10 practical tips for advertising on Instagram

Did you know that the number of Instagram users is still increasing every year? And that not only young people, but also many adults sign up for this social media platform? It's not crazy. Instagram fits in perfectly with the visual world we live in now. An important channel, which should not be missing in your strategy when you get started with advertisements on Instagram. With these ten tips you can make a flying start with advertising on Instagram.

Share content in your Instagram ads that is valuable to your target audience

Consumers on Instagram want to be inspired, entertained and informed. So it won't surprise you that the most successful Instagram ads are not immediately recognizable as ads. Keep this in mind when creating your ad by sharing content that is valuable to your target audience. For example, take a look at the Duifhuizen advertisement in image 1. With this informative advertisement, Duifhuizen shows that the bags in the video are really waterproof. The ad is informative and fun to watch and is not immediately recognizable as an ad.

Interact with your followers

By interacting with your followers, you greatly increase the reach of and engagement with your ads. Increase interaction by using polls or by ending your ad text with a question. For example, if you sell furniture, you can ask the question: 'Who do you see yourself sitting with on this cool couch?' You then give your followers a reason to leave a comment and to tag others in your post.

https://www.backstagepro.de/benutzer/carlos-zueck-saas-expert-austin-fMDXrwfkbw

https://the-dots.com/users/carlos-zueck-1262333

https://www.reparatur-initiativen.de/users/profile/39866

https://ribbelmonster.de/benutzerkonto/mitglieder/carloszueck/profile/

https://www.economiecirculaire.org/member/13692/

https://www.makerist.com/users/carlos_zueck

https://gamekit.com/profil/134368628/

https://www.penname.me/@carloszueck

https://ravito.distances.plus/membres/carloszueck/

https://www.potoclips.com/fr/user/carloszueck/

Choose a landing page that matches your Instagram ad

The landing page is the page in your webshop that the consumer lands on after he or she clicks on your ad. To avoid a low quality rating of your ad, it is important that this landing page matches the ad. For example, do you work in the fashion industry and is inspiration the aim of your advertisement? Link an inspiration page to your advertisement, in which you show, for example, the latest fashion trends.

Add a call-to-action to your ad

Instagram offers various call-to-action buttons. Some examples are: see more, shop now and watch the video. Always add a call-to-action, because this will activate your target group to click on the ad. Also make sure the call-to-action fits the purpose of your ad.

Tailor your Instagram ads to your target audience

It is important that you tailor your ad to your target audience. Does your target audience consist of teenagers? Then use gifs, stickers and emoticons. Figure 2 shows a good example of an ad targeting teens that uses emoticons.

For example, does your target audience consist of mothers? In that case, let mothers appear in your ad, so that your target group recognizes themselves in the images you show.

Use a different type of Instagram ad per phase in the customer journey

Within Instagram there are various types of advertisements available. Figure 3 shows which type of ads are appropriate at each stage of the customer journey.

In the care phase you want to offer added value to your customers. This can be done in various ways, for example by offering a cross-sell product or by inspiring customers again with a new product. On the other hand, you can, for example, inform customers about how best to maintain their suede shoes. The possibilities are endless, so you can use any type of advertisement in the care phase

Use text in your Instagram ad

Text in your ad emphasizes important information and convinces consumers to click. Therefore, always add text in your ad. Text can be used in various ways, for example as inspiration or as a call-to-action.

Keep your text short. The text should take up no more than twenty percent of your photo or video. If this is the case, your ad will be shown less to your target group. You will then receive a warning from Facebook stating that your ad contains too much text.

Use user generated content and influencers when advertising on Instagram

If you use the content of your followers to inspire your target group, you call this user generated content. By using your followers as ambassadors, you create recognition and inspire your target audience. For example, your target group immediately sees how others style a specific lamp in their home or how others match jewelry with their outfit. Figure 6 shows an example of how user generated content is used in an advertisement on Instagram. Setting up such an advertisement also takes little time. All you have to do is ask your ambassadors if you can use their images in your Instagram ads.

In addition to user generated content, also use influencers in your Instagram ads. Influencers active on  social media  have a lot of followers because they inspire consumers, often in a certain area. This can be, for example, in the field of fashion, sports or travel.

The big advantage of influencers is that they have a strong connection with their followers and as a result can generate online visibility for a product or service or encourage followers to make a purchase. 

Be consistent in how you position your organization

Before you start advertising on Instagram (and social media in general), think about the use of color, the corporate identity and the choice of words that suit your organization. Make this consistent across all your ads on Instagram and other social media channels. By being consistent in how you communicate your organization across all social media channels, your followers will recognize your product or service over time. And that is exactly what you want to achieve! Do you use video? Immediately draw attention

Do you use video in your ads on Instagram? Then it is important that you immediately attract the attention of your viewers. Why? Viewers determine in the first three seconds whether the video is interesting and whether they want to continue watching. Therefore, start your video with an attention grabber; for example with shocking figures, a fact or a joke.

You now know what to look for when advertising on Instagram. But how successful are you with ads on Instagram? Download this form to keep track of your performance in the field of social media advertising.