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Create Instagram ads closely matching the look of the photo sharing site.

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Saturday, November 28th, 2015
   

Instagram: a Dynamic Advertising Medium Too Good to Bypass

If you've noticed sponsored images on Instagram, you know something's changed at the photo-sharing site. Instagram is accepting advertising, and that's good news for marketers. The channel has more than 400 million active users, passing Twitter in mobile usage. Given Instagram's highly visual approach to communication, it presents a prime means of transitioning engaged views to your website or content.

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ENSURE YOUR ADS BLEND WITH INSTAGRAM'S DISTINCTIVE LOOK

To successfully promote through Instagram ads, your ads must be consistent with the channel's aesthetics. An obviously promotional visual will be seen as such by Instagram users, and won't produce your desired results. To start, determine your audience's interests and what moves them. Then create a visual appealing to those interests that appears natural and unstaged.

We focus on the exciting new marketing medium of Instagram advertising, and examine the strategic, tactical and technical best practices guiding its effective use.

WHEN SHOOTING, PAY ATTENTION TO THE TECHNICAL DETAILS

Your Instagram ad should be carefully crafted to get attention. It won't gain those eyes if the photography isn't top notch. So pay attention to compositional and technical aspects of good photography when creating images. Carefully compose the shots, keeping in mind the "rule of thirds" dividing the frame. When shooting, keep the image simple by prioritizing a shot's focal point. Your photographs should never be too "busy." If possible, include vibrant colors that capture interest.

As these guidelines suggest, creating winning Instagram ads requires that advertisers walk a fine line. On the one hand, ad photos must be attention-getting. On the other, they should avoid blatant product promotion. Read on for several examples that aced that test.

  • Inspirational or aspirational shots garner greatest attention from Instagram users. So emphasize experience over product. Levi's did that with an Instagram ad featuring a denim jacket-clad woman peering over the Grand Canyon's rim.
  • Shoot real-life situations, and people using your brand, in photos which connect with your target audience. A fast food brand used this approach in a photo of young people savoring its breakfast offerings. This natural approach builds buy-in from Instagram users.
  • Although Instagram ads should appear as natural as any other Instagram posting, marketers can still incorporate a call to action. The most effective Instagram ads use creative calls to action, like one's call to "tag your friends."
  • Don't aim to do too much in your Instagram ad shots. This is one medium where clearer visual messaging and a "less is more" philosophy is best.

 

 

Your Instagram ads must use subtlety in visible branding. Try including a hint of your logo in the background, or employ a signature color or shape to suggest your logo.

Read Instagram Marketing 101: The Only Guide You'll Need to Master Instagram, by Juan Gonzalez.

Remember the old adage "a picture's worth a thousand words"? Photos on Instagram can tell stories more effectively than just text in support of your company's brand.

Email or call us at 708-246-4211 to learn how to effectively leverage Instagram advertising to gain greater visits to your company's website or content.