Social media platforms open up a vast opportunity to many individuals and business brands. These days, digital marketing strategies use different social networks to achieve business goals. Instagram is one of the popular social media platforms. They have recently launched Instagram story ads that allow short business ads to appear atop the Instagram Stories feature. Online marketing has never been this smooth and exciting.
While Facebook has a similar ‘My Day’ Story feature, Instagram Story ads are developed with the business brands in mind. It can help startups reach their target audience with Instagram accounts.
Statista shows that “Instagram has over five hundred million daily active Stories users worldwide.” It’s one of the go-to places for business advertisers and marketers. This is why creating Instagram Story ads is ideal for small businesses and startups. It can make a significant impact on marketing strategies. Just look at the number of daily active Stories users from October 2016 to January 2019.
Image taken from Statista website
What are Instagram Story Ads?
Instagram Story ads are full-screen vertical ads that appear on the Instagram stories feature. Instagram Stories, these are photos and video content visible to Instagram account users for twenty-four hours. Instagram stories ads consist of photos, videos, and enticing visual content about one’s business. For photo content, it runs for five seconds, while videos take at least fifteen seconds duration. You don’t need to follow one’s business to see their Instagram Story ads because it automatically shows up while the users are watching the people they follow on Instagram.
Creating Instagram Story ads provides a fresh and creative way of getting your target audience’s attention. Single Grain talks about the success of a famous fashion brand, Ralph Lauren, when they create Instagram Stories ads to reach many people, especially the millennials. It says that the brand was able to increase sales by 18% and product page views by 41%.
Just like other social media networks such as YouTube and Facebook, Instagram Story ads can be skipped. But compared to regular Instagram story features, these ads do not disappear after twenty-four hours. Short advertisements randomly appear in between your daily Instagram Story feeds.
You can control the length of the ad campaign and how frequently it shows up. Instagram Story ads are a unique and effective way to promote brand awareness. Connect to millions of people worldwide. Once your business is featured along with the daily Instagram Stories, provided you made a good impression, people will remember your brand and go to your website.
Marketing specialists create high-impact campaign ads. They know how to develop strategies to get the customers’ attention and sustain them with informative content. Interesting ads create long-lasting impressions on social media account users.
If you want to create your Instagram Story ads perfectly, you must learn the basic requirements first. Here are some interesting facts about Instagram Story ads you should know.
Image taken from Instagram
How to Create Instagram Story Ads for Your Business
If you’re an active Instagram user, you’re familiar with the Stories feature and how business ads pop up on your feeds now and then. Seeing ads appear on your feeds for a typical social media account user can be annoying. But looking at different perspectives will help you position your ad campaign for your brand. Making it less intrusive as much as possible. If you are a business owner who wants to take advantage of the Instagram stories ads feature, here is a step-by-step process to create ads for your business brand.
Instagram for business has a comprehensive guide to Instagram Story ads.
1. Go to Ads Manager. You have two options to choose from, Guided Creation or Quick Creation. Once you decide which way to go, click Create.
2. Select from one of the following categories, Brand Awareness, Reach, Video views, Conversions, App installs, Lead Generation, or Traffic objective.
3. In the Placements section, you can go with Automatic Placements or Edit Placements. Keep in mind that Instagram Stories are selected by default.
4. Continue building your ad campaign with the steps provided. Click Confirm to publish your changes. That’s how easily you can take your brand to the millennials.
You can run Instagram Story ads along with other placements, but because of the unique nature of Story ad creative, you’ll have to make some adjustments when you create your ad. Make sure you have different content for other social media platforms. Have a separate image uploaded for your Facebook page and Instagram Story.
Since the steps in creating Instagram Story ads are very comprehensive, we want to give you critical takeaways in presenting your brand to the target audience. Instagram account users are diverse – they come from different age groups, gender, culture, and preferences. It would be ideal to come up with a target customer profile so that you can create Instagram Story ads they will surely love. Remember, ads can be intrusive but add some twists of creativity, and you can nail them. Personalized recommendations work effectively for most customers. It makes them feel like they belong. Present your brand as playfully as possible. It’s how social media culture rolls these days.
After thinking about the things, you must consider before you create ads. Voila! It’s time for your business to shine on Instagram.
Image taken from Instagram
Tips for Creating Instagram Story Ads
Make your Instagram Story ads shine among many business brands using the same feature. There is no secret code or a special button for success, but these tips will tell you how to introduce your brand to your target customers. Since millions of people are on Instagram, you have to put your best foot forward to impress them.
- Make the First Five Seconds Remarkable
Own the first five seconds of your Instagram Stories ads. Remember, it’s like a one-time-only chance to showcase your brand to your audience. Users won’t be able to go back to your ads unless it shows up again next time. Create a memorable impression and leave a good impression. Photos usually last a minimum of five seconds while videos take fifteen seconds. Avoid the possibility of being skipped. Create Instagram Story ads that are relatable to your potential customers. Make your brand stand out.
- Use High-Quality Images or Videos
The secret to successful Instagram Stories ads depends on the quality of materials you use. High-quality images and videos are essential in creating ads because they can take your brand to the global market. It’s a make-or-break scenario if you compromise the quality of your ads. Most Instagram Story ads use vibrant colors, and readable texts to impress the audience.
Image taken from [Two Little Bells
](https://twolittlebells.mystrikingly.com/)Here are some of the design requirements for creating Instagram Story ads.
- There are three sizing formats you can choose from – square (1:1), landscape (1.91:1), and vertical (4:5). Most recommended resolution is 1080 x 1920 pixels.
- Image file type is either .jpg or .png with a maximum file size of 30MB that lasts for five seconds.
- Video file type is .mp4 or .mov with a 4GB maximum file size that lasts for fifteen seconds.
- Make sure you meet these design requirements to come up with a successful advertisement.
Image taken from Instagram
- Create Attention-Grabber Content
As a business owner, you know the importance of a solid online presence. You can invest in quality materials to be used for your business’s ads. You can also hire a professional content creator to manage social media posts. Attention-grabber content can help promote your brand and tell a story about it.
Another way to take advantage of the Instagram Story ads feature is to promote your business website. With a few twists, you can create a short video clip about your products and services online. Highlight your website’s latest updates and product launches on Instagram. Small businesses can benefit from this digital marketing strategy. Thus, having a solid online brand presence is essential to make your business shine.
Image taken from Strikingly templates
Final Thoughts
Strikingly knows the importance of promoting your brand online. Social media platforms are some of the famous places where you can take your business engagements. Linking social media pages on your website can help your customers know more about your products and services. Encouraging them to follow your social media page can also improve your brand image. The more people following your brand on Instagram, the higher your chances are of reaching your business goals. Instagram Story ads are an innovative way for advertisers and marketers to introduce their business to the world.
Image taken from Strikingly website
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