Scott Fenstermaker
So, Instagram ads are now available for my business?
Finally, FINALLY, it’s possible for advertisers both small and large to get in front of the Instagram audience.
Ever since Instagram established itself in about 2012 as the go-to social platform for people under 35, brands have been salivating at the chance to associate themselves with its 300 million users. Now, they’re rolling out an advertising platform that merges their sought-after demographic with the targeting power of Facebook Ads.
If your business offers a consumer product (particularly a photogenic product) to the 18-35 demographic, these ads can offer you a tremendous boost. Business Insider tells us this is especially true for businesses in the entertainment, apparel and media verticals. According to BI, “Instagram is largely made up of urban, youthful demographics, with a significant skew toward women.” A more in depth demographic report from BI is available here.
So, how do I advertise my business on Instagram?
First of all, you need to either be a Facebook advertiser (to create ads through the Power Editor), or be using some other digital ad platform that can access the Instagram API. Most of us will be using the first option.
Instagram ads are only available for certain ad goals like creating web traffic or downloading an app (and not, unfortunately, for other goals like achieving more Instagram followers).
The first thing to do is to check whether you have access to Instagram ads yet (it’s a gradual roll-out). You’ll need to open the Power Editor, then create a new campaign and check to see if the option is available. Here are the instructions from Facebook for Business:
If you have the option to run ads on Instagram, the process to create them is almost identical to creating Facebook ads through the Power Editor. There are several types to pick from. Like Facebook, Instagram offers the option of image, video and carousel ads (i.e. ads that allow users to swipe between multiple images). Here is a preview of what they look like:
Why should my business advertise on Instagram?
Well, the first statistic Instagram wants you to know is, across 400 beta test campaigns, Instagram users are 2.8x as likely to recall your ad compared with other forms of online advertising. They have supporting case studies available here.
According to Fortune Magazine, the click-through rates for Instagram are also impressive. Citing analysis done by Kenshoo, Fortune tells us Instagram users are 2.5 times more likely to click on an ad than on other social media platforms. This is supported by data from one of the beta advertisers, Gilt Group, who reported Instagram advertising increased their number of app downloads by 85%.
The costs of advertising on Instagram are not firmly established yet because adoption is so early. These figures will change rapidly as more advertisers deploy Instagram ads. However, the combination of their demographics, their targeting capabilities and their initial successes make this ad type an attractive new choice for businesses.
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For more information on advertising using Instagram, or to explore professional management for your online advertising, contact Social Media Beast today!
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