When Instagram was first created, its main focus was placed on sharing photos instantly. Arguably, it was one of the reasons for the wild success of this social media. Also, it explains why photos are the most effective ad format on the platform: Instagram photo ads are nearly twice as effective as videos. That is why it is important to know about this ad type and how to effectively use it in your marketing.
In this post, you will learn about how to advertise using photo ads on Instagram what is the Instagram promotion cost, and what are the best practices for using such ads.
What are Instagram photo ads?
These are Instagram ads that feature one or several photos. Such ads can be placed in Instagram Feed and Stories. All your ads will feature a link to the product page. If your ad has several photos (a carousel), each card (a photo and description) will have a separate link. Thus, your targeted audience can immediately go to the product they like. This plays advertisers in hand since it significantly reduces the buying pathway.
Another reason in favor of this ad type is the cost, which is smaller than on Facebook. Every click on Facebook costs $0.97 on average, whereas Instagram ads cost starts from $0.2. Also, Instagram advertising cost per thousand impressions (known as Cost per mile) is almost 50 cents lower than on Facebook.
How do I create Instagram photo ads?
Now, let’s take a look at how to advertise on Instagram. There are two ways of creating Instagram sponsored ads: in Ads Manager and the Instagram mobile app.
Creating Instagram photo ads in Ads Manager:
- Go to Ads Manager and click on Create +
- Choose the objective of your campaign and click Continue
- In the New Campaign tab, you can edit the name of the campaign, add a Special ad category, set up an A/B test and choose Campaign budget optimization. Once you’re done with the setup of your campaign, click Next.
- In the New Ad Set tab, set up your ad budget and the duration of the campaign, and select the audience you want to target. If Conversions are the objective of your campaign, choose where the conversion will be happening — website, app, Messenger, WhatsApp. You may need to create Meta Pixel.
- At the bottom of the page, select Manual Placement. You will see the platforms available — tick Instagram together with other platforms you want your ad to be delivered on. Instagram photo ads are available on Instagram Feed and Stories.
- In the New Ad tab, choose Single Image or Video, if you want to create only an ad with one photo or Carousel for two and more. If you were wondering how to add multiple photos to an Instagram Story, Carousel ads are the answer.
- Next, add copy for your ads.
- Set up tracking events that took place after people saw your ads (Website events, App events, Offline events).
- Click Publish.
Creating Instagram photo ads in the Instagram mobile app:
1a. One of the ways to promote a photo on Instagram is by going to your page and tapping the Promotions button at the top.
1b. Another way is to create such an ad is by opening your post and tapping the Promote button.
- Next, Select a Goal. Here you can choose More Profile Visits, More Website Visits, and More Messages.
- Choose/create the Target audience.
- Set up the budget and duration.
- Review your ad and tap Create Promotion.
Types of Instagram photo ads
As we’ve already mentioned, there are two types of Instagram photo ads: Single image and Carousel ads. Here’s what to keep in mind when choosing between these ads:
Instagram Single image ads
This type of Instagram ad is great if you:
- don’t have a lot of photo content
- want to create a promo with teasers (one image leaves people wondering/wanting for more)
- want to create a consistent experience for all people (great for brand awareness campaigns).
Instagram Carousel ads
Use this ad format to:
- showcase your product range
- promote a product by focusing on one feature at a time
- engage users by encouraging them to swipe through the cards.
How to use photos for Instagram ads
Now that we’ve covered what Instagram photo ads are and how to create them, let’s take a look at some of the best practices for promoting products with photos on Instagram:
- Feature your brand in the photo. Even if your ad does not result in conversion, chances are it will result in brand awareness. To increase these chances, make sure that the logo and the name of your brand are visible and easy to read.
- Look beyond the product. Even if your outstanding products beat the competition, make sure you don’t focus too much on them. Make your potential customer a hero, tell a story about them, their problems, and how your product helps solve them.
- Focus on quality. Make sure that all your photos look professional. Don’t worry if you don’t have a photographer and the budget to hire one — you can always take great product pictures with your smartphone camera with these tips.