Leveraging Instagram ads for your brand is a no-brainer.
Not only do more than one billion people use Instagram every month, but engagement numbers for the app are higher than both Facebook and Twitter.
If are any type of brand. A local business, an online business, or any other type of company. It’s vital
That’s why we want to walk you through the science of Instagram advertising, which gives you the chance to hyper-target your content to the Instagram users who count.
Let’s get started.
What are Instagram ads?
Instagram first began offering limited ad services in 2013 after being purchased by Facebook.
But it wasn’t until 2015 that they opened the floodgates and allowed advertising for brands and businesses of all shapes and sizes. Those brands found Instagram to be a huge boom for business.
And because Instagram is integrated with Facebook Ad Manager, brands can leverage Facebook’s massive wealth of user information to advertise directly to their target audience.
If that’s not enough to convince you that Instagram ads are great, here are a few numbers:
- 75% of users take action on Instagram ads (e.g., purchasing a product or going to a website)
- 35% of American adults use Instagram
How much do Instagram ads cost?
Though the cost of your specific Instagram ad will be unique to you (after all, not all ads are the same), the average cost-per-click for Instagram ads is around $0.70 – $0.80. This figure comes from an analysis of more than $300 million of ad spend.
Keep in mind, this is just the average cost-per-click. Your Instagram ad might end up costing less or more depending on a variety of factors. For example, check out how much costs fluctuate based on the ages you choose to target.
Also, when anyone runs Instagram ads. It’s essential to have more clear initiatives to gauge. Where you are sending your viewers?
A sales funnel, an offer, a website, and sales copy.
Types of Instagram ads
Stories ads
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Instagram Stories Ads are full-screen ads that appear between users’ Stories.
With 500 million Instagram users viewing Stories every day, you have the potential to reach a massive audience with your ads.
Stories ads, you can target your audience and choose how often they see your ad. Because Stories expire after 24 hours, they’re the ideal format for sharing limited-time offers and promotions.
Brands can take advantage of all Instagram Stories features, adding face filters, video effects, and text to create fun and creative promotions.
This allows you to make Instagram Stories ads that look and feel like your normal posts—creating a seamless experience for your users. The call-to-action takes the form of a swipe-up feature that takes audiences directly to your website from your Stories ad.
Photo ads
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Photo ads allow brands to showcase products and services through compelling images.
If you’re already crafting top-notch visual content, Instagram photo ads give you the platform to share it with even more people.
One great example of this comes from Parachute Home, a home linens business. They used photo ads to great success when they promoted a 60-night trial of their bedding with a “Shop Now” call-to-action button.
Parachute’s Instagram posts also have a distinctive look and feel, often displaying their products in authentic, beautiful bedroom spaces—and their photo ads were consistent with this style.
The ads were targeted to men and women aged 18 to 54, with audience profiles based on their core customers’ profiles.
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- Book Now
- Call Now
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Instagram users love video.
In fact, time spent watching videos on Instagram was up more than 80% year-over-year in 2017.
And Instagram has taken note. That’s why they’ve made it easier than ever before for advertisers to leverage video for their brands.
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Carousel ads let users swipe through a series of images or videos (like a carousel) with a call-to-action button to connect them directly to your website.
They do a number of cool things:
- Highlight multiple products
- Share a multi-part story
- Dive deep into a single service in up to 10 images or videos
Kayla Itsines, the founder of fitness empire Bikini Body Guide, used a series of video carousel ads to drive awareness and downloads of the workout app Sweat: Kayla Itsines Fitness.
The carousel format allowed her to showcase short fitness sequences demonstrating how users could exercise anywhere (and anytime) with the app.
The campaign was targeted to women aged 18 to 42, reaching 6.4 million people and leading to an incredible 21-point lift in brand awareness.
Carousel ads were perfect for a brand that wanted to show the versatility of its content and would be a good fit for other brands with diverse creative assets, like food and fashion companies.
Collection ads
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- Learn more
- Purchase
Introduced in early-2018, Instagram Collection ads are a relatively new addition.
The way they work is simple: When users see an ad from your brand, they’ll have the option to purchase products directly from the ad.
They combine the power of photos, videos, and direct-response marketing all in one powerful advertisement.
One brand that used Instagram Collection ads to great success was Zattini, a clothing e-commerce store.
Using Collections, they showcased their products and discounts with the goal of increasing sales. The result was a 6.3% increase in conversions. Their Collections ad also came at a 41.9% lower cost compared to other ad formats.
How to choose the best Instagram ad type
Now that you know what Instagram ad formats are out there, let’s dive into how to choose the best format for you.
It’s crucial to be intentional about your ad format. To help, there is one big question you need to answer that will help you decide:
What is my goal?
Your social media goal is the North Star for all decisions when it comes to your Instagram ad campaign. It will help you decide what to pursue and, more importantly, what not to pursue.
For example, if you’re trying to increase brand awareness, you might want to avoid something like Collection ads, as they directly sell products. Instead, you should opt for a photo or video ad with a CTA that directsBut if you’re simply trying to sell products, you might want to use a Collections ad that will allow users to purchase products directly from the ad itself.
Or let’s say you have multiple products that you’re launching and you want to show them off. A Carousel ad will be perfect for this as you can show users several captivating images of your products.
No matter what ad format you choose to go with, make sure it’s in line with your goals.
Now that you know the different types of Instagram ad formats—and how to choose a good one—let’s jump into how exactly you can launch a successful Instagram campaign.
How to advertise on Instagram
There are a few different ways you can go about advertising on Instagram. Certain routes will open more tools and options than others.
Below, we’re going to walk you through two different ways to create an Instagram ad:
- With Facebook Ads Manager
- With Instagram
Let’s jump in.
How to advertise on Instagram using Facebook Ads Manager
Facebook Ad Manager lets you create ads that run on both Facebook and Instagram.
You can also customize audiences and other features, and monitor how your ads are performing.
If you don’t have a Facebook Page yet, follow our step-by-step guide to setting up a Facebook Page and you’ll have one up and running in no time.
Already got a Facebook Page? Great! Here’s how to connect it to the Facebook Business Manager:
- Go to business.facebook.com.
- Click Create Account.
- Enter a name for your business, select the primary Page and enter your name and work email address.
- Move through the rest of the onboarding flow by entering the rest of the required fields.
- Learn how to add people to a Business Manager.
Once that’s done, you can move onto the first step of creating your Instagram ad.
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