With over 2 billion monthly active users and a highly engaged user base, Instagram offers incredible potential for promoting products and services, boosting brand awareness and generating sales.
In this article, you'll find all the information you need on an essential strategy for success with this paid media tool.
What is Instagram Ads?
Instagram Ads is a feature that allows you to create and run paid ads on Instagram. With this tool, advertisers can promote their products, services and brands in various ways and formats.
This platform offers various targeting and objective options, allowing advertisers to reach a highly engaged global audience. Ad objectives can be aimed at generating clicks, conversions, engagement in comments or Direct, app installs and sales.
Instagram Ads stands out for its emphasis on the visual, allowing companies to take advantage of the highly visual nature of the platform to promote their products and services in an impactful way.
With its significant reach and the targeting options available, Instagram Ads has become an essential tool for companies wishing to expand their presence and achieve effective marketing results.
Why Advertise on Instagram?
Discover some of the advantages of advertising on Instagram and find out about all the features it offers!
- Precise targeting: you can segment your ads precisely, targeting them to the right audience based on demographic characteristics, interests and user behavior;
- Greater reach: Instagram has an extensive user base, this provides a great reach for your message, allowing you to reach a wide and diverse audience;
- Increased visibility: you place your brand prominently in the news feed, Stories and other visible spaces on the platform. This increases your brand's visibility and helps capture users' attention;
- Brand recognition: With ads that are consistent with your company's visual identity, you can create a lasting connection with the public and reinforce the perception of your brand;
- Increased traffic to the site: you can direct interested users to your site, generating a significant increase in traffic. This allows you to present your products, services or content in greater detail.
All companies, of all sizes and segments, can advertise on Instagram, as long as they meet the requirements and guidelines established by the platform. Check them out.
- Have a business profile on Instagram;
- Create a Facebook Business Manager account;
- Add your Instagram profile to the Business Manager;
- Comply with Facebook's Advertising Policies.
Remember that Instagram is constantly updating its advertising policies and guidelines, so it is always recommended to check the latest information directly on the Instagram and Facebook support and documentation pages.
What Are the Ad Formats in Instagram Ads?
Instagram offers a variety of ad formats to meet the needs and objectives of different types of advertisers. Some of the most common ad formats include:
Image Ads
Photos can be square, landscape or vertical format, but the files of any of them must be a maximum of 30 MB. Check out the dimensions of each format below.
Square format: minimum resolution 600 x 500 and maximum 1936 x 1936
Landscape: minimum resolution 600 x 315 and maximum 1936 x 1936
Vertical: maximum resolution 600 x 750 and maximum 1936 x 1936
Video Ads
But remember: the maximum size of videos is up to 4 GB. Ads in the feed can be up to 120 seconds long and should ideally be subtitled with a maximum of 2,200 characters.
Ads in Carousel
In this format, you can create campaigns that provide a more detailed experience, allowing your target audience to interact by swiping to see more photos or videos in a single ad.
Ads in Stories
By using interactive features such as polls, swipe ups and interactive stickers, Stories ads can captivate the audience's attention and encourage them to engage directly with your brand.
Ads in the Explore Tab
By running ads in the Explore tab, you can reach a wider audience and target your ads at users who are open to expanding their horizons.
The ads in the Explore tab are integrated organically with the content suggested to users, allowing your brand to be displayed in a relevant and attractive way.
How to Advertise on the Instagram Ads Manager
Follow the step-by-step instructions we've put together for you!
1. Go to your Ads Manager and click on "Create".
Choose the campaign objective that best aligns with your marketing goals, such as increasing brand awareness, generating traffic to the site, increasing sales, among others.
Give your set of ads a name. Then choose your target audience by defining relevant demographics, interests and behaviors.
Select the ad format (photos, videos, carousel, etc.). Upload the content of the ad, including images or videos, text and relevant links. Then preview how your ad will look on Instagram.
Review all campaign, ad set and ad settings to make sure everything is correct. Make the necessary adjustments to optimize your ad's performance, such as adjusting the bid, targeting or budget.
In this section, you have the option of choosing the amount you want to invest on a daily basis (daily budget) or throughout the campaign (lifetime budget).
Note that as you increase the budget, the reach and expected daily clicks on the ad also increase.
Click on "Publish" and wait. Your ad will be analyzed and, if it complies with Facebook's Advertising Policies, it will be active in about an hour.
How Instagram Shopping works
The Instagram Shop is a feature that allows companies to create an integrated shopping experience on the app. With it, you can display products, prices and detailed information, making it easier for users to discover and buy.
You can tag products in posts, stories and ads, directing users to specific pages or allowing direct purchases.
The Instagram store offers a convenient and intuitive shopping experience, boosting sales and improving the customer experience.
How much does it cost to advertise on Instagram?
Spending on Instagram Ads can vary considerably depending on the ad format, bid types (such as auction, reach and frequency), campaign duration and other factors.
The cost of advertising can also be influenced by the purchasing model you choose. Here are some examples.
- CPA (cost per action): you are charged every time a user performs a specific action, such as installing an app after clicking on the ad. The payment amount is linked to the action taken;
- CPC (cost per click): you pay each time someone clicks on an ad, regardless of whether they take any other action. Payment is based on the number of clicks received;
- CPL (cost per like): Used to track the amount spent to get a "like" on your page after someone clicks on the ad;
- CPM (cost per thousand impressions): In this option, you are charged for every thousand views of a sponsored ad, regardless of the actions taken by users.
These options allow advertisers to choose the purchasing model that best suits their objectives and budget, giving them greater control over their spending.
9 Tips for Making a Good Instagram Ad
We've put together some tips that will certainly help you create relevant and effective ads for your marketing strategy. Check them out!
1. choose engagement as a goal
It is essential to establish strong engagement with your target audience. Actively encourage user interactions through likes, comments and shares.
For example, you could create a post related to the product you are advertising and ask followers to share their opinions and experiences.
This will not only increase user engagement, but will also positively influence those who are undecided or have doubts about the product, helping them to make a decision.
2. Analyze your competitors
Study your competitors to gain insights into what they are doing and identify opportunities to stand out.
For example, if you are a clothing store, you can check how your competitors are presenting their products and create ads that are more visually appealing or offer exclusive promotions.
3. Invest in Promotions
Harness the power of special promotions to attract and reward your followers. Create ads that offer exclusive discounts, giveaways or extra benefits for those who purchase your products or services through the ad.
This strategy not only encourages people to act immediately, but also creates a sense of exclusivity and value for your followers.
4. Ad frequency
Maintaining a consistent frequency helps build recognition and familiarity with your brand, allowing your audience to connect and engage more easily. When users see your ads regularly, they are more likely to remember your brand and consider it when making purchasing decisions.
However, it is essential to avoid overdoing it. Repeating the same ads too often can lead to audience fatigue, causing them to ignore your ads or even feel annoyed.
5. Direct Users to Landing Pages
Direct your users to relevant landing pages. When users click on your ad, they should be redirected to a specific page that is directly related to the content of the ad.
When creating an ad to promote a new product, for example, it's important to direct users to a landing page where they can find more details about the product, images, descriptions and, of course, an option to make a purchase.
The landing page should be designed to offer additional, persuasive information that reinforces the value and benefits of the product or service being advertised. In addition, it should be visually appealing, have a responsive design and load quickly to ensure the best possible experience for users.
6. Use Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are keywords preceded by the "#" symbol that serve as markers to categorize content and make it easier for users to discover it.
By including hashtags in your ads, you extend the reach of your message beyond your direct followers. People who search for these hashtags are more likely to find your ad, thus increasing the chances of engagement, sharing and interaction with your content.
To choose the right hashtags, it's important to consider both their relevance to your business and their popularity. Try to relate this search tool to your niche market.
For example, if you're a fitness company, use popular hashtags such as #fitnessmotivation, #healthy lifestyle, #exercisegoals and others.
7. Be creative with your subtitles
When writing the caption, be creative and captivating, creating an emotional connection with users and arousing a desire to find out more about what you are advertising. Instead of a simple description of the product or service, try to tell a story or convey an impactful message.
In addition, try to use authentic language, close to your target audience and in line with your brand's identity. Convey the values and lifestyle that your brand represents, creating an emotional connection with users.
8. Include a clear CTA
Add a clear and direct call to action in your ad to encourage users to take a specific action in a way that leaves no doubt in the target audience's mind. For example, if you're promoting an event, use a CTA like "Get your ticket now!".
9. Test and optimize your campaigns
Carry out A/B tests with different elements of your ad, such as images, texts and calls to action. Closely monitor the results and make adjustments based on the insights gained.
Use analysis tools and be aware of market changes. By constantly optimizing your campaigns, you increase your chances of getting better results and maximizing your ROI.
Conclusion
As we've seen, advertising on Instagram Ads is a powerful marketing strategy that can boost business growth and scalability. By using the platform's resources, you have the opportunity to reach a wide and highly engaged audience.
It is crucial to keep up to date with new trends in this dynamic environment in order to remain competitive in the paid media market, as well as understanding the importance of diversifying investment in different types of marketing channels.
Check out our other article on TikTok Ads a tool that has grown a lot in recent years due to its effectiveness as a business strategy.
