Instagram has been a powerhouse since its launch in 2010, and its popularity continues to soar. With over 2 billion monthly active users and more than 500 million daily users engaging with Instagram Stories, it’s clear that this platform is a key player in the social media landscape. In fact, 90% of marketers are leveraging Instagram (along with Facebook) to connect with their target audiences.
What makes Instagram stand out is not just the sheer number of users, but its highly engaged community. Instagram ads, especially video ads, have proven to be effective at driving awareness and engagement. The platform offers a variety of ad formats—photo ads, carousel ads, video ads, and Stories ads—each offering different ways to capture attention. Among these, video ads stand out due to their ability to combine sight, sound, and motion, creating a richer, more immersive experience.
And let’s face it—video is hot right now! It’s the content type that captures attention quickly and keeps viewers engaged longer. If you're already running a successful Facebook page, now might be the perfect time to expand your audience on Instagram with the right video ad strategies before organic reach becomes limited, just like Facebook’s.
7 Tips For Getting Started With Instagram Ads
1. Be Clear with Your Ad Objective
The first step to creating effective Instagram ads is understanding the objectives available on the platform. Each ad objective is designed to help you reach a different goal, so it’s essential to choose one that aligns with your business objectives. However, not all Facebook ad objectives are applicable to Instagram ads, so you’ll need to familiarize yourself with Instagram’s specific options.
Instagram initially focused on "Reach" as its primary goal, but over time, it has expanded to include a range of objectives. Here's a breakdown of the key ad objectives you can use to structure your campaigns effectively:
Awareness Objectives:
- Brand Awareness: This objective is perfect for businesses aiming to introduce themselves to a broad audience. If your goal is simply to get people familiar with your brand, this is the objective to choose. Here, you’re not focused on immediate engagement like clicks or purchases, but rather on getting your ad in front of as many eyes as possible. It's ideal for businesses with larger budgets that want to build brand recognition without expecting instant conversions.
- Reach: The Reach objective is all about expanding the visibility of your ad to a larger audience within a specific geographic location. The more you allocate to your budget, the wider the reach you’ll get. If your goal is to ensure your ad reaches as many people as possible within your target market, this is the way to go.
Consideration Objectives:
- Traffic: The Traffic objective is about driving people off Instagram and onto your website, blog, or app. It’s perfect for businesses that want to generate interest in their products or services by providing more detailed information outside of the Instagram platform.
- Engagement: If your goal is to boost interactions with your Instagram posts, the Engagement objective is the way to go. It focuses on getting people to like, comment, share, or even claim offers on your page. This objective is great for increasing your post’s visibility and engagement rate.
- App Installs: If you have a business app, this objective helps drive people directly to the App Store or Google Play to install it. It’s perfect for promoting mobile apps and boosting user acquisition.
- Video Views: Want to showcase your products or services through video? The Video Views objective helps you drive more views on your business videos, increasing your content's reach and engagement.
Conversion Objectives:
- Lead Generation: This objective is great if your goal is to gather leads for your business. It allows you to create ads that automatically collect valuable audience information, such as names, emails, and phone numbers, right through Instagram.
- Messages: If you prefer a more personal touch, the Messages objective enables you to connect with potential customers directly through Instagram Messenger. It’s a great way to start a conversation and build a relationship with your audience.
- Conversions: The Conversion objective targets users who are more likely to take an action, such as making a purchase or signing up for your service. This objective is part of the final stage of the customer journey, where you want to turn interest into a tangible result.
- Catalog Sales: If you're in e-commerce, this objective lets you promote your physical products through Instagram ads. It targets people who have already shown interest in your products, either by visiting your website or app.
- Store Traffic: This objective is designed for businesses with physical stores. It helps you drive foot traffic to your location by targeting people nearby who are more likely to visit.
Each of these objectives has a different purpose, so choose one that aligns with what you want to achieve with your Instagram ads. By being clear on your objective, you'll be able to optimize your campaign for better results.
2. Improve Ads with Better Targeting
Targeting is one key to achieve success in an Instagram marketing strategy. You can target your ad with multiple ad formats. Instagram Ads audience works exactly like Facebook Ads audience. The Instagram account allows you to target with 4 types of audiences.
Saved Audience
A saved audience is perfect when you're either creating a new audience from scratch or duplicating an existing one. This option allows you to build an audience based on specific criteria, such as location, age, gender, or interests. For instance, you could create an audience of people living in India, aged 18 to 65+. When you set up this type of audience, Instagram will show you the potential reach of your ad—how many people are eligible to see it based on your settings. Your ad will be shown to this audience across Facebook apps and services within the last 30 days.
Custom Audience
A custom audience helps you target people based on specific actions they've taken, whether that’s through your website, email list, Instagram profile, Facebook page, or even events. You can create a custom audience from any of these sources and target your ads specifically to them.
Throughout this process, BigSpy plays a critical role. It helps you track the categories of users who visited your website after viewing your Instagram or Facebook ads. Additionally, by using BigSpy to filter and identify the content your target audience engages with the most, you can create relevant ad creatives and run more targeted ads, thereby improving ad performance.
Lookalike Audience
Lookalike audiences are a fantastic way to expand your reach and grow your business. This audience type targets people who share similar characteristics to your existing customers, making it more likely they will be interested in your brand. The smaller the audience, the more precise your targeting will be. For instance, you can create a highly targeted 1% lookalike audience, which will closely resemble your best customers. It’s particularly useful if you want to target people who have visited your Instagram profile or engaged with your content.
Special Ad Audience
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Special Ad Audiences are designed to help you reach new users who have similar behaviors to your existing customers, but this type of audience is specifically for sensitive categories like credit, employment, and housing. If your business falls under these categories, you must use Special Ad Audiences to ensure compliance with Instagram's ad policies. These audiences rely on data about customers' credit, employment, or housing status. Anyone who doesn't meet these criteria won't be included. Setting up a Special Ad Audience is similar to setting up a Lookalike Audience, but with extra considerations for these sensitive categories.
3. Identify and Solve a Problem
One of the most effective ways to engage your audience with Instagram video ads is by identifying a problem they are facing and showing how your product or service can provide a solution. People are more likely to connect with an ad when they can relate to the problem being presented. This strategy not only grabs attention but also builds an emotional connection with your potential customers.
As Tom Caulton, digital growth specialist at Dijitul, explains, "By identifying a problem your potential customers have, you’re creating an emotional bond with them, so they’re already intrigued with what you have to offer. Once you’ve got them hooked, show them how your product or service solves that problem."
For example, if you're promoting a skincare product, don't just focus on the product’s features. Instead, show how it addresses a common skincare issue, such as acne or dry skin, and highlight how it helps solve that problem effectively. This approach makes your ad more relatable, and customers can instantly see the value of your offering.
Your goal here is to create an authentic connection by showing that you understand the problem and have the perfect solution. By offering a solution, you position your product as not just a "want" but a "need."
4. Ads Shouldn't Feel Like Ads
Make Your Ads Feel Organic
The most effective Instagram ads don't scream "advertisement." Instead, they blend seamlessly into users' feeds, looking like regular, organic content. Audiences tend to engage more with ads that don’t feel overtly promotional. High-quality, eye-catching creatives are essential for grabbing attention as users scroll and swipe through their social media feeds. Instagram, being a visual platform, prefers beautiful, compelling imagery—whether it's a striking photograph or a dynamic animation—over a traditional, cliché promotional post.
This is why your ad should feel natural and authentic. Avoid making your audience feel like they’re being bombarded with a sales pitch. Instead, create content that entertains, educates, or connects emotionally with them. If your ad looks too much like an advertisement, people might scroll past it without a second thought.
Story Stickers for Added Engagement
Did you know that Instagram stories stickers can boost your ad’s performance? According to Facebook, using story stickers can enhance video performance by 83% of the time. These interactive features help keep the audience engaged and encourage interaction, which in turn increases the visibility and impact of your ad. Incorporating these elements can elevate your content and make your ads feel less like traditional marketing.
As a prime example, let’s look at Swiggy India’s ad campaign in 2018. This campaign focused on increasing their app’s reach, installations, and expanding their customer base. By using compelling visuals and a more organic approach, Swiggy successfully caught the attention of their target audience, differentiating their ads from the competition.
5. Go with the Best Ad Format
When it comes to Instagram ads, choosing the right ad format is crucial. The format you choose determines how your audience will engage with your ad. Before uploading your media files to the Facebook dashboard, make sure you select the right dimensions. This allows you to preview how your ad will appear to your audience, ensuring it looks its best. Cropping your ad incorrectly can be a major mistake and could result in a poor Instagram marketing campaign that not only fails to engage users but also reflects badly on your brand compared to competitors.
Instagram supports different ad formats, each with its own requirements. Knowing the optimal size and format for each type can significantly boost your campaign's effectiveness.
Stories Ads
Instagram Stories ads provide a fantastic opportunity to engage users in a full-screen format. They allow you to deliver dynamic content that fits seamlessly into the Stories section of the platform.
File type
- .mp4 or .mov (Video)
- .jpg or .png (Photo)
Maximum File Size
- 4GB (Video)
- 30MB (Photo)
Video Length：Maximum: 120 seconds (Images are shown for 5 seconds by default)
Dimensions
- Recommended Resolution: 1080 x 1920
- Minimum: 600 x 1067
Use a 9:16 aspect ratio to make the most out of the full-screen experience. Stories ads can make your content feel personal and immersive, which is key to driving engagement.
Photo Ads
Photo ads are one of the most common types of ads on Instagram. They serve as a powerful canvas to tell your story through visuals. These ads can be created in both square and landscape formats, each offering a different visual experience.
Landscape Image Ads Specs：Recommended aspect ratio: 1.9:1
Dimensions
- Recommended Resolution: 1200 x 628
- Minimum Resolution: 600 x 315 pixels
File Type：.jpg or .png
Maximum File Size：30MB
Square Image Ads Specs：Aspect ratio: 1:1
Dimensions
- Recommended Resolution: 1080 x 1080
- Minimum Resolution: 600 x 600
These ads are great for telling a visual story, whether you’re showcasing a single product or offering a brand experience.
Video Ads
Video ads are one of the most engaging types of content on Instagram. They allow you to present your business in dynamic and visually appealing ways. These are especially effective on mobile devices, where users are more likely to engage with short-form videos.
Landscape Video Ads Specs：Recommended aspect ratio: 1.91:1
Dimensions
- Recommended Resolution: 600 x 315
- Minimum Resolution: 600 x 315 pixels
File Type：.jpg or .png
Maximum File Size：30MB
Video ads allow for deeper engagement, showcasing products, services, or your brand story in motion. These ads are perfect for drawing attention and creating an emotional connection.
Carousel Ads
Carousel ads are one of Instagram’s highest-performing ad formats because they allow you to include multiple images or videos in one ad. You can add up to 10 images or videos, and users can swipe through them, exploring each piece of content at their own pace. This format is perfect for showcasing different products or telling a more detailed story.
Instagram Carousel Ad Specs：Aspect ratio: 1:1 for both images and videos
Media Type: Image or video
Dimensions: Recommended image/video resolution: Min. 600 x 600, Max. 1080 x 1080
File Type: .jpg or .png
Minimum Number of Cards: 2
Maximum Number of Cards: 10
File Size
- Minimum video length: 3 seconds
- Maximum video length: 60 seconds
Carousel ads let you highlight various features of your product or service, providing a more interactive and informative experience for your audience.
Collection Ads
Collection ads are designed to make it easy for your audience to discover, browse, and purchase your products directly from the Instagram app. These ads are a great way to drive engagement at a low cost, providing an immersive experience where users can explore your products without leaving Instagram. You can also feature variations of a product below the primary item, making it easier for customers to see their options.
Instagram Collection Ad Specs: Aspect ratio: 1:1 for square images, 16:9 for landscape images
Dimensions: Minimum width and height of 600 pixels
Media Type: Image or video
File Size: Max image size of 30MB
File Type: .jpg or .png
Collection ads are ideal if you have multiple products to showcase and want to provide a seamless shopping experience within the platform.
6. Be Smart with Budgeting
With millions of users visiting Instagram daily, it’s no surprise that the platform has seen a significant increase in advertising spending. With so many advertisers competing for the same attention, you need to ask yourself: “What budget should I allocate for my Instagram ad campaign?”
The answer depends on your business goals. Knowing your objectives will help you define how much you should spend and where to allocate your budget. Here are some common goals you might consider when setting your Instagram ad budget:
- Grow your followers on Instagram
- Increase engagement on posts
- Drive traffic to your Instagram shop page
- Boost sales from your Instagram shop
- Encourage more app installations
- Generate more website traffic
Once you clearly define your goals, you can allocate your budget more effectively.
Research Your Target Audience
Before determining how much to spend, it’s crucial to research your target audience. Are you targeting potential customers in the U.S., Europe, or Asia? Your budget needs to reflect the size and scope of the audience you're trying to reach. Once you know who your ideal audience is, you can adjust your budget to ensure you're reaching them effectively.
Some tips for audience research include:
- Use Instagram’s targeting tools (e.g., Saved Audience, Custom Audience, Lookalike Audience) to define specific demographic and geographic characteristics.
- Leverage customer insights or data from tools like Google Analytics to understand where your most engaged users are coming from.
- BigSpy's audience analysis feature provides you with unique creative inspiration.
Forecasting Your Budget
Forecasting your budget before launching a campaign helps you avoid overspending and ensures you're making data-driven decisions. One useful tool for this is the Google Keyword Planner, which helps you estimate your budget based on the keywords and locations you are targeting.
By entering your keywords and location metrics into the tool, you can see how much it might cost to target specific keywords, along with historical data and performance forecasts. The forecast will provide insights into the expected results of your campaign and show how much you should budget to achieve your desired outcomes.
Location-Based Budgeting
Budgeting for Instagram ads can vary depending on location. Some regions are simply more expensive to target than others. For example, advertising in the United States may cost more than advertising in the United Kingdom due to competition and audience size.
Here’s an example:
- U.S. Cost-per-click (CPC): $0.75
- U.K. Cost-per-click (CPC): $0.45
From this, you can clearly see that advertising in the U.S. will likely require a higher budget to achieve the same results as in the U.K. So, when planning your ad spend, it’s crucial to take into account the geographical differences in costs.
7. Think about thumbnails early on
When it comes to Instagram video ads, one critical element often overlooked is the thumbnail. Unlike platforms like Facebook or YouTube, where advertisers have more control over customizing thumbnails, Instagram is different. For Instagram ads, brands are limited to using thumbnails directly pulled from the videos themselves. This means that your thumbnail is essentially the first impression potential viewers will get of your content.
As Elizabeth Venanzi, the online marketing manager at Sparq Designs, points out, “This needs to be in your mind while you are shooting or preparing a video, as the thumbnail is the most important part of your Instagram video ad.” Why? Because the thumbnail often determines whether a user will:
- Turn on the sound to watch your video
- Click on your post in the search section
- Eventually visit your profile
If the thumbnail isn’t compelling enough, you may miss out on engagement. So, it’s vital to plan for your thumbnail early on in the video creation process, ensuring it grabs attention immediately.
How to Optimize Your Thumbnails？
While you can’t fully customize your Instagram thumbnail like you can on other platforms, you can still ensure it’s attention-grabbing by considering the following tips:
- Choose an Engaging Frame: Select a thumbnail that best represents the most interesting or emotional moment of your video. It should be visually compelling and stir curiosity in the viewer.
- Focus on Faces: Thumbnails featuring faces tend to perform better because they establish a human connection. If your ad features people, try to use a frame where their expressions are clear and engaging.
- Highlight Key Product or Message: If your video features a product, make sure the thumbnail highlights it prominently. This way, the audience knows what to expect from the video, whether it’s a product demo, tutorial, or promotion.
- Keep It Simple: Avoid clutter in your thumbnail. A clean, clear image often works better than one that’s overly busy or hard to interpret quickly. Remember, Instagram users scroll fast, and you need something that captures attention in seconds.
- Test Thumbnails: If you can, do some A/B testing to see which thumbnails generate the most engagement. Experiment with different frames, colors, and composition to determine what resonates best with your audience.
“This needs to be in your mind while you are shooting or preparing a video, as the thumbnail is the most important part of your Instagram video ad,” she said. “The thumbnail will define whether or not someone turns on the volume to watch your ad, click on your post in the search section and ultimately end up on your profile. So save yourself the time and incorporate your desired thumbnail into your video.”
Final Thoughts: Mastering Instagram Video Ads with These 7 Tips
In conclusion, mastering Instagram video ads requires a blend of creativity, strategy, and a deep understanding of your audience.
By keeping these tips in mind, you’re setting up your Instagram video ads for success. Remember, Tip #3—solving a problem—always works. It’s the secret sauce to building an emotional connection and driving action. So, get creative, test what works, and keep refining your approach. Instagram offers an incredible opportunity to reach and engage with your audience, and with these powerful strategies, you’ll stand out in a crowded digital space.
