As a business owner, you may be always looking for a way or two that can help you raise your conversion. With over one billion active users, of which 60% are under the age of 30, Instagram gives you the ability to reach a worldwide audience in a visual way.
Running ads on Instagram is different from creating and posting content there. If you’re at the very edge of the content game, you will find that you’re attracting users to your page, and website (if you have one), very effectively. And you can then use this organic reach to drive more users through ads. But if you’re yet to unlock the right content strategy, an easy workaround is influencer marketing or UGC marketing. It’s worth noting that each method evolves year of year, with the market and audience preferences changing. There was a time when just getting likes or followers was adequate for a business to gain visibility. Today, there are many other factors to consider for any business. And much of this revolves around a clear content strategy that is built on the back of clear consumer insights, or brand positioning.
In the absence of this, brands and businesses can rely on Instagram ads that can let you meet a wide list of objectives.
What are instagram ads?
Instagram offers a very simple and easy to use platform to express your unique story. With Instagram ads as sponsored posts, you can use Instagram to promote your business, products & services. They blend seamlessly with regular posts in your reels, stories and explore pages on instagram. Though they will be labelled as 'sponsored' meaning they are ads. It can also be in the form of clickable links that direct you to the URL of your choice.
Types of instagram ads
Generally people assume there are two types of instagram ads; image ads and video ads. You could not be more mistaken. The ads formats on instagram are classified into two categories: Format-based and section-based Instagram ads.
Format based instagram ads
i. Image ads
Image ads are used to grab attention by using strong visuals. They typically consist of a single image, accompanied by text and a call-to-action( CTA). They are the best choice for demonstrating brands and services. Moreover, they are budget friendly and allow you to interact with a bigger audience.
ii. Carousel ads
Brands use carousel ads to showcase multiple images or videos within a single ad, allowing users to swipe through different content. This format is ideal for storytelling or displaying a range of products.
Iii. Video ads
Video ads feature product unboxing, product testimonials or brand storytelling. By this, businesses can reach their target audience through posting videos up to 60 secs.
Iv. Collection ads
A collection ad in Instagram feed features a cover image or video followed by three product images.
v. Shopping ads
These are paid ads that showcase your products along with the product stickers that take you directly to the link. This allows users to access the products without leaving the instagram app.
Section based instagram ads
i. Story ads
Stories ads are found as the full-screen vertical ads integrated between users' stories. They usually last for 15 seconds and effectively promote time-sensitive offers and immersive content.
ii. Explore ads
Explore ads appear in the Explore tab, which is designed for users discovering new content. Explore ads can utilise both images and videos.
iii. Reel ads
Reel ads are designed to appear within the short- form video feeds named reels. It is short, engaging content typically lasting between 15 to 30 seconds.
iv. Feed ads
Users see feed ads as the square or rectangular ads that appear in user’s instagram feeds. It has longer ad duration and can be in the form of images, carousels, or videos. Users can also like, comment, share and save these like any other posts.
How to choose the right ad objective for your goals?
i. Define your goals -
To get started, let’s get clear on what the first step in your plan will be: what are your objectives? Before you start with Instagram Ads, take some time to clearly define what your goals will be. Will it be more lead generation, more followers, more engagement, or even direct sales? It allows you to allocate your budget more effectively, better reach your audience and enhance creative execution. The Instagram algorithm will deliver exactly what it’s tasked to do –however, that must align with your business goals. One common mistake early stage brands tend to make is assuming that just running conversion ads for performance marketing is enough to run a successful business. This is far from the truth. The reason being –at this stage–there’s no new brand or business model. If you’re selling clothes, there are millions of others doing exactly the same–and vying for the customer’s attention. With an attention economy therefore, there’s a set benchmark to customer acquisition, which an agency can tell you. Further, without a robust strategy to acquire customers across multiple channels, at some point your cost of acquisition or CAC will inflate.
ii. Collaborating with influencers/content creators -
You may have seen how Christanio Ronaldo consistently advertises Nike products that are really his own. Try collaborating with influencers who align with your brand. Their endorsement brings reach by building trust and hence, improves credibility to a larger extent. Brands use sponsored media content, blog posts, giveaways, contests and much more. There is a science and art to this process and the best thing to do is entrust an agency such as PLabs with finding the right influencers for your brand, or finding the right type of content creators that can help build visibility and trust. Even with content creators, there is such a thing as “too much, and too visible”. The last thing you want to be slated is as a “copycat” brand that’s doing more of what others are doing. Therefore, your performance marketing agency needs to help you do more than just performance –but rather consult like your outsourced marketing partner.
iii. Have a clear CTA -
If your ad is good, your customer doesn’t have to be told, click here. But the button definitely needs to work, and should lead them to the right destination. Don’t advertise a learn more button if you want leads. And don’t have a “buy now” button if you have a non-transactional website. Your CTA must be clear, relevant to the destination you’re taking them to, prominent and engaging. Where possible, it should encourage your social media users to visit your website. This allows customers to navigate via a customised layout and translate it into actual ROI..
v. User-generated content (UGC) -
UGC is a treasure trove for your advertisements. It is the original content created by the users rather than the brand itself. It could be an image, video, blog, poll response or a comment. Authentic user-generated content can hugely increase engagement conversions when they share their experiences and opinions online. UGC will bring a sense of community and also lower the production expenses.
Try developing a unique hashtag for your brand. Organise contests that reflect your brand value. For instance, case studies by Meller exhibited one example of a case where illustrated UGC ads had 13.9% lower CPC rates; going to show that we trust other human experiences, and social proof over all else. In an age where we seek validation from real users, UGC content that’s raw, unfiltered, and believable makes for the best kind of advertising that works for your marketing dollars. Customers don’t always need polished, wellshot, studio grade ads–often customers with bad lighting and real honest reviews sell products much better than the most well paid celebrity.
vi. A/B testing -
A/B testing is crucial for optimising your Instagram ads. By running multiple versions of the same ad and targeting the same audience, you can see which version drives more conversions. For example, you can compare different headlines and CTA’s to see which drives more engagement. This helps you allocate your budget more efficiently. A/B testing can be used to evaluate emails, newsletters, mobile apps etc. At PLabs we recognize the value of data driven advertising and have been practitioners since 2018. Nothing like rigorous testing of different ad parameters to help us unlock what works for your business. With the evolution of ad platforms turning into black boxes of predictive algorithms, it’s even more crucial for brands to know who’s buying their products, and why. This only can happen with documented evidence of well run tests that are statistically correct.
vii. Video ads without audio
Did you know that around 85 percent of consumers watch videos with the sound off? Using video ads without audio in your instagram or with captions is a good style of creative to test out. While nothing beats good storytelling in an ad–and then nothing matters, often the first few seconds of your ad do matter the most. Now whether you can tell a story in 6 seconds or 60 –is entirely dependent on your content team. But hooks today drive all of social media advertising.
Try to surprise your users with stunning visuals or ask them a unique question to hook them in. Often leading your users into the story by solving a problem, or helping frame their concerns as the problem you’re solving tends to work well in most categories. For industries which are more vanity driven, often the quality of the ads, the production values, and some form of narrative are necessary.
viii. Measure and optimise continuously -
Initiating your campaign is just the beginning of your journey. After it goes live, one of the significant approaches in creating effective ads is to continuously measure and optimise them. Assess the key ad metrics like reach, impressions, engagements, click-through rate, Return on Ad spend, Cost per click to optimise your marketing campaigns. You will thereby ensure that your ads are always running the best based on analysing those important metrics. You can edit your instagram ads, adjust your targeting parameters etc.
Instagram ads become one great opportunity to reach and engage with the global audience, with its diverse ad formats and targeting options. If you choose image ads, videos, carousel ads, or even influencer collaborations, your success lies in aligning your objectives with the right strategy. By implementing the best strategies, P.Labs Ventures use Instagram in its entirety to target the sales goal. We help you connect with your audience in meaningful ways and drive measurable results.
