How To Create Effective Instagram Video Ads for Your Business
Facebook is for older people; TikTok is for the younger crowd, and Instagram is for brands. Confused? Let us explain. According to Meta research, Instagram is the #1 platform for people to connect with their favorite brands.
No other network allows businesses to communicate, converse, and advertise as effectively as Instagram. That’s why the average brand posts nearly 2 feed posts a day and 17 stories a month.
When it comes to video ads, Instagram has become the go-to platform for many businesses. You can create videos that capture attention and drive engagement.
If you’re looking to start creating Instagram ads, you could probably use some help. That’s why we’re going to share some actionable tips with you. But before that, let’s establish a few things.
Why Instagram advertising matters in 2023
Entrepreneurs today have many – and we do mean MANY – advertising options. Most of them are pretty effective. There are Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and YouTube ads – just to name a few. What makes Instagram so special?
In addition to having roughly 1.35 billion active users, Instagram gives businesses granular control to target their audiences. You can target the right people of specific age ranges, genders, locations, interests, and behaviors.
From niche to broad, from interest-based to demographic targeting – Instagram Ads offer it all. Moreover, you can also retarget people who have interacted with your videos or stories.
Another advantage of Instagram Ads is its superior creative freedom. You can create stunning visuals, add text overlays, or even use an app like InShot to shorten your videos.
Are video ads more effective on Instagram?
Video ads take time and money – two things most businesses can’t afford to waste on meaningless tasks. Shouldn’t you simply invest in more traditional, image-based advertising campaigns?
The simple answer is no. Why? One word – engagement. As a format, video is much more enticing to users than static images. For example, video posts generate twice as many comments as image ones, and users share them more often.
Not only does this mean more visibility, but higher engagement and better clickthrough rates too. That’s why Instagram video ads are so effective – they grab attention and keep it.
What’s more, video ads allow you to showcase your brand in an effective and creative way that other formats simply can’t match.
Getting started with Instagram video ads
Creating a successful video ad campaign on Instagram isn’t as simple as slapping together a few videos and hoping you get engagement.
You must plan, create, and curate in order to maximize the effectiveness of your video ads. Sometimes, hiring a part-time marketing director might be needed to help you fine-tune your strategy.
But before you take that step, you need to understand the basics of creating effective Instagram video ads. Here are the steps you need to take:
1. Start with a hook
Marketing experts have been talking and writing about the ever-shortening attention for nearly two decades at this point. You’re aware that people are bombarded with marketing content left and right.
For a piece of content to be effective, it needs to be visually and mentally explosive. It would be best to make it exciting, enticing, and emotionally compelling to draw people in.
How? Start with a hook. A hook is a story element that captures the reader’s attention and urges them to continue reading. It should be creative and unexpected, something that’ll make users pause and take notice.
2. Optimize for mobile
Only a fraction of Instagram users access the site via desktop. So, if you want your video ads to be effective, you must optimize them for mobile devices.
By “optimize,” we actually mean create content that’s better suited for mobile screens. For instance, people intuitively use portrait mode when they record with their phones. However, when recording ads, you should use landscape mode to make the most of the available space.
If you’re hiring a video editor, it’s also a good idea to explain what platform you’re targeting and how you want the content to be formatted. That way, the editor can ensure all videos are perfectly viewable on Instagram feeds, reels, or stories.
3. Use captions
People tend to scroll their Instagram feed everywhere – in line for coffee, on the bus, or even in a doctor’s office. When they’re in a public place, they probably don’t have their sound turned on.
That’s why your video ads should have captions. While the visual element of your video ads will grab the user’s attention, captions will keep them engaged. So make sure you include subtitles in your videos.
And you don’t even need a 3rd-party tool to do this. Instagram’s own video editor has a caption option, which works just fine.
4. Don’t forget the sound
While captions should be used to maximize the visibility of your videos, sound should also be considered, especially if you’re advertising on Instagram Stories.
According to new research, 6 out of 10 Instagram users have their sound turned on every time they watch Stories. That means you should include sound in your videos to get the most out of them.
Now, there are some rules you should follow. Keep the sound low and make sure that it’s appropriate for the setting. No one wants to hear loud music while they’re reading or working.
5. Give actual value
To keep the user’s attention, you need to make your ads worth their while. You can do this by giving them actual value – something that’ll help them solve a problem or answer a question.
Content should be informative and educational, and it should provide the user with something they can use. If you can do this, your ads will be much more successful than if they were just promotional materials.
Give Instagram Ads a Try and Watch Your Results
For any business owner, Instagram video ads can be a powerful tool to get the word out about their products and services. But you must make sure you understand the basics of creating effective ads, or you might end up wasting your resources.
If you follow the five steps outlined above and take the time to create quality content, you should start seeing some results. So don’t be afraid to give it a try – you might be pleasantly surprised.
Tags: Social Media Marketing.
