Exploring Instagram: Paid Ads
At the end of 2019, Instagram was the second most popular mobile social media app in the United States. 63% of Americans use it daily for an average of 28 minutes a day. That is a lot of eyes spending a lot of time scrolling that your company could be taking advantage of! The platform started offering paid ads at the end of 2013 and has been expanding its advertising capabilities ever since. With Instagram Ads, it’s easy to turn your posts into paid ads. By turning your posts into ads, you can reach an audience beyond the people who only follow your Instagram account as well as increase traffic to your Instagram page and your website.
Two main types of advertising can be done on Instagram:
Traditional Ads
This is likely the type of advertising that you are the most familiar with and use for other social media platforms like Facebook. These ads will show up in a user’s newsfeeds and Instagram stories, flowing seamlessly with other posts. This smooth flow between organic and paid content is visually appealing to users and makes them more inclined to interact with your ads. Instagram has a potential ad reach of 849.3 million users, so you better believe that your ads are going to be seen by your audience.
Another way for your company to implement paid advertising on Instagram is to work with an influencer. Influencers are individuals who are paid to promote a company’s products and services on their social media accounts. Companies take advantage of an influencer’s huge number of followers to display their product to users from a more authentic point of view, as an influencer is giving their personal (although sponsored) opinion of the product. Their followers have been exposed to the company and its products and are likely to research the brand further.
There are also a couple of different ways to create ads on Instagram.
Promote a post
It is easy to promote a post from within the Instagram app on your phone! There are a few things to keep in mind, however, when promoting a post.
First, you’ll want to choose engaging posts. It is best to use a post that has gotten a decent amount of engagement, whether that be likes, shares, or comments. This is an opportunity to show your business’s creative side that will give people a reason to follow, connect, and buy!
Write Actionable Captions
When thinking about your caption, be sure that it accurately conveys your story and sparks people’s interest. Your caption should also include a short call to action – something that will make the person viewing your ad want to take action, whether that be clicking a link to your website, downloading a free eBook, or making a purchase.
A Second way to create an Instagram Ad is to do it through Facebook Ads Manager. You’ll want to be sure that you have an Instagram account connected to your Facebook account for this method to work. Create an ad just like you would for a paid Facebook ad – selecting your objective, adding a budget, determining location and audience, and adding graphics and copy. When it comes time to select what platforms the ad should run on, be sure that Instagram is selected!
When it comes to social media marketing, Instagram is a fun, creative platform with endless opportunities. With different features, there is something for every type of business, regardless of industry or products/services they sell. Advertising on Instagram with Paid Ads is a great way to help expand and grow your audience as well as increase traffic to both your Instagram page and website.
For more Instagram marketing content, download our FREE Instagram Marketing 101 eBook!
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