There are 15 million brands on Instagram.
Over 2 million brands use Instagram advertising to grow awareness for their business.
Of the over 800 million Instagram users, a whopping 80% follow a brand on Instagram.
These staggering statistics demonstrate what we all know; advertising on social platforms is an incredible opportunity to grow awareness, increase engagement and drive traffic to your website, blog or landing.
Instagram is mobile
Instagram was built for mobile users. And, when it comes to mobile marketing, getting Instagram right has become the holy grail of marketers.
Instagram is magical storytelling
Even beyond the impressive statistics, the magic of visual storytelling element of the channel elevates Instagram to a certain level where people parents) can envision their child attending your school.
The Instagram ad platform
Thanks to the experience and oversight of Facebook, the Instagram advertising platform is first-rate. There are three types of Instagram ads – image ads, carousel ads and video ads.
Design your ad
Instagram is a highly visual experience. In order to stand out, you will need to have distinctive creative ads. An attractive Instagram ad can be easy to create. There is such a diverse audience on Instagram that a variety of approaches can work.
- Start by defining a clear goal and structure your ad concept around it.
- Tell a story that supports your school’s marketing goal.
- Use well-crafted creative to amplify results. Try using a Canva or Bannersnack template as a starting point. These are great tools to generate new ideas.
- Use unique and high-quality photos or videos for your ad. Take quality photos with your smartphone using good lighting.
- Sweeten your shots with apps like Layout, Boomerang or Hyperlapse.
- Keep your ad relevant with the overall look and feel of your brand. Include your logo and color theme for consistency.
- Select the type of ad format that works best with your concept. Currently, you can choose between photo ads, video ads or carousel ads.
- Use a carousel ad to tell a richer story with 3 – 5 photos or videos in one ad. Make your first image stand out, so people swipe through.
- Shoot a panoramic image and crop it into multiple photos or share a blend of shots that work together to represent your brand.
- Use compelling calls-to-action. Whenever possible, use a call-to-action (CTA). CTAs will help your audience know what they should do next. Instagram gives you a way to easily include CTAs with direct response buttons. Here are the six types of call-to-action buttons currently available for Instagram ads.
- Sign up
- Subscribe
- Learn more
- Apply more
- Get quote
- Download
- Don’t forget the hashtags. Hashtags have become a part of Instagram culture. They make it easy for you to categorize your offer, easy for your audience to share and easy for others who are interested in your categories to find you. You can even incorporate your hashtags into your creative design. When designing hashtags, make them unique, easy to remember and as simple as possible.
If you feel intimidated by the process of designing Instagram ads, download my free .pdf as a reference. Feel free to use it as a guide, and you’ll be designing attractive, effective ads in no time. Get creative and craft an ad you’d like to see in your feed.
