The average user uses Instagram to share beautiful photos, short videos, and stories about their day-to-day activities. But, entrepreneurs, social media marketers, and online retailers know more and do more than that. Instagram advertising provides a platform to tell visual (photos and videos) stories about a brand/company. It does this through various ad formats, and many retailers are using this channel to get a higher conversion, generate more sales, and yield a higher ROI in comparison to other forms of advertising. In this guide, you will learn how to use Instagram advertising campaigns for your dropshipping business.
The Instagram ad is a crucial tool for many businesses. The exciting part is that Instagram advertising works for dropshipping businesses. Instagram claims that 60% of shoppers discover new products on the platform while 75% of its users take action after being inspired by a post. You may be wondering; why advertise on Instagram? There are so many reasons but reaching a large and targeted audience base from different demographic leads. With over 900 million active users, Instagram paid advertising is a surefire way of getting people to visit your website, call you, send you a direct message, buy your stuff, get direction, or learn more about your business.
What Is Instagram Advertising?
Instagram ads are a method of paying to promote business content on the Instagram platform to reach a larger and more targeted audience. Instagram advertising comprises of photo/video posts or stories that are seen on users' Instagram feeds. Typically, Instagram ads look exactly like regular posts but can include a CTA (for visitors to take actions) and are always tagged with a "Sponsored" label. Many online retailers use Instagram advertising to drive traffic to their website, increase brand exposure, generate new leads, intending to generate more sales.
Types of Instagram Ads
Instagram offers several visual ad formats, including:
· Photo ads
· Video ads
· Stories ads
· Explore ads
· IGTV ads
· Collection ads
· Carousel ads
· Instagram Shopping ads
Each Instagram ad type works for different business goals …
Supported objectives
· Brand awareness
· Messages
· Conversions
· App installs
· Traffic
· Reach
· Store traffic
· Lead generation
· Video Views
… and also has different call-to-action options available.
Common Call-to-action buttons
· Apply Now
· Book Now
· Book Test Drive
· Call Now
· Check Availability
· Contact us
· Donate
· Download
· Get Directions
· Get Showtimes
· Get Quote
· Get Offer
· Install Now
· Learn More
· Listen Now
· Order Now
· Play Game
· Preregister
· Request Time
· See Menu
· Send Message
· Send WhatsApp Message
· Shop Now
· Sign Up
· Subscribe
· Use App
· Watch More
Do Instagram Ads Work for Your Dropshipping Business?
Instagram works like other social media platforms by giving retailers access to customize their advertisement campaign. With Instagram, you can target specific age ranges, interests, gender, occupation, location, etc. More so, in the Instagram community, you will find more women than men. This implies that dropshipping in the niches related to fashion, women's clothing, bags, shoes, kids' toys, and other female-related niches will do well. However, several men accessories do well as well, including wristwatches, socks, gadgets, etc.
Unfortunately, if your niche is focused on older adults, Instagram may not be your best bet. Statistics show that only 11% of Instagram users are between the ages of 50-64, and just 4% are adults over 65. Generally, Instagram paid advertising works excellently for those in a creative industry, such as DIY items, restaurant business, or art/craft marketing. How you customize and target your ad will determine your audience.
Instagram Advertising Costs
There is no specific cost for how much does it cost to advertise on Instagram. How much does Instagram advertising cost depends on the following factors:
· Ad format
· Ad placement
· Targeting
· Time of the year
However, based on research carried out by AdEspresso, it was found that the average cost per click for most Instagram ad placements was $1.20.
Like Facebook advertising, the best way to go about paid advertising on Instagram is to create a budget and Instagram will try to get you the best result possible based on your stipulated budget.
How to Create Instagram Ads for Your Business?
Now that you have learned a thing or two about Instagram ads and how it can benefit your dropshipping business, it's time to learn how to create Instagram ads for your business. Before you get started, you first need a Facebook account and Instagram account. Recall that Facebook owns Instagram, so the process of running an Instagram ad is quite similar. You may not need an Instagram account to run advertisements on Instagram; however, your Instagram account must first be connected to your Facebook page.
Follow these steps below:
1. Connect your Instagram account to your Facebook page by adding to your Business Manager or via your Page's settings.
2. Prepare images or videos that you would like to feature in your ad.
3. Determine which Facebook advertising objective matches your marketing goal (we listed some objectives above).
Creating Instagram ads in Ads Manager
· Go to Ads Manager
· Select Create
· Choose an objective from the list that supports Instagram as an ad placement
· Select "Continue"
· Input the details for your ad set
· At the placements section, change "automatic placements" to "Instagram" if you want your ads to display ONLY on Instagram.
Automatic placements will run across both Instagram and Facebook to give you the best value for your ads.
· Select "Continue"
· Complete your ad by adding details for your ad's identity, related links, format, etc.
· Preview your ad before submitting it for review
· Once your ad has been approved by the Facebook team, it will appear on Instagram
4 Winning Instagram Advertising Strategies
Successful retails have a winning Instagram advertising strategy that they use to attract and engage users. Here are the best four Instagram advertising strategies.
1. Know your goals to define your audience
You want to know the problems or needs of certain people. After this, make it your goal to create a product or service that solves their problem. This way, your advertising campaign will be geared towards a targeted audience which will, in turn, increase your conversion rate.
2. Learn to use text wisely
"A word is enough for the wise." Most times, you don't need numerous words to convince people. The right text, along with a powerful CTA, can attract millions of audiences to your website. Learn how to create catchy, engaging, and enticing text on your Instagram ads.
3. Engage your audience on Instagram by responding to comments and likes
When your audience start liking or asking questions related to your post, you need to respond immediately. Take note of questions and ensure to answer them politely. Buyers are always eager to get a response from the seller, so your response can make a huge difference in driving purchases.
4. Test, measure, and optimize
You can view your ad performance on Instagram in Facebook Ads Manager. Observing the results is crucial to refining your strategy and maximizing your advertising budget. An Instagram post consists of an image or video, a short text, hashtags, and a Call-to-action. If the "Shop Now" CTA isn't converting, can you change it to "Order Now"? Test, measure, and optimize your ad campaign to get the most out of your advertising budget.
Call to Action
If you are familiar with Facebook ads, Instagram ads shouldn't be difficult for you. And, if you've not started using Instagram ads, now is a good time. With Instagram ads, it is easy to get more traffic, convert sales, and increase brand exposure. Make sure you learn Instagram advertising policy and learn how to advertise on Instagram for free before attempting paid Instagram ads.
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