They persist: Myths about advertising on Instagram. In the minds of many marketers, the social network is still booked as “just something for influencers” or “nice gimmick”. But that is too short-sighted. Those who do not recognize the potential of Instagram are missing out on good opportunities for their campaign. Well-known brands show how Instagram can be used successfully for reach, performance marketing and leads.
In this article, the experts from Facebook dispel the most common advertising myths and present you use cases for Instagram as a successful marketing component.
Myth 1: Instagram doesn’t produce real business results
A common belief is that Instagram is great for short-term stunts and promotions, however not for effects that are reflected in business results. But far from it: Instagram’s creative advertising formats are suitable for results in all areas of the funnel.
- Nice Organic posts provide valuable insights and can serve as a blueprint for paid content. What works organically will most likely also do well as booked content. In this way, the strategy can be tested free of charge in order to make optimal use of paid advertising. With Instagram Insights, the Business Suite, the Creator Studio and the Commerce Manager, Instagram offers all the tools to deliver valuable data on target groups, reach and performance.
- Marketeers should use tools Use throughout the funnel to achieve the desired goals. A large selection of formats and placements is available to you for this. For example, performance marketing ads can appear in the feed, in stories and in the Explore tab. Static images, portrait format videos or shoppable videos can be used equally.
- Use synergies: If you are already working with Facebook campaigns, it is advisable to expand them on Instagram in order to use the budget optimally.
How a successful procedure can look shows PepsiCo’s strategy for Schwip Schwap. An exclusive video ad campaign on Instagram and Facebook achieved similar successes as TV advertising: With 17.1 million people reached, the campaign increased sales by 14 percent. The targeting accuracy in adults between 18 and 54 was 91 percent. And all of this with an annualized ROI of 1.5 – noticeable via PepsiCo’s internal benchmarks.
Attention to the new model: The VW’s ID 3 was well received on Instagram. (Image: Instagram)
Myth 2: Stories are not suitable for advertising
Stories are an ideal tool for creators and brands to build communities and animate people through organic Channels to become active. Expressive stories ensure high engagement rates. And they are also suitable as an advertising format.
The key to success is one for that Medium optimized content. Anyone who integrates native behavior such as “tap and hold to pause” and “swipe up” can generate direct responses. An important tip is always to record story ads in portrait format and full screen – preferably directly with your smartphone. The authentic look ensures better conversions. There is a 63 percent probability that better results will be achieved for app installations and purchase transactions than with advertisements that were recorded in the studio.
The Volkswagen use case clearly shows what can be achieved through Instagram Stories. VW wanted to attract the community’s attention when it presented the fully electric ID 3. The campaign used Mobile First Creatives, which were focused on Instagram stories. In combination with lead ads, VW won a number of new newsletter subscribers and integrated them into the ongoing communication strategy for the ID 3. 40,000 leads were generated through Instagram Stories alone with their ads optimized for the smartphone.
Instagram Stories with Mobile First Creatives provided the necessary attention for the new ID 3. Through the use of lead ads, we were able to generate a considerable number of newsletter registrations.
– Mirja Schneider, Head of ID 3 Communication, Volkswagen
Myth 3: Only a huge budget brings results
Fortunately, this is not the case. Instagram in particular makes it possible to tell stories and inspire the community with comparatively few resources. If your message is good, it will be absorbed and spark the creativity of the users. You should heed two pieces of advice:
Make storytelling an experience!
Stories have an impact. You can enhance its impact by using video content and interactive formats that are tailored to your story.
The Oatsome from Frankfurt implemented an exemplary solution, which was just starting out looking for an inexpensive alternative to traditional marketing channels. They made their powdered smoothie bowls, which you can mix yourself, best known on Instagram. In order to offer a holistic, playful and interactive experience, Oatsome relies on carousel ads, placements in stories and influencer cooperations with branded content. More than half of all new Oatsome customers come through Instagram. The retargeting provided by Instagram also makes an important contribution to this: It enables Oatsome to bring customers to a close at low cost after they have already taken the first steps in the customer journey.
The Cosnova community helped develop three Spark AR filters. (Image: Instagram)
Inspire your community!
Brands that are there for their community are, they promote and celebrate, create valuable allies, expand their own reach and additionally encourage people in what they like to do.
Example: With the rolled out Spark AR technology, users have been able to create their own filters and augmented reality effects for Instagram since 2019. Make-up producer Cosnova worked with Facebook’s Creative Shop to develop the world’s first community-designed AR filter. It reflects the ideas of the community and brings the brand essence of Cosnova closer to young make-up fans. The campaign increased brand awareness in the target group, increased ad recall by 12.5 points and filter awareness by 3.2 points.
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Your marketing, your boost for business. How you can inspire your target groups and offer successful brand experiences is shown by the contributions in the topic special of Facebook for Business. In it you read among other things:
- your advertising strategy starved straight – so you päppelst them back on
- Next-level e-commerce: How your products find the right people
