There are now over 1 billion Instagram users, meaning that if it were a country, it would have the third-highest population on Earth behind China and India.
This makes it a necessity for digital marketers to start using the platform, to increase brand awareness and sales.
It has never been easier and more straight forward to advertise to your customers than it is today. Instagram's parent company Facebook, gives you the tools to create an awesome ad and have it live in minutes.
But this doesn't mean you should dive straight in and expect revenue to skyrocket overnight.
There are a few things you need to learn first, in order to create an Instagram ad that works.
In this ultimate guide, we're going to share with you the tips and tricks top digital marketers use when creating their ads. These tried and tested techniques will give you the knowledge to go and make some awesome ads.
Read on to find out more.
Identify Your Goal First
Perhaps the most common mistake digital marketers make when starting off trying to create ads, is that they don't set a specific goal.
Specific goals are important for whatever we do, whether it's trying to lose weight or run a faster 5k time; and digital marketing is no different.
Online ads usually have one of three goals: to either increase brand awareness, generate leads, or generate sales.
But what's the difference and why should you define which one you focus on before starting?
Brand awareness is exactly what it says it does. Your aim is to introduce your particular brand to as many people as possible.
You want to do this by creating a memorable ad that will impress them, showcase what your brand is about, and show off its values. But most importantly, you need the ad to be memorable.
Generating leads is all about trying to find new customers. Your ad will have some sort of call to action (CTA), like encouraging them to visit your website and sign up for your newsletter.
This is beneficial as you'll gain contact information which you can then use to send regular emails showcasing your products/services.
Generating sales needs no long explanation. Your ad will advertise a product, service, or special offer to try and entice somebody into making a purchase or signing up for a subscription.
Be Confident Who Your Audience Are
Given Instagram's colossal number of users, it's fair to say that your target audience will be online.
However, are you absolutely sure who they are?
It's easy to think that by getting your ad in front of as many people as possible, it will get conversions. That's wrong, plus, you'll most likely lose money.
Start off with what you know. For example, if your product is aimed at females aged 18-25 who live in the US, then start with them.
Instagram then allows you to focus more specifically on these individuals, by also filtering out interests, hobbies, etc. This will give you every chance of success.
As you create more ads, you'll discover more about who your perfect customers are by learning from the analytics provided by Instagram.
You can also use their custom audience feature to retarget people who have visited your page or clicked on links.
There's No Need To Re-Invent The Wheel
When it comes to deciding on the content for the ad, there's no need to become stressed out. Even though you may be short on ideas, it's easy to find inspiration.
All you need to do is look at what your competitors are doing well.
If you're active on your Instagram account (hint, you should be) then you may have been targeted with competitors ads already in your news feed. If not, look up relevant hashtags in the discover section and some should be visible.
Take a look at what they're creating. Are they pictures, videos, or carousels? Do they have a lot of engagement in terms of likes and comments? Did it catch your eye as you scrolled?
If the answer to some of these questions is yes, then take the best bits and incorporate them into your ads. Just make sure you do not replicate them or use anything you do not have permission for.
Don't Spend What You Don't Have
Determining how many people see your ad is determined by budget. The more money you pay, the more people Instagram will put the ad in front of.
But don't let that panic you into suddenly increasing your budget. Remember, we're looking for quality here, not quantity.
Plus, it's not a good idea to throw your budget on an ad that is yet to be successful. Why not create a variety of ads, say 4-6, for the same purpose?
You then start running these ads for 4-7 days, using only a small fraction of your potential budget. After that, look at the analytics for each one and filter out those that didn't perform well.
You'll then be left with ads that have high conversion rates and you can confidently spend more money on them.
It's important though to always stick to a predetermined budget and to monitor the ads regularly. If your ad(s) start to decrease in engagement, pull the plug on them immediately.
Get the Basics Right to Make the Best Instagram Ads
Once you have done all the hard work, don't let yourself down with simple errors.
Ensure the link to your website is correct and works. Test it out two or three times so you can feel the customer experience.
Also, make sure you choose the right call to action button. Instagram has a variety to pick from so ensure it makes sense and is relevant.
How to Create an Instagram Ad That Works
We hope you have enjoyed our ultimate guide on how to create an Instagram ad. We also hope that you learned a few things that you can incorporate into your next ad.
Lastly, why not check out our blog to discover other great articles!