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Instagram advertising

Instagram advertising is an effective way to reach your target audience through visual content on one of the world’s most popular social media platforms. It offers companies a unique opportunity to showcase their products and services to millions of active users every day. Instagram advertising allows you to create targeted advertising campaigns. Address the people who are most likely to be interested in what you have to offer.

What is Instagram advertising?

The need for digital marketing

As digital presence becomes increasingly important, Instagram advertising has become an integral part of companies’ marketing strategies. It enables the creation and reinforcement of brands through visual storytelling, making it an effective tool for creating and maintaining a connection with the target audience.

Instagram advertising is not just a way to increase visibility; it is a strategic tool that can significantly improve customer interaction and drive sales.

Instagram advertising offers businesses a unique combination of broad visibility and a targeted approach. It allows companies to reach highly specific target groups based on user demographics, interests and behaviour. This allows messages to be tailored to a specific target audience, improving relevance and boosting engagement.

Instagram advertising is one of the areas of Meta advertising. You can read more about the full Meta-advertising Here.

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Why is Instagram advertising effective?

Instagram advertising has proven to be a powerful tool for businesses looking to increase their brand awareness, engage their audience and grow their sales. The power of this platform lies in its ability to use visual content that appeals directly to consumers’ emotions and decision-making process. Especially in Finland, where social media use is active and diverse, Instagram advertising offers a unique opportunity to reach a broad and diverse audience in a targeted way.

An example of a successful campaign is Marimekko

In Finland, there are several examples of companies that have achieved significant success through Instagram advertising. One example is Marimekko, a domestic design company, which has used Instagram advertising effectively to raise brand awareness and promote its new collections. Marimekko’s colourful and patterned designs stand out on Instagram, attracting both new and old customers. Through these campaigns, Marimekko has been able to increase engagement and drive traffic to its online store, which has resulted in increased sales.

Tips for businesses

Instagram advertising

Use Visually Attractive Content

Instagram is a visual platform, so it's important that your ads contain high-quality, eye-catching images or videos. Use clear and professional images that convey your message effectively and stand out in the user feed. Make sure your visual content matches your brand personality and appeals to your target audience.

Destination Exactly

Instagram offers a wide range of targeting tools to help you reach exactly the right audience. Make use of demographic data, interests, behavioural data and other targeting options. This ensures that your ad is shown to those most likely to be interested in your products or services. Precise targeting improves the effectiveness of your ads and maximises the return on your marketing budget.

Use Strong Calls to Action (CTA)

A clear and compelling call to action (CTA) is a critical part of an effective Instagram ad. It guides users to take the action you want them to take, whether it's visiting your website, buying a product or downloading an app. Make sure the CTA is in a prominent place and clearly indicates what the user is expected to do.

Take advantage of storytelling advertising

Instagram Stories are extremely popular and offer a unique opportunity to create interactive and immersive advertising. Story ads appear between users' stories and can include photos or even 15-second videos. Use storytelling to showcase your products creatively, tell stories about your brand or use interactive elements such as surveys to engage your audience.

How can I make ads?

How to make ads on Instagram

Step 1

Setting objectives

Set goals for your Instagram advertising. These can include: increasing brand awareness and conversions, increasing website traffic, increasing the number of views of images and videos, and increasing app downloads.

Step 2

Choose your target audience

Instagram Ads Manager lets you target your ads to specific audiences based on age, gender, location, interests and other demographics. This will help ensure that your ads reach the right people.

Step 3

Setting the budget and timetable

Decide how much you are willing to spend on the ad and how long you want it to run. Instagram allows flexible budgeting options, so you can set a daily budget or a total budget for your advertising campaign.

Step 4

Create advertising content

Use high-quality images or videos that match your brand message and appeal to your target audience. Make sure the content is visually interesting and contains a clear call to action (CTA), such as "Buy now", "Read more" or "Download the app".

Step 5

Publication and monitoring of advertisements

Go to Instagram's Ads Manager or use Facebook's Ads Manager tool (since Instagram and Facebook are connected). Select "Create an ad" and follow the instructions to set your ad campaign live. You need to choose an advertising account, set up your advertising campaign settings (such as target, audience, budget and schedule) and upload your advertising content.

Step 6

Analysis and optimisation

Once your Instagram ad is live, monitor its performance in Instagram Ads Manager. Monitor key performance metrics such as impressions, click-through-rate (CTR), conversions and ROI. Use this information to optimise your future ads for better results.

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Instagram advertising targeting builds on Facebook’s rich advertising platform, which offers advertisers a wide range of targeting options. You can target your ads based on demographic information such as age, gender and location, which helps ensure that your ads are shown to the right audience. You can also use user interests and behaviour to target ads to those most likely to be interested in the products or services you offer.

Creating custom audiences is another effective way to target ads on Instagram. You can create custom audiences by uploading customer lists or by tapping into people who have already interacted with your brand online or in your app. This will help you reach existing customers and create an engaged audience that is more likely to be interested in the products or services you are promoting.

Using Lookalike audiences allows you to expand your audience by finding new users who are similar to your existing customers. This will help increase the number of potential customers and expand the brand’s visibility into new markets. Continuous fine-tuning of targeting settings and the use of analytics data help optimise the effectiveness of advertising campaigns and ensure that ads reach the most relevant audience.

With Instagram advertising, you can take advantage of a number of advertising formats that allow brands to take a creative and diverse approach to advertising on the platform.

Image ads are simple but effective and well suited to showcasing products or services. Video ads can last up to 60 seconds and offer a dynamic way to tell stories and generate interest.

Carousel ads allow users to browse multiple images or videos in the same ad, providing a deeper dive into your products or story. Story ads appear between users’ stories and provide a full-screen experience that can include both images and videos, as well as elements that encourage user interaction, such as links and CTA buttons.

IGTV ads appear at the beginning of videos viewed on IGTV and offer longer video advertising opportunities. Reels ads are the latest addition, and will be placed amongst Instagram Reels content, offering businesses the opportunity to reach and engage audiences through short, entertaining videos. The versatility of these advertising formats allows companies to create targeted and impactful content that resonates with their audience and supports a range of marketing objectives.

To monitor the performance of your Instagram advertising, you can use Facebook Ads Manager, which provides comprehensive analytics and performance metrics. In the Advertising Manager you will find information such as impressions, clicks, click-through-rate (CTR), conversions, budget spent and much more. This data allows you to evaluate the effectiveness of your advertising campaigns in real time and gain an in-depth understanding of how your audience is responding to your ads.

Analytics tools help you identify which ads are performing best and where there is room for improvement. You can view the performance of different ad versions and make comparisons between them. Based on this information, you can optimise your future advertising campaigns for better results. For example, you can adjust the targeting of your ads, edit the content of your ads or change the budget distribution to achieve the results you want.

In addition, Instagram Insights provides valuable information about the overall performance of your profile, including the impact of ads. For example, you can view follower activity, interaction and growth. This information will give you a comprehensive picture of how your ads are affecting your overall Instagram profile and how you can further improve it.

Overall, Facebook Ads Manager and Instagram Insights provide powerful tools for monitoring and analysing Instagram advertising performance. This information allows you to make informed decisions and continuously improve your advertising strategy, helping you to achieve the desired results in your Instagram marketing.

There are several key factors to consider when creating an Instagram ad. First, visual appeal is crucial. Choose high-quality images and videos that stand out in your Instagram feed and grab your users’ attention. Visual content is often the first thing a user notices, so it needs to be of high quality and attractive.

Second, clear calls to action (CTAs) are an essential part of Instagram advertising. Use compelling and clear CTAs that encourage users to take the desired action, such as making a purchase, visiting the website or sharing content. Effective CTAs help guide users further along the sales process.

Thirdly, optimising ad copy and headlines is key. Use concise and engaging messages that convey your brand value and attract your target audience. Ad copy plays an important role in engaging users and increasing conversion.

In addition, limited time offers and discounts can exploit a sense of urgency by offering limited offers that encourage people to act quickly. This can increase the effectiveness of ads and encourage immediate action.

Continuous testing and optimisation with A/B tests for different advertising elements are also important. Test different images, ad copy, CTAs and other elements of your ad to see what works best with your target audience. Regularly monitoring performance will help you identify potential opportunities for improvement and ensure that your ads are effective and reaching their targets.

There are many ways to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of Instagram advertising, and it is important to choose the metrics that best reflect the goals of your advertising campaign. Here are some key metrics and ways to assess the effectiveness of your Instagram advertising:

  • Impressions: tells you how many times your ad has been shown to users. A high number of impressions may indicate a high visibility of the advertisement.

  • Clicks: measures how many times users have clicked on your ad. Clicks indicate the attractiveness and engagement of the ad.

  • Click-through Rate (CTR): the CTR is the ratio of clicks to impressions of the ad. A high CTR indicates the attractiveness and relevance of the ad to the target audience.

  • Conversions: tracking the desired actions, such as purchases, registrations or downloads, that occur as a result of clicking on an ad. Conversions show the true effectiveness of an advertisement in terms of business.

  • Advertising costs: the costs of an advertising campaign are monitored. It is important to compare advertising costs with the results achieved, such as clicks or conversions, to assess the return on advertising.

  • Target audience engagement: monitoring how well the target audience responds to the ad, such as likes, comments and shares. Engagement metrics can give an idea of the attractiveness and effectiveness of an advertisement.

  • ROI (Return on Investment): calculating how much profit an advertising campaign generates in relation to the budget spent on it. ROI gives a holistic picture of the profitability of an advertising campaign.

The combination of these metrics provides a comprehensive picture of the effectiveness of Instagram advertising and helps to assess the success of the campaign against the objectives set.

Second, clear calls to action (CTAs) are an essential part of Instagram advertising. Use compelling and clear CTAs that encourage users to take the desired action, such as making a purchase, visiting the website or sharing content. Effective CTAs help guide users further along the sales process.

Thirdly, optimising ad copy and headlines is key. Use succinct and engaging messages that convey your brand value and attract your target audience. Ad copy plays an important role in engaging users and increasing conversion.

In addition, limited time offers and discounts can exploit a sense of urgency by offering limited offers that encourage people to act quickly. This can increase the effectiveness of ads and encourage immediate action.

Continuous testing and optimisation with A/B tests for different advertising elements are also important. Test different images, ad copy, CTAs and other elements of your ad to see what works best with your target audience. Regularly monitoring performance will help you identify potential opportunities for improvement and ensure that your ads are effective and reaching their targets.

The cost of Instagram advertising varies based on a number of factors, making it a dynamic and ever-changing part of your marketing budget. One of the most important factors is the size of the audience to be targeted: the larger the audience, the more advertising usually costs. In addition, the duration of an advertising campaign affects the price, as longer campaigns may require higher investments. Competition in a particular sector also affects price, as more intense competition can raise the price of advertising expenditure. Timing also matters: for example, prices can rise during holiday periods when demand increases and advertisers compete for the same display opportunities.

Advertisers can manage their costs by setting daily or overall budgets, which helps keep advertising costs under control. Fees are usually based on either a price per click (CPC) or a price per thousand impressions (CPM). CPC rates vary widely depending on the industry and targeting, and can range from a few cents to several dollars per click. Budgeting and optimisation based on performance metrics such as click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rates are key to ensuring cost-effective advertising.

The exact price is determined by the choices made in the settings of the advertising campaign and the market dynamics. Therefore, cost-effectiveness requires continuous testing, monitoring and adjustment. Advertisers need to closely monitor the performance of their campaigns and react to changes where necessary to optimise their advertising spend and achieve their desired results as efficiently as possible.

Creating and managing Instagram ads requires a Facebook account, as Instagram ads are created and managed through Facebook’s Ads Manager. This tight integration allows advertisers a wide range of targeting, budgeting and tracking options, as Facebook Ads Manager offers a wide range of tools and features. This means that even if your main focus is on Instagram advertising, you’re also leveraging the power and scale of the Facebook advertising platform.

Even if you may not actively use Facebook personally or professionally, you still need to create and maintain an account to use Instagram’s advertising features. Setting up and maintaining a Facebook account is relatively simple, and it gives you access to Instagram advertising and Facebook’s wide audience. This is particularly important when it comes to reaching users of different ages, demographics and interests.

You will also need to link your Instagram account to your Facebook page to take full advantage of Instagram advertising. This integration allows you to seamlessly manage your advertising campaigns and build a unified brand on Instagram and Facebook. By combining these platforms, you can take advantage of the rich features they offer to reach a wider audience and effectively monitor and optimise the performance of your advertising campaigns.

Optimising the performance of your Instagram ad requires constant testing, analysis and fine-tuning. Here are some key strategies to improve the effectiveness of your ads:

A/B testing: run A/B tests on different advertising elements such as images, videos, headlines, ad copy and calls to action (CTAs). This will help you understand which components resonate best with your audience and thus improve the performance of your ads.

Targeting your audience: make sure you target your ad to the right audience. Take advantage of Instagram’s targeting tools based on demographics, behaviour, interests and other relevant criteria. Use custom audiences and lookalike audiences to reach potential customers more effectively.

Optimising ad format and content: choose the ad format and content that best fits your campaign’s objectives and your audience’s preferences. Try different ad formats (such as photo ads, video ads, carousel ads and story ads) and optimise your content (such as the quality of images, the length of videos and the clarity of your message).

Budget and schedule optimisation: set a realistic budget and schedule for your advertising campaign. Use your daily or lifetime budget effectively and schedule your ads to appear when your target audience is most active on Instagram.

Analytics monitoring and analysis: monitor the performance of your ads using Facebook’s Ads Manager and Instagram’s analytics tools. Review key performance metrics such as impressions, click-through-rate (CTR), conversions and ROI. Analyse the results regularly and make the necessary changes to your strategy.

Updating your content: keep your ads fresh and relevant by regularly updating your content. This will keep your audience interested and improve the long-term performance of your ads.

Increasing interaction: encourage interaction in your ads. Use polls, story sliders and other interactive elements to increase engagement and improve the effectiveness of your ads.

Use these strategies to continuously optimise the performance of your ads to achieve the best possible results from your Instagram advertising.

Creating a consistent brand experience on Instagram is an essential part of a successful marketing strategy. By ensuring that your Instagram ads reflect your brand’s identity, values and visual style, you help to strengthen brand recognition and credibility. By targeting your ads on Instagram in the same way you do on your other marketing channels, such as your website, other social media platforms and traditional marketing, you create a consistent and engaging experience for your customers. This consistent brand experience encourages customers to engage with your brand for longer and build stronger relationships with your brand.

A multi-channel approach is key to the success of Instagram advertising. By using Instagram advertising as part of a broader multi-channel strategy that includes other digital advertising channels such as Facebook advertising, Google advertising, email marketing and content marketing, you can reach your audience across different channels and at different stages of the customer journey. This allows you to interact with your customers in a variety of ways and provide them with a comprehensive and consistent brand experience across different platforms. This multi-channel approach increases your visibility and your ability to engage and convert customers across platforms.

Overall, creating a cohesive brand experience on Instagram advertising and utilising a multi-channel approach are key factors in implementing a successful marketing strategy. Your goal should be to provide your customers with a consistent and engaging brand experience across all interaction points, helping to strengthen your brand and build long-term relationships with your customers.

Creating engaging and effective ads on Instagram requires careful planning and a strategic approach. Here are some tips to help you create effective Instagram ads:

  • Pay attention to visual appeal: Instagram is a visual platform, so make sure the images or videos in your ad are of high quality, attractive and professionally executed. Use high-quality images and videos that stand out in the feed.

  • Showcase your brand uniqueness: use distinctive brand elements such as your logo, colour scheme and fonts to make your ads stand out and your brand easily recognisable.

  • Use clear and attractive calls to action (CTAs): CTAs included in the text of an advertisement encourage users to take action, such as making a purchase, getting more information or visiting the website. Use concise and clear calls to action to attract users.

  • Storytelling: Tell stories in your ads that evoke emotion and resonate with your target audience. Storytelling can help create stronger bonds between the brand and the audience.

  • Targeted content: target your ads precisely to your audience, using Instagram’s targeting features such as demographics, interests and behaviours.

  • Take advantage of the latest ad formats: try different Instagram ad formats such as photo ads, video stories, carousel ads and survey ads and choose the ones that best fit your brand’s message and objectives.

  • Continuous testing and optimisation: continuously test different ad images, texts and targeting strategies and optimise your ads based on their performance. Follow the analytics and learn how to continuously improve the effectiveness of your ads.

By combining these strategies, you can create engaging and effective Instagram ads that grab attention and achieve the desired results.

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