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Instagram advertising is a way to buy the right to publish sponsored content on the Instagram platform in order to reach a larger and more specific audience. There are many reasons for a company or person to choose to promote, but Instagram advertising is frequently used to increase brand awareness, and website traffic, produce new leads and drive existing leads through the sales funnel (and hopefully conversions).
Instagram reports that 60% of users say they find new items on their platform, and 75% of viewers act after being influenced by a post. But who are these viewers? Users who are between the ages of 18 and 29 make up the majority (55%), followed by those who are between the ages of 30 and 49 (28%). Only 4% of persons over 65 use Instagram, while only 11% of users are aged between 50 and 64.
Why are these metrics important here? Instagram ad creation is vastly based on a target audience, location, age, and other such factors that decide who is buying and who will buy a certain product.
Let's learn more about such details and the hot topic of how to advertise on Instagram!
Instagram Ads + Business Growth
The concept that Instagram ads use Facebook's demographic information to target the right audiences is what you should focus on as a marketeer. Facebook already boasts a long history and a wide range of demographic targeting choices. Businesses can make use of this goldmine to promote and cross-promote their products through their Instagrams ads. If you're in a visually or creatively oriented industry, like restaurant or craft marketing, Instagram ads can be your game-changer.
The Cost of an Instagram Ad
Instagram ads costs depend on a number of guessed variables (something that the platform doesn't disclose to us) making it a difficult question to answer. The pricing is calculated on cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-impression (CPM) values and is based on Instagram's ad auction.
The cost per click average (CPC) for Instagram ads in Q3 varied between $0.70 and $0.80 on 100 million dollars spent on Instagram advertising in 2017. Instagram ads are a bit costlier than Facebook ads but they have a higher engagement rate. Plus, you cannot overlook the choice of selecting a daily budget and a lifetime budget.
You may control the cost of your Instagram ads by setting
- An ad schedule (setting specific hours when you want your ad to run)
- Your bid amount (automatic or manual)
- Your ad delivery method (daily unique reach, impressions, and link click)
How to Advertise on Instagram by Promoting Posts
Although it only needs a few taps on the Instagram app, promoting an existing post does not offer the customization choices seen in Facebook Ads Manager.
This is a quick and simple way to increase your ad's success and make it visible to new followers if it is doing well in terms of engagement.
To promote your Instagram posts, you must have an Instagram business or creator account. Plus, your Instagram account must be connected to a Facebook Business Page. Then, all you have to do is click Promote on the post you want to use as an advertisement.
You'll be asked to pick your desired audience, location, spending limit, and time frame for your advertisement to run.
Tap Create Promotion to complete.
Facebook will now examine and approve your advertisement. As soon as it goes live, be sure to check the Promotions area of your Instagram profile to see how your advertisement is performing.
How to Advertise on Instagram in Facebook Ads Manager
It could appear slightly intimidating to figure out the workings of a new ad platform. The good news is that there isn't much to learn if you're already advertising on Facebook because Facebook Ad Manager can be used to manage Instagram advertising.
Here’s a 6-step guide to creating Instagram ads through Facebook ads manager:
1. What is Your Marketing Objective?
Firstly, go to Ads Manager on Facebook and click on “+ Create”. Then, you got to choose your objectives.
Facebook will show the following objective options:
- Reach
- Brand Awareness
- Traffic
- App Installs
- Engagement
- Lead Generation
- Conversions
- Video Views
- Messages
- Store Traffic
- Catalog Sales
Here’s a crisp version of what these terms stand for
- Brand Awareness: Do you want to increase the awareness surrounding your brand and its objective? Then this option is for you but how does Instagram go about achieving this goal? That's a secret no one’s uncovered yet!
- Reach: This objective helps you in reaching as many target audiences as possible.
- Traffic: It helps you to drive clicks to any relevant URL, app, or website.
- Engagement: Engagement involves generating more responses on your Instagram posts through shares, comments, likes, and saves.
- App Installs: Choose this objective if you want to prompt viewers to download your app.
- Video Views: To increase engagement through videos, select this objective and watch your videos to garner more watch time.
- Lead Generation: This objective is exactly sales-oriented. You get to gather personal info from users who have shown an interest in your ad.
- Messages: This will prompt users to DM your brand’s official account.
- Conversions: Go for this objective f your goal is to increase sign-ups or sales on your app or website.
- Catalog Sales: You may choose this to increase sales in your online stores.
- Store Traffic: This drives users or viewers to your physical store rather than an online website.
Now, name your marketing campaign. Make sure you consider your chosen objective while choosing a name.
That’s the end of choosing your objective for your Instagram ads. The next step that the Ads Manager will show is the budgeting of your campaign.
2. Budgeting + Scheduling Your Ads
Turn on “Campaign Budget Optimization” to allow Facebook to show you a general budget for your Instagram ads. For this, you have to choose
- The kind of budget you want (daily or lifetime)
- The start date and time of scheduling your ads
- The end date and time of your ad campaign
At the bottom of the screen you will see the option of ‘Ad Scheduling”. Click on that to choose at which time of the day you want your ads to run (in the evening, continuously, etc.). As you adjust these 3 options, an “Audience Definition” will show the potential reach of your ad. Choose the settings so that the needle of the meter is in the green range.
3. Who is Your Target Audience?
The third step of how to advertise on Instagram using Facebook Ads Manager is choosing your viewers. You can either choose “Use Saved Audience” or “Create a New Audience”. The former option is useful when you have past website visitors or audience members from previous campaigns. To create a new audience, Ads Manager allows you to choose people based on their
- Location (specific zip code, city, state, region, or country)
- Age (13 to 65+ years old)
- Gender (male, female, LGBTQIA+)
- Languages (you may leave this blank if your location has a common dialect)
- Demographics (relationship, politics (US), parents, life events, home, financial, education)
- Interests (aviation, science fiction, beverages, etc.)
- Behaviors (anniversaries, job roles, purchasing behaviors, etc.)
- Connections (people connected to your event, app, or website)
- Custom Audience (you may upload your own list of contacts)
- Lookalike Audience (people with interests similar to your target audience)
4. Choose Where You Want Your Ad to Show
This option is called “Placements” where you will have two options to choose from
Automatic Placements: Your Instagram ads will be shown automatically in places where they will gather the best responses. The place however will be chosen by the algorithm.
Manual Placements: Here you can choose where your ads must and must not appear (for cases where you only want your ad to be shown only on Instagram and not on Facebook). You get to choose from a variety of options including
- Messenger inbox
- Instagram explore
- Facebook right column
- Facebook video feeds
- Facebook marketplace
- Instagram feed
- Facebook news feed
- Instagram reels
- Instagram stories
- Facebook stories
- Messenger stories, etc.
Make sure your marketing video meets the standard technical requirements such as format before you try to post it.
5. Choose Your Instagram Ad Format
This is where you create your actual ad on Instagram. Select your Facebook page and the Instagram account linked to it. Then choose the ad format
Image Ads on Instagram Feed
- Maximum file size: 30MB
- File type: jpg or png
- Hashtag Number: 30 maximum (you can add additional in the comments)
- Text length: 2,200 maximum (although Instagram recommends staying below 90 for optimal delivery)
- Image Ratio: 4:5 minimum, 16:9 maximum
- Minimum Image Width: 600 pixels
Video Ads on Instagram Feed
- Video Resolution: 1080 x 1080 pixels (at least)
- Video Duration: 60 seconds maximum
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Video Ratio: 4:5 minimum,16:9 maximum
- Image Ratio: 4:5 minimum, 16:9 maximum
- Video Captions: optional
- Hashtag Number: 30 maximum (you can add additional in the comments)
- Text length: 125 characters maximum recommended
Image Ads on Instagram Story
- Minimum Image Width: 600 pixels
- Image Ratio: 9:16 recommended
Video Ads on Instagram Story
- Maximum file size: 4GB
- Video Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels (at least)
- Video Duration: 15 seconds maximum
- Video Ratio: 9:16 maximum
- Video Captions: not available
Carousel Feed Ads
- Maximum file size: 30MB
- File type: jpg or png
- Image Ratio: 4:5 minimum, 16:9 maximum
- Minimum Image Width: 600 pixels
- Video Duration: 60 seconds maximum
- Text length: 2,200 maximum (although Instagram recommends staying below 90 for optimal delivery)
- Hashtag Number: 30 maximum (you can add additional in the comments)
Canvas Story Ads
- Minimum Image Height: 150 pixels
- Minimum Image Width: 400 pixels
The Bottom Line on How to Run Instagram Ads
Instagram ads can help you get a vast reach given that half of the nation’s youth is on the gram these days. The platform is filled with influencer marketing videos, self-promotions, reviews, and much more. Literally, everything that's happening in the world can be found on Instagram. This is what makes the platform so desirable for marketing enthusiasts.
Let’s check out some tips to make your marketing videos Instagrammable and attention-grabbing:
Design Mobile-first Ads
- Make sure to capture video content vertically (9 ✕ 16) because this makes it easier to crop to 4 ✕ 5 than from landscape.
- Limit the number of words in your advertisements.
- If you do use text, pick a size that is easy to see on mobile devices.
- To immediately interest viewers, add animations and motion graphics to videos.
- Make videos brief (15 seconds or less).
Put The Key Message First
A viewer scrolls through your ad and decides to stop and stay for the entire piece; this decision will be made in the first few seconds. For this reason, it's important to begin your advertisement with the main idea and to introduce your branding within the first three seconds.
Use No Sound
- 40% of people mute their speakers when using social media. Use visuals instead of voice to tell a tale and convey your main point.
- Any voiceover or written audio should include captions.
- Deliver your main message using text overlay in the absence of sound.
The 3 Ps of Creatives
- Pitch: This is a type of creative that uses short assets to deliver the idea of the ad campaign.
- Play: This allows the viewer to interact with the ad.
- Plunge: These are immersive assets to help the viewer get into the details of the ad.
