How to Advertise on Instagram: A Thorough Step Guide 2023

How to Advertise on Instagram for Free

Instagram has quickly risen to the top of the social media heap with more than 1 billion monthly active users.

And while there are paid ways to advertise on Instagram, there are also some free methods to get your business or brand in front of potential customers. 

Here are four ways to advertise on Instagram for free:

1. Use relevant hashtags 

You can make your Instagram content more discoverable by using hashtags.

If you use a certain hashtag in your material, it will appear when someone searches for that hashtag.

So, use relevant hashtags that describe your business or product. 

You can also create branded hashtags for people to use when they post about your company or product. 

2. Partner with influencers

On Instagram, influencer marketing is an effective strategy for reaching new consumers (and other social media platforms).

Find influencers with an audience that would be interested in what you offer, and reach out to them about partnering up. 

Many times, influencers post about your products or services in exchange for compensation – but sometimes they do it for free if they like your products or think their audience will find them valuable.

It never hurts to ask!

Instagram Ads

As a business owner, you know that advertising is essential to reach new customers and to grow your brand. 

But with so many options available, it can take time to decide where to invest your marketing dollars. 

Instagram advertising might be the solution if you’re seeking a strategy to reach a large audience with little work.

With over 1 billion active users each month, Instagram is one of the planet’s most widely used social media platforms.

And with 80% of users following at least one business on Instagram, your target audience is already using the platform. 

Instagram ads are an effective way to reach new customers and grow your brand.

Advantages of Instagram Ads 

There are countless reasons to think about running Instagram ads:

Reach: With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram offers businesses a large potential customer base.

Engagement: Instagram has high engagement rates compared to other social media platforms. 

Posts on Instagram receive four times more engagement than posts on Facebook.

Visual: Since it’s a visual platform, Instagram is ideal for businesses with visually appealing products or services. 

Targeting: You can target your ads to specific audiences based on interests, demographics, and behaviours. 

How Do Instagram Ads Work?

There are two types of Instagram ads: photo and video ads.

Instagram Ads Manager is a tool businesses can use to create and manage their Instagram ads. 

This tool can be used to create static and video ads, providing detailed insights into how your ads perform. 

The Ads Manager could track conversions, improve campaigns, and track advertising costs.

Instagram Advertising Strategy

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of our strategy, let’s first briefly touch on what Instagram ads are and how they work. 

As you know, Instagram is a Facebook-owned social networking platform for sharing pictures and videos.

You may not know that in 2015, Instagram launched its own ad platform that allows businesses of all sizes to promote their products and services on the site.

Now that we’ve got that out let’s develop our strategy! Your first step should be to identify your target audience. 

This can be done by looking at who is already following your account and engaging with your content.

Once you understand who your target audience is, it’s time to start creating content that appeals to them. 

This could be anything from lifestyle images and videos to behind-the-scenes looks at your business or product. 

The content you produce should always be of good quality and enticing to the eye, regardless of the format.

Once you have a solid collection of content for your ad campaign, it’s time to start thinking about which format will work best for each piece of content. 

For example, using the single image format is most effective if you have a beautiful product image. 

Using one of Instagram’s video formats would be preferable if, on the other hand, you have an action-packed video or a collection of pictures that convey a story.

Experimenting with different formats will help you figure out what works best for each piece of content and give you a better understanding of what performs well with your target audience as a whole. 

The final step in our strategy is monitoring and analyzing your results after running your ad campaign for some time. 

This includes taking a close look at things like reach (how many people saw your ad), engagement (likes, comments, shares), link clicks (if applicable), as well as conversions (if users subscribed to your email list).

By regularly monitoring and analyzing these metrics, you can make tweaks to improve future campaigns.

Best Time to Run Ads on Instagram

The best time to run ads on Instagram is when your target audience is most active. 

That means different things for different brands, so you’ll need to use data to figure out when that is. 

There are a few general considerations: posting ads during those hours can be effective because people frequently check Instagram while commuting, at work, or in class.

The evenings are also a good time to reach people as they’re winding down from their day and scrolling through their feeds before bed.

Of course, the best approach to determine when your business will be most successful is to test out several ad schedules and discover which ones work the best. 

To determine what generates the greatest engagement, experiment with running ads at various times of the day and on various days of the week.

Instagram Ad Formats

There are many different ad formats on Instagram, each with its advantages.

Here’s a rundown of the most popular Instagram ad formats to help you choose the right one for your business goals. 

1. Photo Ads

Photo ads are the simplest and most popular type of Instagram ad. They’re easy to create and can be highly effective in driving engagement.

You can upload a fresh photo or choose one from your camera roll. After adding some text and call-to-action buttons, you’re ready to go!

2. Video Ads 

Video ads are similar to photo ads but offer the added benefit of movement and sound. 

These ads are ideal for businesses that want to showcase their products or services.

Keep your videos short (under 60 seconds), and ensure they’re eye-catching if you want them to succeed.

Instagram Sponsored Ads

When scrolling through your Instagram feed, you might see an ad now and then. 

But have you ever noticed those ads that seem to be specifically tailored to your interests? 

These are called sponsored ads, and they’re becoming increasingly popular on Instagram.

Sponsored ads are great for businesses to reach their target audience on Instagram.  

Because they’re so targeted, they can be extremely effective. 

If you’re a business owner considering using sponsored ads on Instagram, here’s what you need to know.

What Are Sponsored Ads? Sponsored ads are simply advertisements businesses pay to display in users’ feeds. 

They look just like regular posts, except they’ll have a “sponsored” label at the top.

Based on factors such as their location, age, gender, hobbies, and more, these advertisements ere tailored to different users. 

So if you’re selling products that appeal to a certain demographic, you can use sponsored ads to ensure your target audience sees your ad. Why Use Sponsored Ads?

Two main reasons businesses use sponsored ads on Instagram: reach and engagement. 

First of all, sponsored ads allow businesses to reach a larger audience than they would with organic posts alone. 

When you boost a post or run an ad campaign on other social media platforms, your reach is limited to the number of followers you have.

But with sponsored ads, your ad can be seen by people who don’t even follow your account! 

That means more potential customers seeing your product or service.

How Do You Advertise on Instagram Step by Step?

Assuming you want a step-by-step tutorial on how to make Instagram ads:

1. Open your business page on Facebook after logging in.

2. In the right-hand corner, click “Create Ad”.

3. Select “Photo/Video” as your ad type. 

4. Choose the photo or video you want to use for your ad. 

5. Enter the URL you want people to be able to click through to from your ad (this could be your website, a landing page, etc.).

6. Write some text for your ad – this will appear above or beside your photo or video (keep it short and sweet!). 

7. Select your target audience – who wants to see this ad? There are many ways to target based on location, age, gender, interests, behaviours, etc.

8. Set your budget – how much will you spend on this ad? Remember that you’re bidding against other advertisers for space in people’s feeds, so make sure your bid is competitive! 

9. Choose how long you want your ad campaign to run for – 1 day?

One week? or one month? Decide what makes sense for you and select accordingly.

Then hit “Confirm.” 

10: And that’s it! Your Instagram ad is all setup and ready to go!

What are the Best practices for Instagram Ads?

The ideal strategy to advertise on Instagram will depend on your business objectives, target market, and financial constraints; thus, there is no universally applicable answer to this topic.

To get you started, here are five general tips:

1. Use High-Quality Images and Videos

Since Instagram is a visual platform, it’s important to use high-quality images and videos in your ads. 

You can draw in your audience and differentiate yourself from rivals.

2. Use Relevant Hashtags

To reach new Instagram users, hashtags might be a great tool. Use suitable hashtags for your brand or product, and make sure they are relevant.

3. Take Advantage of Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories is a newer feature that allows businesses to share short video clips or photos that disappear after 24 hours. 

This can be a great way to promote special offers or drive awareness for time-sensitive campaigns.

Is Instagram a Good Way to Advertise?

Yes, Instagram is a great way to advertise. Here are some reasons why: 

1. You can reach a large audience with ease.

There are over 800 million monthly active users on Instagram, which gives you plenty of potential customers to reach. 

2. You can target your ads specifically to your ideal customer base. 

With Instagram’s vast array of targeting options, you can ensure that your ads are being seen by the most likely to be interested in them.

3. Ads on Instagram are highly visual and attention-grabbing. 

Since the platform is all about photos and videos, your ads will stand out from the rest of the noise in people’s feeds. 

4. You can track detailed analytics about your ad campaigns on Instagram.

You can use this data to optimize your campaigns in the future.

Conclusion

There are six different objectives to choose from in an ads campaign: brand awareness, reach, traffic, engagement, app installs, or video views.

Choose the one that best suits you.

Next, you’ll need to choose your target audience. 

You can do this by selecting the location, age range, gender, interests, and behaviours you want your ad to be shown. 

Once you’ve done that, it’s time to create your ad!

You can use a photo or video from your existing content or create something new specifically for your ad. 

Be sure to include a catchy caption and call-to-action so that people will know what they’re supposed to do after seeing your ad (click through to your website or download your app). And that’s it!

Follow these simple steps, and you’ll be well on your way to successfully advertising on Instagram.

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