What are Instagram Ads?

You may have bought your favorite pair of jeans from an IG ad, or purchased that Amazon item due to an ad you scrolled by. Instagram advertisements are posts that are paid by the advertising business to market to users and will usually include a small “Sponsored” banner across the top of the post. 

As of January 2022, there are 1 billion active Instagram users with 500 million DAILY active users*. That’s a lot of business potential to tap into. 

Types of IG Ads

Here are the 5 most popular types of Instagram advertisement formats:

• Image: Image ads allow businesses to use a photo or graphic to market it’s brand and products in a user’s feed. 
• Video: Video ads allow more of a narrative to be told. This can be good for a business to promote its brand and voice. Videos can be up to 60 seconds, but less is more in this case. 
• Instagram Stories: These are image or video ads that take up the entire screen in the Stories function. Many feel it’s more immersive and engagement is higher.
• Carousel: This type of ad features multiple images or videos that allow physical engagement by having the user “swipe” through. This is used to showcase a series of products or a story. 
• Shopping/Tagged Ads: Shopping ads allow customers to purchase products from IG or have them click a link that takes them directly to the company’s website. 

With all that being said, it is up to the business to decide which format will provide them the best results based on their specific engagement goals. 

Why Should You Use Instagram Ads?

According to Business.com about 72% of Instagram users reported purchasing products*. This data helps us to understand the potential IG has to help businesses achieve engagement, reach, site traffic, and overall brand awareness. Not only are Instagram Ads  budget friendly for businesses, it provides a larger reach, and the various formats allow specific tailoring to target customers. These social media ads are also a more creative way to market and allow your brand voice to uniquely stand out. 

Another cool feature to these ads is the incorporation of influencer marketing! This advertising strategy allows businesses to promote content created by influencers on OTHER people’s feeds. This influencer- created content can even be seen by users who do not follow the influencer’s account. These ads are almost the exact same as the usual ads on Instagram, however in the post there will be a “paid partnership” label attached to the post. According to a New York Times article, businesses wish to utilize influencer marketing on this platform because “promoting content directly from an influencer’s handle inherently gives the post more authenticity than coming from a brand handle”. This gives the audience the authentic and organic content that they crave!

For any questions you may have, don’t hesitate to contact Shank Marketing for any of your advertising needs. We can help guide you in the right direction when it comes to social media marketing and advertising.