There have been questions about whether Instagram marketing will be appealing to brands and marketers since the social media platform rolled out its advertising programs.
Some industry observers have doubts over the effectiveness of Instagram marketing and whether people are actually ready to embrace Instagram as a social advertising platform.
But in its effort to convince brands and marketers that the platform offers a more appealing way to advertise and reach potential customers, Instagram have released series of blog posts. I
Instagram is an online community built on the power of visual storytelling. Actually, the question is not about the popularity of Instagram.
Instagram marketing, users/brands engagement
In fact, the question is more about the efficiency of the platform as a marketing channel. Do you see Instagram ads as a significant addition to your marketing mix? Do you know why your business should take the advantage of Instagram marketing now?
Moreover, the fact is that most users on the platform are not just there to connect with friends, they are also there for inspiration – especially when it comes to shopping.
This is why it could be really helpful for businesses wanting to use the platform for marketing to understand that the key to all social advertising is thinking about why your user is there in the first place.
This means users are looking for something new and can be open to viewing ads if your targeting is spot on. Show them something interesting and you’ll see the benefit through brand engagement.
Making Instagram marketing more appealing
In its latest blog, Instagram discussed new ways for advertisers to drive a wider range of objectives and experience increased flexibility with campaigns.
“Do you know that 44% of Instagram users use it to research products?”
“Over the last month, we have been busy launching, even more, ad products for businesses to use on Instagram. Now businesses around the globe can run ads easier than ever with the flexibility to drive more business objectives,” said Instagram.
But will this be enough to make Instagram marketing more appealing to businesses and marketers? With 73% of users between 15 and 35 years old, and 48% of users who are professionals as well as 46% with degrees, is Instagram the right platform for your business marketing?
SEE ALSO: The Marketers’ Guide To Instagram For Effective Marketing Strategies
So, is advertising on Instagram the right thing for you? Do you have the resources to make it work for your business? As a matter of fact, if you have a strong brand and a creative heart, then you could make it work. But if you are planning on recycling old display ads and just adding a filter, it may not be for you.
So how do you get the most out of this popular mobile photo-sharing platform? Below are some of the best ways Instagram marketing may become really appealing to businesses:
#A]. Instagram ad formats
-
#1]. Image ads
Presented in the original Instagram format and first appeared in November 2013. Fashion brand @MichaelKors was the first to use this ad format and according to Business Insider, even though users complained about the ad, the campaign was still a considerable success, earning Michael Kors nearly 34,000 new followers in the 18 hours after the ad was published.
-
#2]. Video ads
Presented in the original Instagram format, but with extra options to enhance the experience – like purchase buttons, and interactive navigation between images. Can also be cinemagraphs – still photos in which small repeated movements occur – a creative technique that Facebook encourages advertisers to adopt.
-
#3]. Carousel ads
Work in a similar way to Multi Product Ads on Facebook. Users can swipe to see additional images within the post. It opens up a lot of opportunities for advertisers to showcase more details of their products, and with a direct response button, users will be sent to the advertiser’s website.
#B]. Instagram advertising objectives
-
#1]. Click to website:
Just like it’s available on other popular advertising platforms, business Instagram advertising objective can be to send people to important sections of a business website.
-
#2]. Mobile app installs:
Since Instagram is a popular mobile photo sharing platform, you can also use its advertising platform to get people to install your mobile app.
-
#3]. Video views:
Instagram advertising also works great for businesses or brands interested in telling visual stories. You can easily tell a story using video.
-
#4]. Mass awareness:
You can easily use the platform to drive mass awareness to a broad audience. Instagram has a singular focus on captivating imagery, giving brands an avenue for rich visual storytelling.
Is Instagram marketing more appealing to you?
“By optimizing for reach & frequency, advertisers can manage the number of people they reach with their Instagram ads and how frequently the ads are shown,” Instagram said in a post on its business blog. “To make media planning and buying even easier, advertisers can also control the reach and frequency of campaigns across Instagram and Facebook.”
SEE ALSO: Instagram Content Strategy Tips For Better Results [Infographic]
Instagram claimed that businesses have found unique and compelling ways to tell their brand story to help increase awareness and drive affinity since launching carousel ads in June. The company says that on average, its carousel campaigns have performed better for ad recall than single photo campaigns. They have driven an additional 2.5 point lift.
With that in mind, they’re extending the ability to buy these ads through the self-serve interfaces including the Ads API, Power Editor and Ads Manager. Instagram recently released a 7-minute Carousel Ad “documentary” looking at how brands utilised the format to execute campaigns.
“In addition, performance advertisers can now optimize delivery of their ads to people who are most likely to take an action on their website—driving more efficient performance on Instagram, or for campaigns running on Facebook and Instagram,” it added. “Our goal is to remove friction and give businesses the most bang for their advertising buck.”
SEE ALSO: How Your Brand Can Easily Improve User Engagements On Instagram
Industry publication AdWeek expects that Instagram will attract more marketers as a result of opening up the format to self-service. Instagram says that by opening up the way advertisers can buy, businesses of all sizes have more flexible targeting, call-to-action button options, and can customise their offsite links to maximise return.
So, do you guys think that Instagram’s more ways to advertise would make it even more appealing for marketing? Will businesses be convinced to use the platform for marketing? Please let us have your honest views below!
DgDPm6 of course we of course we need to know our family history so that we can share it to our kids a