This post was originally published on VentureBeat.
Image credit: Daniel Roe | Stocksnap.io
When Instagram first announced that it would be open to all advertisers, my mobile marketing company was super excited about the upcoming new mobile marketing platform and got to work right away. motion. Here’s what we learned from our first social media campaign. Our first lesson is that if you’re a mobile app that aims to use Instagram to generate traffic for your app, you’re better off using posts that are sponsors instead of influencers. This is due to the simple fact that sponsored posts allow you to share links to the app store—the ultimate purpose of app promotion. This may not be an intuitive option for brands that are used to promoting products on Instagram through influencers (turn to widely followed figures for a chance to place paid products). fee). Another great lesson we learned is that Instagram users are extremely active. Obviously, double tap is used more loosely than the old Facebook Like. Similar ads generate 15-30 Facebook likes, 300-500 Instagram likes. Additionally, we noticed a large number of comments on Instagram ads, many of which even mentioned other users in the comments. This is an interesting finding, as it paves the way for a two-way channel between the marketer and the audience. From the engagement on our ads, we know that Instagram users are very interested in images, trying to interpret the message they convey and paying attention to the smallest details. For example, on one of the ads we ran with a camera, a user commented on the type of camera in the photo — which is rare with Facebook ads. The fact that users now pay so much attention to detail can make marketers rethink the content they’ve put out there. Since advertising on Instagram is 50% more expensive than advertising on Facebook, marketers may be hesitant to choose Instagram. But Instagram’s two-way channel means more engagement, and more engagement means a more natural display. The money you spend will be well worth it if you manage to create a significant “second wave” of the viewers of your ads, thanks to the likes and comments of the people you are targeting right now. from the beginning. This said, it’s important to remember what Instagram is all about. This platform is changing the way brands think about advertising. Ads are no longer showcasing perfectly positioned actors and products — it’s all about candid shot, a moment out of real life that simply showcases a certain product. Thanks to Instagram, brands are now focused on promoting products through authentic ideals and messages. Up until now, this has been done by reaching out to influencers, but there is a way to turn these ideals into sponsored posts that don’t look like advertising. Ads on Instagram should be colorful, vibrant, and eye-catching. They should introduce thought-provoking, short, and sharp text. In general, at first glance they do not look like advertising. This especially applies when you are promoting a mobile app. If the image says there’s an app to be downloaded, it smells public. However, if the image is still clear and the caption only mentions the app (with a download link), you can expect better conversion rates. Have you had a chance to experiment with Instagram ads in the past few days? We’d love to hear about your insights!
