, you can use only 2,200 characters where only two rows of the text will get displayed. So use the text wisely to connect with your audience and make them bound to use the CTA button.
3. Engage:
Never ignore responding to likes and comments on your ads. You should answer all the questions which are asked in your comment section. For not only the person whom you answer but also the way you address your client can drive more purchases.
4. Test, measure, and optimize:
You can view the result of your Instagram ads through the Facebook ads manager. Monitoring results can improve your strategy and get the most out of Instagram ads budget.
You can also repost your post on Instagram as well as all other social media platforms. It is possible by a single software called Socinator. When you are tired of doing repetitive posts on social media, you can go for the all-in-one solution that is Socinator.
It is the social media management tool that handles social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and many more. It provides automatic features like auto-follow, auto-unfollow, auto comment, aut0-like, auto-post with scheduled date and time, etc.
It makes your work easy with its automatic features and helps you manage your social media platforms with fewer efforts.
Checkout our new posts:
Holiday Marketing On Instagram With 09 Strategies
Build a brand on YouTube: a complete guide with 06 steps
How To Add Link To Instagram Post: A Simple Guide
Wrapping words:
Wow, it was a long Instagram ads guide with much important information.
This guide has covered all possible topics related to Instagram advertisements. So, do read once and share your experience.
Did you run Instagram ads before? If so, what was your master plan? Did it work? Or did anything stop you at some point?Let me know in the comment section below. I feel good to hear about your experiences!!