Your Instagram truly is your brand’s virtual storefront, but getting the right traffic to your page isn’t always easy. You need to know exactly how to advertise on Instagram to attract potential real Instagram followers to your profile, create a chance for you to showcase your brand identity, and entice new customers to join your community.
Instagram ads are becoming more popular, and if you want your brand to succeed, it’s important to understand how to effectively promote yourself on this platform.
The audience on Instagram is super engaged, and your brand should definitely be reaching out to them. Luckily, Instagram offers advanced targeting options that let you connect with specific users who might not have found your page otherwise, which can really boost your visibility. So, let’s get started with a step-by-step guide on how to advertise on Instagram.
Why advertise on Instagram?
Businesses have a unique opportunity to promote themselves on Instagram and engage with a vast, active audience. The platform’s visually striking design allows marketers to create captivating content that resonates with consumers, boosting brand recognition and engagement. With advanced targeting options, advertisers can focus on specific demographics, interests, and behaviors, making their ads more effective.
Additionally, companies can improve their strategies for better results by taking advantage of the detailed analytics and insights provided through Instagram’s integration with Facebook’s advertising tools. The combination of Instagram’s powerful analytics, precise targeting, and stunning visuals makes it an attractive choice for marketers looking to connect with new customers.
A step-by-step guide to Instagram advertising:
Instagram advertising provides an engaging method of delivering visually stimulating material to your intended audience. You can increase your brand’s visibility and engagement by putting up successful campaigns with the help of this step-by-step guide.
Step 1: How to Advertise on Instagram – Instagram Advertisement Page Setup
In 2024, begin by ensuring you have a Business Page set up on Facebook, as this is required to run ads on Instagram. Next, convert your Instagram account into a Business Profile to unlock advertising capabilities and access advanced features for promoting your brand effectively.
Step 2: How to Advertise on Instagram – Research Examples in Your Industry
Now, time for some research and creativity. To make sure your brand is putting out top-notch content, you’ll want to take a look at how your direct competitors and leaders in your industry are utilizing Instagram advertisements.
Let’s say you are a trendy makeup brand for on-the-go girls. Then, your industry leader and main competition might be Glossier. So, let’s look at how they run their Instagram ads.
Start by clicking on the link in their bio, which will direct you to their homepage. We tapped on a few of their products to trigger an advertisement.
In 2024, Glossier effectively utilizes the Facebook pixel to track user interactions such as taps on their bio links and specific product views. This tool enables them to measure ad performance, expand their advertising audience, and drive precise sales targeting. Leveraging this data, Glossier can promptly follow up with targeted ads in users’ Instagram feeds, illustrating a strategic approach to advertising that maximizes engagement and conversion opportunities.
Let’s take a closer look at Glossier’s ad.
They chose to use a video advertisement because it allowed them up to 60 seconds not only to showcase the different colors that they offer but also how to use their product– making the ad more interactive than a still photo of the finished look.
Step 3: Choose Your Type of Instagram Advertisement
The type of Instagram advertisement you choose will depend on your campaign goals and the typical interactions of your followers with your page.
“Sponsored Ads have helped me a lot to get my name out there so people who maybe before would of never found my page.” -Brooke Boyce http://brookeboyce.wixsite.com , @brookes_wedding_planning
In 2024, it’s crucial to ensure that your ads blend seamlessly into the platform you’re advertising on, maintaining a native feel that aligns with Instagram’s content style. Adapt your visuals to mirror the types of videos and images typically shared on Instagram, ensuring that your ad appears organic and engaging when users encounter it.
For instance, instead of a plain product shot against a white background, consider showcasing your product in use or in a vibrant setting. This approach, like featuring a model shot against a lively backdrop, makes your ad more relatable and less intrusive when it appears unexpectedly in users’ Instagram feeds.
Here are the 3 main forms of Instagram advertisements:
1. Photo Ads:
Instagram photo advertisements are effective tools for presenting your company with eye-catching, superior imagery. They blend in with users’ feeds, giving companies a visually striking way to showcase their goods and services. These advertisements are perfect for showcasing a business’s look and making a powerful visual statement that may raise brand awareness and encourage interaction.
2. Carousel Ads:
Take it up a notch. Carousels allow you to present multiple photos, with the flexibility to put even more of your best work on display. Include clickable links with captions like “Shop Now” and “Learn More” to entice users to visit your site.
3. Stories Ads:
Instagram stories are an increasingly popular feature on Instagram and the perfect place to showcase video ads. As Instagram rolls out more customization for Instagram stories, such as the question sticker and shoppable tags, the popularity of Instagram stories is projected to continue rising.
There are so many ways to display your ads, but believe it or not, we’ve only just begun the ad process.
Step 4: Customize Your Instagram Advertisement
To optimize your advertisements in 2024, follow these steps to ensure efficiency and maximize your investment. Begin by accessing the Ad Manager on Facebook, where you can choose your marketing objective through an intuitive interface. You’ll find options categorized by awareness, consideration, and conversion. Consider your campaign’s overall goal and select the most suitable category to achieve your desired outcomes.
The system will have you create your Ad Account, and then customize your Ad Set.
Here are some of the key features you will find in the Ad Set section:
- Conversion: Choose where you want to drive traffic, then select a pixel or event to track conversions. If you don’t have a pixel or event, you’ll see instructions for creating one.
- Offer: Drive more conversions by creating an offer people can save and get reminders about.
- Audience: Define who you want to see your ads.
- Placements: Show your ads to the right people in the right places.
- Budget & Schedule: Define how much you’d like to spend, and when you’d like your ads to appear.
Let’s try an example:
Say you want to expand your brand’s reach to young adult women in Canada, and drive their traffic to your website with a budget of $400.
In this case, you would choose “Conversions” as your conversion, so you can see just how many taps your advertisement link got (a.k.a. how many visits your website got).
For your “Audience,” you would set the location to Canada, with an age range of 18-35, and women as the gender. You might also add a few additional interests and behaviors to further define your niche.
To specifically advertise on Instagram only, you’ll want to change your “Placements” settings from “Automatic Placements” to “Edit Placements.” From there, you can deselect other platform options on Facebook and only select Instagram. You can even take it a step further by selecting either feed, stories, or both. Keep in mind the format of your ad is directly the type of placement you’ll want to select.
For this example, let’s imagine we created a carousel ad to feature our new products. In this case, we would want to select Instagram “Feed” only.
Finally, you will select to run your ad for twenty days, costing you around $20 per day.
Step 5: Design Your Instagram Ad
Now we’re getting into the good stuff: Creating the visuals for your Instagram ad.
On the “Ad” Page, you will select your Ad’s Identity, which will be your Facebook business page.
Next, you’ll want to select the design style you selected in step 3 and add your media.
Ok, we’ve pretty much covered all the basics… you have your post all ready to go– not so fast!
What we might consider the most important part of the Instagram advertisement is that you create an extremely enticing call to action. This is the final push in getting you the click-through traffic you’ve been on the hunt for.
Ask yourself exactly what action you want your customers to take and what will entice them to take that action.
Some options might include a first peek at a new product line, a fun coupon code, a limited time discount, or any reason for your ad to become the user’s favorite new rude interruption.
Finally, keep in mind that your advertisements can be liked, commented on, and shared, so the more engaging you make it the better.
Step 6: Publish & Track Results
Posting your Instagram advertisement is only half the battle on how to advertise on Instagram. Now you’ll need to track the progress of your campaign to get a clear depiction of your RIO and make adjustments on future campaigns.
You can track your results directly in your Facebook Ads Manager. Remember to look at the results that directly relate to the objective you picked for your ad.
For example, if you selected “engagement” as your example, you wouldn’t expect to see a high increase in sales. Instead, you would measure success by analyzing the increase in likes and comments on your post.
Setting a clear objective is key to creating a successful Instagram campaign.
Then, rinse and repeat this process for your next campaign, while making adjustments based on your previous results and you’ll become an Instagram advertisement guru in no time!
Best practices for Instagram ads:
- Employ High-Quality Photos:
On Instagram, a site renowned for its aesthetic appeal, eye-catching photos are crucial to drawing in viewers. To project professionalism and draw in clients, make sure your photos are clear, well-lit, and attractive to the eye. Not only does high-quality content make your company stand out, but it also increases the trustworthiness of your adverts.
- Engage Your Audience:
Developing a devoted Instagram community requires interaction. Establish a rapport and trust with your audience by making it a point to reply to messages and comments as soon as possible. Encourage interaction by posing queries or incorporating call-to-action prompts in the copy of your advertisement. This will improve visibility and result in deeper exchanges.
- Test Different Ad Formats:
To optimize your advertising strategy, it’s important to experiment with various ad formats, such as carousel, video, and story ads. Each format has unique advantages and may resonate differently with your audience. Regularly analyze the performance of each format based on engagement and conversion metrics, allowing you to refine your approach and maximize the impact of your campaigns.
Conclusion
Instagram ads are a great way to reach a dedicated audience, highlight your brand, and encourage real interaction. With the help of smart targeting options, eye-catching images, and performance tracking, you can design successful campaigns that really connect with your followers. Keep being creative, adjust your strategies based on the data, and see your brand grow on this exciting platform!
Stay tuned for more tips and tricks from Kicksta, so you know just how much to advertise on Instagram, and the best ways to do so!
