Instagram is a huge platform for e-marketers. Its quality picture and audio-visual rendering make it a valuable tool for advertisement.

Other key features like comments, shares, likes, reposts and direct messages all make it possible to get feedback and track ROI in real-time.

In recent years, Instagram video ads have established themselves as one of the most fascinating options in digital marketing. The platform offers a perfect mix of entertainment for users and advertising tools for marketers.

Person Holding Black Iphone 5No matter the type of company you run, Instagram offers the perfect ingredients to create the marketing campaign of your dreams.

However, versatility sometimes brings a bit of confusion. It's not uncommon for marketers to sometimes get lost in the complexity.

Businesses often find it difficult to sift the options to create a clear video ad campaign that will grab the audience’s attention.

It's essential to make concerted technical efforts to take full advantage of advertising on Instagram.

In this guide, we'll explore strategies to help you maximize the returns for time, effort, and budget.
 

Five Instagram video ad tips to wow your audience

1. Focus on one goal at a time

Titrist Golf Ball Near Golf HoleBusinesses are multi-faceted and as a result, marketing teams are often tempted to cram multiple messages into one video ad. This is mostly done in a bid to get maximum returns for their ad spending.

But observations show that this only backfires. Users eventually get overwhelmed and the campaign fails to pass any of its multiple messages across emphatically enough.

Advertisers may think that they can maximize ROI by squeezing in several messages.

Instead, it only leads to low engagement and an even lower conversion rate. Overwhelmed by too many choices, viewers may get confused and end up not taking any action.

To get the best results off your video ads on Instagram, focus on one goal at a time. Ideally, your ad objectives should be tailored toward your business goals.

For instance, if you wish to generate sales, focus your message on driving traffic toward a purchase-point landing page.

Likewise, if you want to improve your brand image, endeavor to create a video ad that positively reflects your image. Such videos should be geared toward getting as many views as possible.

It's also advisable to use engagement techniques to elicit discussions about the video. Focus on getting people to take action about a single goal in each ad. Lastly, make your CTA is as visible and audible as possible.
 

2. Keep your Instagram video ads brief

Instagram allows video ads to run up to 120 seconds. But you really don’t have to make your ads that long.

According to Hubspot, videos that drive the most engagement on Instagram are only around 26 seconds long, on average.

Evidently, shorter videos are likely to generate a better conversion rate. Internet users are inundated by millions of content thrown in their faces every minute of the day.

The attention span of viewers has never been shorter than it is today. It's therefore essential that you make your video ads as succinct as possible.

Instead of dilly-dallying about irrelevancies, get straight to business. Introduce the main point and provide information about the CTA early on.

clear hour glass with yellow liquidAnother technique you can employ is to deliberately provide less information in your ad. This will arouse curiosity and people will then need to visit the landing page to learn more.

If you must make a long video ad, endeavor to share the most crucial pieces of information in the first few seconds.

Analyze the pain point in the minds of your audience and address the first few seconds of your video. This way, you can then generate interest and desire to make them want to get through the rest of the video.

The AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action) is another tool that can help you create a successful campaign.

You should also remember to optimize your thumbnail to attract the attention of users who have Instagram auto-play turned off.
 

3. Optimize your Instagram video ads for mobile-view

Instagram is primarily a mobile app. While you can access it on a desktop browser, the functions are quite limited. At least 90% of Instagrammers access the platform via a mobile device.

Hence, you need to keep this in mind when creating your ads. Asides from your video ad content, your landing pages should be optimized for mobile view.

If you run an e-commerce store, try to direct the audience to a mobile version of your landing page. Most website builders offer this option.

To ascertain if your ad is mobile-optimized, you can first publish it on a test page. Then, proceed to check with a mobile device if the video content and text captions are spot-on.

If you're satisfied with the way the video appears, from the audience’s POV, you may go-ahead to publish the ad.
 

4. Make your video ads appear less “ad-like”

It's well-known that people don't like being sold to. 

Some viewers will quit watching if they realize that you're selling them something right off the bat.

While your main goal is to get a few bucks off the audience, try to use video ads to tell a story. Just make it fun, intriguing, and interesting for the viewer.

You can employ strategic use of humor and suspense for a maximum wow effect.

Another method is to share valuable tips in your video ad to make it educational for the audience. Striking the right balance with these strategies will help you to organically drive impressions and engagements on your ad posts.

With Instagram Ads, you get to sell more when you’re not forcing it.
 

5. Engage people who comment on your video ad

Person in Blue Denim Jacket Holding Black SmartphoneWhile it might be a herculean task, it's essential that you engage your audience.

When people make comments on your ad posts, ensure you respond to each of them.

This will provide an organic feedback loop. You answer any questions your audience has and provide clearer directions toward your call-to-action (CTA).

It'll also show your viewers that you care about them. Such people will be willing to buy your products in the near future.
 

Final thoughts

Creating video ads often takes a lot of time and effort. However, it has twice the potential to sway viewers' attention toward your brand more than pictures ever will.  

Video ads, if properly curated and deployed, have the potential of a decent ROI. If you have tried it in the past without desired results, go back to the drawing board and employ some of the tips above.

Your efforts and budget will certainly pay off in the long run.

⟵ Вернуться в блог