The Ins and Outs of Advertising on Instagram

Published: January 20 2017

Instagram has an online community of 500 million. In other words, Instagram’s community exceeds the combined population of the United States (319 million) and Canada (35 million).

Land Rover, Under Armour, and Nandos are just a few brands that have harnessed Instagram’s impressive reach to circulate engaging and captivating advertising campaigns. The success of these campaigns have left businesses wondering if Instagram is the advertising avenue for them. However, before taking the plunge and launching a campaign on this social media platform, here’s a couple of questions every business should ask.

1. Do I have the brand identity and resources to curate an Instagram-able ad campaign?

The key to a successful Instagram ad is thoughtful, imaginative, and visually appealing content. As users can easily hide ads they don’t like, a successful Instagram needs to look like it belongs. It needs to be organic. In other words, the advertising needs to be indistinguishable from the user-generated content that populates the site.

Before diving into Instagram ads you need to ask whether you have the product, brand, and budget to create a campaign that will look at home on this platform.

2. Is My Target Audience on Instagram?

According to the Pew Research Centre, 53% of Instagram users are between 18 and 29. That means the majority of users are under the age of 30. Before advertising on this platform, it’s important to consider whether this is your target audience.

Additionally, when designing the campaign, consider this audience. Will your advertisement resonate with this age group?

3. Would I Benefit From Targeted Advertising?

Instagram uses third-party data to determine the consumer patterns of its users. That means that you can create an advertisement that will reach specific audiences. For example, if you wanted to create an ad for a new womens hiking boot line, you can target a 25-year-old woman who is interested in outdoor sports.

If you’re attempting to target young adults between 18 and 29, Instagram is an excellent avenue as it has the data analysis facilitating ad campaigns that consistently reach the right consumer.

Instagram is certainly a platform that can be harnessed to increase brand awareness and sell specific products. If you’re still interested in advertising on Instagram, let us know! At Csek Creative, our team of content strategists will be able to create the perfect ad campaign for your company.