The Essential Guide to Paid Advertising on Instagram

Digital rendering of Instagram logo and icon
PC: Alexander Shatov
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Are you looking to advertise your product, service, or business on Instagram? Not sure where to get started or if it’s the right platform for your business?

We’re going to walk through everything you’ll need to know before running advertisements on Instagram.

What is Instagram? Why Your Business Absolutely Needs to be on It

Instagram is a social media platform that is easy to use and has a lot of potential. It’s also one of the most popular social media platforms, with around 1.44 billion monthly active users, according to EarthWeb. It became popular in 2010 and has since grown to become the most popular photo-sharing app in the world.

Unlike Facebook, to take full advantage of Instagram’s features, you’ll want to prioritize using the mobile application over the web one. Instagram is, however, constantly adding more features to its web application so its service isn’t so dependent on a mobile one.

In the mobile and web app, a user’s profile displays the user’s recent activity, their followers, and the number of likes they have received on each image or video on their profile.

Instagram’s mobile app also allows users to follow other individuals and organizations, discover similar images and geo-tagged photos. Users can also share original content that is either publicly available or privately through messaging, “close friends,” or by making their account private.

It’s no wonder why your business should be on Instagram – it is a great way to reach out to new customers, build brand loyalty, and increase sales through enticing graphics and visuals.

Why You Need to Start Putting More Effort Into Instagram

Instagram is a powerful tool for businesses, and it’s not just because of the large number of people who use it. It has the potential to be a great marketing channel because of its visual nature.

If your business is visual in nature, you can use the tools that Instagram offers to connect with your audience and tell your business’ story.

Some businesses may not want to advertise on Instagram because they think Facebook is enough. But in reality, Facebook ads are oftentimes more text-based, while Instagram ads are more visual which makes them more appealing to users.

Furthermore, Facebook’s demographic skews older in nature and Instagram is younger. So if your business offers products and services that geared towards an older audience then Facebook would be a good addition for you. If not, Instagram may be a better option for you to spend your money.

Benefits of Paid Advertising on Instagram

Paid advertising on Instagram has become a popular marketing strategy for businesses. With the help of ads, businesses can reach out to their audience, increase the number of followers, and boost sales.

Ads on Instagram offer a lot of benefits to businesses. Some of these benefits are:

  • Reach out to new audiences that they couldn’t have reached otherwise
  • Have an increased number of followers
  • Increase their engagement with followers
  • Boost sales revenue
  • Build your email list by offering free or heavily discounted products

How to Determine Your Target Audience on Instagram

It’s important to determine your target audience, as this will help you choose the right type of campaign and assets you’ll need in order to convert leads into customers.

For example, if your target audience is millennials, then you’ll want to find out how millennials utilize Instagram. What content are they looking at? What content are they sharing to posts and stories? Who are they following? Who are some of the major millennial Instagram influencers?

There are many different ways in which you can determine your target audience on Instagram. One way is by looking at the demographics of your followers and the top content they’ve engaged with on your profile. You can also look at what hashtags they use most often.

Some popular hashtags on Instagram are #selfie, #love, and #fashion. If you want to create content that is perfect for young people with a selfie obsession, then you could use the hashtag #selfie in your post. This will help ensure your audience sees it. Another method is to see what kinds of content they seem to engage with most often. The best way to do this is by viewing their most recent interactions and viewing the top posts they’ve had on their profile.

How to Create a Successful Instagram Ad Campaign

The success of any Instagram marketing campaign is dependent on a number of factors.

The most important thing you need to do is to create easy to understand copy and visually appealing graphics that entice your target audience. This can be done by following some tips and tricks:

Create a great post: A good post will attract more followers, which will in turn attract more customers. It should be visually appealing and have the right caption. The caption should have the right words that will make people want to click on it and follow your account.

Use hashtags: Hashtags are one of the best ways to get your content seen by more people on Instagram. You can also use them for marketing purposes, such as with contests or giveaways, as well as for branding purposes, such as when you introduce new products or services.

Complete your profile: Be sure that your Instagram profile is filled out with address (if you have one), contact information, website, and more. This avoids confusion and receiving a barrage of questions. If potential customers can view your profile, content, and click through to your website and understand what your business does, then you’re on the right track. Your Instagram profile is all part of the marketing funnel.

Making the Most Out of Your Instagram Advertising Budget by Targeting Your Audience and Analyzing Data Metrics

Before spending any money on Instagram, it’s vital that you’ve determined who your target audience is.

By spending ads that aren’t specifically targeted for your ideal audience, you’re wasting money. For example, showing an advertisement to a 52-year-old who has no interest in dance music would most likely scroll right past an advertisement for Ultra Music Festival or Tomorrowland. This impression would still cost you money.

Make sure you are targeting your customers or potential customers, not just anyone. You can do this by looking at their interests and demographics from your profile as well as conducting in-depth market research. The next step is to analyze data metrics on Instagram for advertising purposes. This will help you understand which posts are performing better than others and what kind of content people are responding to best.

3 Proven Ways to Generate Leads on Instagram

Growing your audience on Instagram is one thing, but attracting leads is another. There are multiple ways to attract leads on Instagram, but here are a few of the best ones, according to SendPulse.

1. Run ads: When running ads on Instagram, you can select what your goal with the ads is. In this case, it’s lead generation.

2. Optimize your bio: As mentioned above, using your bio as an additional tool should be prioritized. Add who, what, where, why, and when information.

3. Use targeted hashtags: Hashtags that your target audience are following or would be interested in are ideal. Be careful so you don’t include spammy hashtags and are just throwing spaghetti at a wall hoping it sticks. Be strategic.

Conclusion

Paid advertising on Instagram can be a challenge to navigate through, but it doesn’t have to be. With almost everybody having an Instagram account, there are a lot of really creative examples to market your brand, products, or service on the platform both organically and through paid advertising.

YŌK Digital is here to help to make running ads easier, so get started today

Lennon Cihak

Lennon Cihak

Lennon Cihak is a music producer, freelance writer/journalist, and root beer connoisseur.

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