Why should you advertise on Instagram?

Instagram is a social media powerhouse with over one billion users every month. These users spend at least 30 minutes of their day interacting on the platform. This interaction is in the form of searching and browsing for products and services. In numerical terms, this is equivalent to about 130 million users who engage with brands and click on links to business websites. About 50% of them are likely to make a purchase after seeing a product or service being advertised on Instagram.

To skeptics, these numbers are just vanity stats to increase Instagram’s social media cred, but here at Record Sciences, we see these numbers as opportunities for your business to expand its reach and be in a position to generate sales and increase profits. If used the right way, Instagram is a surefire way to achieve success.

Why You Should Use Instagram Ads Right Now?

1. Instagram has a built-in audience that is ready to engage with brands.

With more than a billion active monthly users, Instagram ranks 4th in mobile apps with the most number of users worldwide. It’s only outranked by Facebook, WhatsApp, and Messenger (Facebook)—all sister companies.

The important key term here is active users. These are people who actually spend at least 30 minutes a day interacting with all sorts of content posted on Instagram. This means they are likely to engage with ads, shopping posts, and branded content. It sets you up for success because your target audience is likely to be there searching for your brand.

It’s akin to having an express lane to a massive audience that you would otherwise not reach if you used traditional advertising channels.

2. Instagram Ads and Facebook Ads are fully integrated.

When Facebook purchased Instagram for $1 billion in 2012, it became clear that at some point, the two social media giants would integrate some of their features. And true enough, Instagram Ads became available in 2016. This means you can run Instagram advertising campaigns and make use of Facebook data, customization options, and superior targeting capabilities.

Imagine running ads across Instagram and Facebook and reaching the combined audience of both platforms at a 20% lower cost per conversion (CPC) and cost per action (CPA). This enables you to scale your ad campaigns and reach more people with the same ad sets and minimal effort.

3. Top Global Brands Use Instagram

The biggest brands in the world use Instagram and consider the social media platform as an important part of their marketing and advertising strategy.

Over the last decade, Instagram has introduced several features that focus on audience reach and engagement which benefit businesses. Big brands immediately saw the opportunity to reach a bigger audience and encourage engagement.

Instagram became part of a successful marketing blueprint for many big brands because they found that users engage with their brand and respond positively to various calls-to-action.

Big brands like Nike, Starbucks, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Chanel, Ben & Jerrys, and Tiffany & Co. and others are killing it on Instagram with their posts and ads. This means that Instagram allows brands to tap into other audiences they have not previously reached in their other campaigns.

4. Businesses of all sizes can use Instagram Ads to promote products and services.

There’s this notion that Instagram Ads are expensive and may not be the right strategy for small brands and new companies that are still trying to get their businesses off the ground.

Nothing can be further from the truth.

Instagram is crucial to the growth of small businesses, especially for those that are building their online presence. If you think about it, Instagram and other social media platforms help level the playing field. This means that even small businesses can reach a large audience just like big businesses.

5. Instagram Ads offer several options to match your advertising campaign objectives.

Instagram offers 18 call-to-action options and you can choose those that align with your advertising objectives. Advertising campaigns have different objectives. Whether you want users to visit your website, see your recipes, watch a video, view a product, or learn more information about an offer, Instagram ads will give you the tools you need to achieve that objective.

6. Instagram advertising can help you target a specific audience.

You want to target the right audience—people who have the intent to buy your products or avail of your services. You can define your target audience based on specific demographics such as gender, age, location, salary, and level of education, among others. This kind of relevant targeting allows you to home in on audiences that are likely to respond positively to your call to action.

7. Instagram continues to grow and there are no signs of slowing down.

Instagram’s growth is nothing short of phenomenal. From its humble beginnings as a photo-sharing site, Instagram has transformed into an important digital marketing platform for brands to build an online presence and reach target audiences.

And because Instagram is mainly a mobile phone app, its growth can be affected by the increase in the number of mobile phone users. With more than 5 billion unique mobile phone users worldwide, the future is bright for Instagram.

How to Get Started with Instagram Advertising

Creating an Instagram Ad campaign is relatively easy and you’re given different ways to start an ad campaign and manage it accordingly.

• You can start an ad within the Instagram app itself.

• You can create an Instagram ad using Facebook Ads Manager (Facebook for Business)

• You can connect with Facebook Marketing Partners to help you.

• You can use Marketing API if you want to create a number of Instagram ads at once.

If any of these options are too advanced for you or you have trouble navigating Instagram Ads or Facebook Ads Manager, our team here at KKMS Digital can help you launch your brand’s first Instagram ad campaign—from setting ad campaign parameters to designing the ad to writing the ad copy to measuring and evaluating the ad campaign’s performance. If you need a team to manage your Instagram ads, consider KKMS Digital as your digital marketing solution provider.