When Instagram was launched it was all about square photos. It was an image-centric platform. But Instagram has adapted according to the changes. Now, you can not only share photos on the platform but also share videos. According to the most recent data, Instagram has 1 billion monthly active users, with the United States being the country with the most active users.
Instagram has become insanely popular among Gen Z and Millennials. The graph below by Statista shows, that most Instagram users are between the age of 18-34.
With so many young users, the brand sees an opportunity on Instagram. It is the perfect place to reach the young crowd. That's why marketers have leveraged Instagram video ads to increase their reach. More than 2 million marketers use Instagram to advertise. The reason why Instagram is still going strong after all these years since its launch is because it keeps growing and changing. Instagram has expanded its offerings for advertisers through the years. It changes the game for marketers, with each type of ad placement offering unique advantages.
Instagram may be the platform with the most varied types of video formats. That's probably why users never get bored of the social platform. The different types of video formats also mean different varieties of Instagram ads. Below we have mentioned the types and how to use them to your advantage.
When one scrolls through Instagram, you not only see posts by people you follow but also advertised posts. These video ads are suggested by Instagram to a targeted set of users. If a person is using Google search to look for jewelry, then Instagram will suggest a jewelry store to the user. Using In-feed ads is genius because it blends seamlessly into users’ feeds, offering a more natural way to reach your target audience.
However, the main challenge with In-feed videos is, users mostly scroll through the content without engaging with it. To make the In-feed Video ads more effective, you can combine them with Stories as well. The trick is to create a video ad that doesn't push the users to buy from you, but the video content is interesting enough to immediately capture viewers' attention and offer them some value. In-feed videos ads can be vertical, 4:5, landscape 1:91:1 and square 1:1. Choose a size that works for your video.
In August 2016, Instagram came up with a new feature called Stories. An Instagram story allows users to take photos, add effects and layers, and add them to their Instagram story. The stories stay up to 24 hours and then vanish. If a user wants to save it, they can also highlight it in their profile. While In-feed ads reach people who scroll, Stories ads also reach around 400 million users.
Stories are a great way to reach the target audience because as mentioned,400 million users watch stories every day from people they follow. After every 3-4 profile story taps, a sponsored ad shows. Instagram stories appear for a limited time of 24 hours, after which they disappear. So, you can use this type of ad for advertising limited offers and announcements. Instagram stories only last for a few seconds, (15 seconds ), but advertisers have the option of sharing videos reaching up to 60 seconds.
Instagram posts ads (video) and stories are a killer combo. They pack a punch when used together. Couple your feed video ads with Story ads and you will reach many people in no time. Instagram stories also have an interactive swipe-up feature that takes the audience straight to your website or other destination. This call to action feature can help you gain more leads.
Instagram Canvas ads are a type of Story ads. But these ads are more powerful than normal story ads. A canvas ad is designed to offer a superior viewing experience. It is immersive and fast-loading. Brands should use canvas ads because it's professional. In normal story ads, the CTA guides the viewers to swipe up. The action then leads them to an external website. However, most of the time opening new sites through Instagram takes time. And it leads to abandonment, you can probably lose potential customers if the smartphone is slow to load the website.
Canvas ads eliminate the need to having an external website linked to the story. A mini website opens inside Instagram's app and there is no need to visit the external link. How can you use Canvas ads to your benefit? Canvas ads make it easy for users to know more about your brand. The waiting time is minimized.
You can use ad creative featuring one main image with three cards underneath to display more videos or images. Use this tool to showcase more products and services from the brand. Slow openers are a bummer but with canvas ads, you can create an impressive mini-catalog of your products.
Instagram carousel ads are like a swipe ad campaign. It is a series of videos, prompting mobile users to keep smiling and learning more about the products and brand. This ad format lets users swipe through a series of branded videos (or photos), offering expanded creative space for deeper brand storytelling and to highlight multiple products. It also increases the brand awareness of potential customers without being overly self-promotional.
The carousel ads can have two to ten images/ videos. This format works well for brands with visually dynamic offerings like food, fashion, and live entertainment. Carousel ads mostly appear like normal posts, except the blue "shop now" CTA at the bottom of the ad.
With Carousel ads, you can get creative. Use the swipeable interactive nature of the ads to engage more viewers. Adding 3 and more videos to the carousel is a great way to showcase the products to viewers. The more the viewers watch the videos and swipe the better engaged the viewers.
IGTV videos on Instagram are a longer format of videos. Instagram launched IGtv ads in 2018. These vertical videos can run for as long as one hour. Even though the length of the videos can be long, it is better to cap the videos according to your audience. If the audience wants to watch 5-10 minute videos, that's the way to go. IGTv videos are suitable for sharing branded videos, short films, company culture videos, Behind scenes videos, etc.
Other Instagram video formats are short and sweet. But on this social media platform, you can post longer videos as well. IGTv ads can be used to create tV like content to draw viewers in. Here are a few ideas for IgTv ads
IGTv is the least exploited video format on Instagram. You can use it to boost your whole campaign.
Instagram went ahead and launched a video format that took the social media platform by storm. Reels may be the newest format but it is also one of the best Instagram video ads format. There are 1 billion Instagram users. If you want to make an impactful video marketing strategy, then you need to start using reels.
Instagram creeks were introduced as an alternative for Tiktok. One could upload a 15 - 30 second long video. Recently the length of reels increased to 1 minute. It means you can create shorter videos as well as longer ones using reels.
Many small businesses and brands are using Instagram reels to reach new audiences. More and more users scroll through the Reels feed. There is a great chance that your reels will reach the intended audience. If creating basic reels isn't working for you, you can always use the Instagram Reels ad. Here are few tips you can use to create effective Instagram video ads through reels
Instagram advertisers choose Reels as a placement for their Instagram ads. It increases brand awareness, conversions, and reach. Reels are a great way to reach targeted audiences when they are scrolling through Reels in the mindset to engage with content. You can reach people who are already looking for the product/service that you have to offer. If you are having a hard time finding customers start posting reels twice (or more) a week. It is surely going to blow up your business.
Other than IGTv most of Instagram's video formats are shorter ones. It only gives you a few seconds to grab the attention of the audience. So do not play around, but focus on telling exactly what you want in the video. May it is Stories As or Instagram reels ads, the first few seconds are important. The attention span of the younger generation is around 3-6 seconds. In the first few seconds make sure
The first few seconds should draw the viewers in. Make sure you make compelling video ads that make users stop scrolling. You can use Offeo to make scroll-stopping ads in less than 3 minutes. Offeo is a simple yet powerful platform that can help you create engaging and dynamic videos. With thousands of templates and animations with a click, you will really be spoilt for choice.
There are so many ideas out there for video ads. But the unique thing about Instagram is that your ads should blend naturally with the users' feed but it should also have a compelling call to action. It may seem impossible to accomplish but once you figure it out you will have a winning formula.
You have to make an impression, convince the viewers to stop scrolling, and introduce your products in only a few seconds. So do it wisely.
Many viewers watch Instagram ads without sound. So text plays an important part in getting the message across to the viewers. Use dynamic text effects to grab the attention of the audience. Offeo can be used to create attractive videos with catchy and bold graphics. You can add animation effects to the text as well.
Social media marketers know that Instagram audio is muted by default. This means your ad copy needs to have more than just video captions to be understood by users. Text overlays are self-explanatory in nature. You can use it to highlight the main points.
However, text and effects should be used carefully in the ads. It shouldn't overwhelm the onlooker. So, the text and effects should pique the viewer's interest enough for them to watch the video.
Unlike Facebook ads, Instagram videos can't be enlarged full screen. That is an issue you need to think about. Shoot your own footage in the right dimensions. Forget about shooting horizontal videos for Instagram. It doesn't work. Instead, use vertical formats for stories and Square formats for Instagram feeds.
Other than dimensions, Facebook has another advantage over Instagram. You can customize the thumbnails of your video on Facebook. But with Instagram, you have to choose a Thumbnail from the existing footage you have. Choose it carefully because a thumbnail will define whether or not someone turns on the volume to watch your ad, click on your post in the search section, and ultimately end up on your profile. While shooting the ad it creating it, think about the thumbnail in advance.
Ad Placement on Instagram mostly looks natural. It blends well with the feed. But advertisers need to focus on adding CTAs. A clear call to action will encourage viewers to take the action. Viewers have little to no patience when it comes to scrolling through the feed. Your Call to action can lead them to your profile, then to a landing page. As shown in the above image you can also try incorporating the ‘learn more’ on your video advertisement.
Always have a simple call to action, and make it obvious so users do not have to search for it. Another Pro tip you need to follow for Instagram ads is to optimize your website or landing page for mobiles. Most of the app users use smartphones to operate Instagram. Your website needs to be mobile-friendly. There is nothing worse than tapping on ‘Learn More,’ and the page you’re directed to is not optimized for the device. You can lose leads that way. So, have a clear call to action and an optimized landing page for mobiles.
All social platforms are capable of carrying out great ad campaigns. But if you want to target the younger crowd, there is nothing better than Instagram video ads. Instagram users are spoilt with choices when it comes to videos. So if you want to stand out and create a unique brand identity, you have to create compelling short video ads. Offeo can do it all. It ticks all the boxes you need to make an Instagram video ad.
It is the best place to make video ads for your brand. Everything you want to know about how to create a great video with Offeo is here.
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