22 Jun What makes a good Instagram ad?
If your target audience fits within the demographics of the Instagram user, then you need to embrace Instagram Advertising. Instagram shifted the marketing game again when it came along in 2010. It has the most rapid growth of current Social Media platforms. Before we make a great ad let’s see if your customer base is on Instagram.
The Facts about Instagram
- Instagram is a social media platform established in 2010, and purchased by Facebook in 2012.
- The core activity style on Instagram is photo sharing.
- Since its creation Instagram’s user base has increased to over 500 million monthly users.
- Instagram users demographic is fairly split 51% male/ 49% female.
- Over half of all millennials (ages 18-29) use Instagram every single day, according to Pew Research Firm.
Native Advertising
The number one commonality among successful Instagram ads is that they are native. In business, native advertising is a top trend of 2016. Lucky for us marketers, Instagram is one of the easiest platforms for native advertising.
Native advertising is a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed.
In 2015, Instagram launched a variety of new features for its native advertising platform, including direct-response, clickable buttons and Marquee. For the most successful ads use images and video to create a story that sells and supports your brand. These ads appear in the newsfeed of users with a small font “sponsored” in the display. The advertisements or stories you create should be tailored to your audience. Multiple ad versions displayed to specific targeted portions of your primary demographic are recommended for large brand audiences. Brands that successfully integrate themselves into the everyday lives of their consumers have the best results across all social platforms and online efforts.
Instagram is owned by Facebook, you may have noticed that while creating and purchasing Facebook ads you are offered the option to display on Instagram. The two platform offer parallel advertising styles and Native advertisements and placement work smashingly on Facebook as well.
Influencer Marketing
Instagram advertising is also extremely successful with influencer marketing which continues to rise in popularity.
Influencer marketing is a style of marketing that focuses on using key leaders to drive your brand’s message to the larger market. The influencers are often hired, paid, or simply inspired to share your message.
Instead of paying to send a message to a large audience, a message is tailored to reaching a certain demographic then sent to a leader in that online community. It is similar to what you may know as an endorsement in traditional media blended with word-of-mouth. Now influencers can be all types of individuals in all walks of life thanks to YouTube and other social media sites.
These are the top two most successful social media advertising styles on Instagram. Instagram should be a part of your social media strategy if your demographic falls into their user base or is on the cusp. Social media can allow you to lay the ground work and already be a familiar company as users age into your demographic. Millennials are just coming into their real buying power and so industries such as real estate are now heavily attempting to reach them.
We welcome all comments and discussion below. Have a question? Contact Michelle Dunaway, our Social Media Manager, by email at michelle@mediavenue.com.
