Instagram offers advertisers a unique opportunity for access to its 500 million monthly users. It’s the leading platform for visual content, and it displays ads in a non-intrusive way in its users’ feeds, with a look very similar to organic posts.

Instagram also delivers a very engaged audience. Research shows Instagram photos generated much higher user engagement per follower than Facebook posts, as well as significantly higher engagement rates than tweets.

Savvy marketers can supplement planned Instagram content with these ads and extend their messaging to a targeted group of Instagram users. Below are some things to know about making the most of advertising on Instagram.

  1. Integrated with Facebook’s ad platform, Instagram ads are displayed based on user Likes and Follows, giving marketers the opportunity for targeting. A custom audience can be created to reach people who’ve already interacted with your business, or a lookalike audience can reach new people who are similar to your current audiences.
  1. Once you set a daily or overall budget for the campaign, you can optimize delivery for your purposes, emphasizing either reach or frequency, or relying solely on the platform’s algorithm.
  1. Your creative can consist of a single image, multiple images, a video or a slideshow, so it’s easy to take advantage of Instagram’s visual appeal and maintain a native feel.
  1. Include a hashtag (or several) in your ad posts. If you don’t have brand-specific hashtags working for you already, use something relevant and popular so your ad will appear in searches for that trending topic.
  1. We all know user-generated content is the holy grail of engagement. Consider ways to integrate this content – images and video – into your Instagram advertising strategy.

With its reach and customization options, Instagram is definitely a valuable platform for many advertisers. As with any other campaign, an integrated strategy and quality imagery are key to success. Global Marketing Solutions works with clients every day to develop social media tools and strategies that work.