Posted on March 23, 2016  by LocAdsAdmin  No comments

Instagram Ads

Instagram—a mobile photo-sharing, video-sharing and social networking service—offers three different ad formats:

• Photo Ads
• Carousel Ads
• Video Ads

Photo Ads

With photo ads, businesses can tell their story through (ideally) rich and beautiful imagery. Since Instagram is a platform based on inspiration and creativity, advertisers will want to follow suit and provide inspirational and meaningful content; brands also have the opportunity to encourage viewers to take action.

Carousel Ads

Carousel ads bring an additional layer of depth to photo ads. People are able to swipe to see additional images and there is a call-to-action button that shepherds users to your website to learn more.

An example of an Instagram Carousel Ad.

Video Ads

Video ads offer the same visually immersive quality on Instagram as photo ads, only adding sound and motion to the mix; videos are sharable in landscape format and up to 30 seconds in length.
An example of an Instagram Video Ad.

Pros

With a community of more than 400 million, Instagram is one of the world’s largest mobile ads platforms and it provides businesses a window in which to share brand stories with a highly engaged audience; Instagram ads are available globally for any-sized business.

Since Instagram is owned by Facebook, you can leverage Facebook’s marketing and audience filtering data to more precisely define your audience on Instagram.

Also, Instagram ads include call-to-action buttons (e.g., “Install Now” or “Sign Up” or “Shop Now” or “Learn More”) that allow users to take immediate action.

Cons

Instagram is where viewers go to find inspiration and ideas, all on a platform that is purposely designed with a simple and minimalistic interface. As an advertiser, you will need to ensure that your ad is both authentic and relevant if you want to promote engagement.

Additionally, viewers have the option to either hide an ad or opt-out of seeing ads (although Facebook says that viewers will continue to see ads based upon a user’s activity on both Instagram and Facebook).

Hint

Remember the influencers.

According to an article posted in Mediakix, consumers follow accounts with the best user-generated, lifestyle-centric content. In order to get the most out of Instagram’s advertising features, brands may want to strategically align with those Instagram influencers already occupying the relevant, prime content-niche verticals; Instagram influencer sponsorships start with proper alignment between the digital influencer and the brand.

For brands seeking to leverage Instagram’s ad platform, keep in mind the continuing relevance of influencer marketing—it offers impressive levels of reach, conversion, and ROI.