Finding Success Through Instagram Story Ads
Here today, gone tomorrow—does the kind of content you see on platforms like Instagram really resonate with consumer audiences? If you’ve learned anything about influencer marketing by now, you’ll know that, of course, it certainly does.
The wild success of platforms like Instagram and Snapchat speaks to the appeal of momentary advertising. Over 500 million people used Instagram Stories by January 2019.
It’s easy to assume that if you want to run a successful Instagram ad, you’d better be using Stories.
That said, where do you begin? Creating cohesive content in 15 seconds or less can be a challenge, but not an impossible one. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you formulate your next Story ad campaign:
Start with an Objective
Every advertising campaign needs a goal, regardless of the platform you choose. When that platform is Instagram, you’ll have the opportunity to select an objective early on in the creative process. With that objective in mind, Instagram will tailor your template creativity to suit your needs.
Instagram’s objectives include (but are not limited to):
- Reach
- Brand awareness
- Traffic
- Engagement
- App installs
- Video views
- Lead generations
- Conversions
Choose Your Insta Audience
Once you’ve set your goal, you’ll need to identify the audience you want your Instagram Story campaign to reach. Instagram primarily attracts a younger audience — think Gen X, Millennials, and the like. This means you’ll be using vastly different language from the rhetoric you’d use to appeal to Boomers.
Instagram allows you to target an audience based on the following factors:
- Location
- Gender
- Language
- Interest
- Behaviors
- Age
You’ll be able to include and exclude targets based upon these choices, so think ahead and choose wisely!
Get Creative
With an audience in mind, you’ll be able to get into the meat of your ad. Consider the product, service, or other subjects that you intend to advertise. From there, you’ll need to ensure that you can squeeze all the relevant information about that topic into a limited time frame.
Note that Instagram Stories offers you two options for ads: video and still photos. You can apply filters and trick shots to either of these options for improved effect, but you’ll still have to rely upon the base forms to share your message.
Select Your Story Ad Placement
With your Instagram story ad created, you’ll need to select your preferred ad placement. Instagram will offer to place your ad automatically, but it’ll be better for you to take manual control of the process. In selecting ad placement yourself, you can better ensure that your ads don’t repeat themselves on audience feeds and grow boring as a result.
Assess Your Success
Finally, you’ll need to assess the success of your Instagram Stories ad campaign. You can do this with any number of third-party tools, including the following:
We recommend Instagram Insights, as it melds easily with the platform and doesn’t require you to operate two different pieces of software at once. The tool will enable you to get a better understanding of the conversions and engagement resulting from your ad. That information, in turn, will enable you to create more successful Instagram Stories in the future.
Make the most out of mere moments with Instagram Stories. While the ad time may feel short, the impact will be long-lasting.
Conclusion
Is your company in need of help? MV3 Marketing Agency has numerous Marketing experts ready to assist you. Contact MV3 Marketing to jump-start your business.
image attribution: Aleksei – stock.adobe.com
By: Vance Moore
