Everything You Need to Know About Instagram Advertising

Instagram is one of the best social media platforms for brand exposure. There are nearly 2 billion users on the app, so there's unlimited potential to tap. However, the space can be challenging to navigate, given the high level of competition and ever-changing algorithm. Beginners, in particular, will find it hard to grow their following and drive engagement for their content.

Fortunately, Instagram advertising can help you achieve your marketing goals. It's an effective way to get your products or services in front of the right people, encourage audience participation, and increase conversion. To help you get started with paid Instagram ads, here's everything you need to know, including how to create them and how much they cost.

What Are Instagram Ads and Why Should You Use Them?

Instagram advertising is a service that brands and creators pay for to promote their posts. These paid ads appear in various areas on the platform, including the feed, Explore page, and Stories. They look like regular posts but come with a “sponsored” label, so you can easily distinguish them. They also appear with tappable features like CTAs and links.

Instagram ads are worth paying for because they take the guesswork out of brand promotion. You may not have to spend for organic posts, but they require a lot of trial and error and don't always give you the desired results. The algorithm can get in the way, too. But with paid ads, Instagram does most of the work for you, ensuring your target audience sees your posts.

How Much Are Instagram Ads?

There are no fixed rates for Instagram ads. Prices depend on various factors, including your goals, the level of competition in your industry, ad placement, and the time of the year. Generally, it's more expensive to put out ads during the holidays because there's stiffer competition on the platform.

Fortunately, Instagram makes it easy to stay within your advertising budget. During ad creation, you can specify how long you want your ad to run and how much you're willing to spend per day. You'll see your total ad spend and your ad’s estimated reach.

What Are the Different Types of Instagram Ads?

There are several ad formats on Instagram, allowing brands to choose based on their marketing goals. Each ad type comes with its own CTA buttons and other features. Here's a guide to help you understand the different formats.

• Image Ads

  Image ads are single images that promote a brand, product, or service. To find success with this format, you must use high-quality and eye-catching visuals that can convey your desired message. You can use text to help get your point across, but Instagram says it's best not to crowd your image with too much of it.

• Video Ads

  Similar to image ads, video ads also appear in users’ feeds. However, they’re more dynamic and can give your audience a closer look at your products and services. Video ads can be up to 60 seconds long, but they’re more effective if you keep them short. In addition, the first three seconds must be attention-grabbing to keep users from scrolling past it.

• Story Ads

  Story ads can be in image or video form, popping up between users’ regular Stories. It’s a highly effective format because millions go through their lineup of Stories daily. In addition, they take up the entire screen, providing an immersive experience for your audience and encouraging them to interact with it. It’s best to make your Story ads look as organic as possible by using built-in features like stickers, filters, and GIFs.

• Reel Ads

  Given the high engagement rate of the Reels feature, it made sense for Instagram to allow ads within the format. Like Story ads, Reel ads appear between regular Reels as full-screen videos. You can make them as long as 30 seconds and include text and audio, so they are similar to organic Reels.

• Carousel Ads

  Carousel ads are a series of up to 10 images or videos that brands can use to tell a story or feature a collection of products. They can appear as in-feed posts or Stories and come with a CTA button or a link to your website. There are many ways to get creative with this format and pique your audience's interest.

• Shopping and Collection Ads

  Millions of Instagram users are on the platform to shop. With Shopping ads, you can make it even easier for potential customers to find your products and learn more about them. You can also promote your products through Collection ads, a cross between Carousel and Shopping ads. Both formats will take users to a product description page, and they can purchase the items they want directly on the app. Brands must create an Instagram catalog to use Shopping and Collection ads.

How to Create Instagram Ads

You can use Facebook to run ads on Instagram, but the easiest method is to promote an existing post on the app itself. It's best to choose a high-performing post to boost, so you can reach an even wider audience with it and drive engagement.

From your feed, select the image or video you want to promote and tap the “Boost post” button. Select an ad goal, whether you want more profile visits, website visits, or messages. You must then define your audience by age, gender, location, and interest. The last step is to set your budget and the duration of your ad. Once Facebook approves your ad, it will go live and appear on your target audience’s feeds and Stories.

The most crucial part of running Instagram ads is monitoring their performance on Instagram Insights. You can check if your strategy works by tracking metrics like impressions, reach, saves, and shares. You can improve your future campaigns if your current ad is not performing as expected.

The Bottom Line

Your marketing strategy should combine organic content and paid Instagram ads. With regular posts, you can connect with your followers and build trust. On the other hand, Instagram ads can expose you to a much wider audience and drive engagement.