The Marketer's Creative Guide to Instagram Advertising

Advertising Automation

INSTAGRAM ADVERTISING

PICTURING HIGHER ROI

The Marketer’s Creative Guide to

Picturing Higher ROI: The Marketer’s Creative Guide to Instagram Advertising

Nanigans | Advertising Automation 2

There’s more to Instagram advertising than meets the eye.

Instagram is a community built around creative visual inspiration. For its 400 million users and for advertisers alike, the experience of using Instagram is entirely visual.

The most successful companies advertising on the platform know that creative—from images to videos to ad copy—can make or break the performance of a campaign. Following creative best practices, while constantly testing and optimizing your strategy, is critical to driving real business results on Instagram.

Marketing teams using Nanigans advertising automation software for Instagram have proven that creative is king. One large-scale ecommerce company invested time and budget in testing a wide range of creative strategies, ultimately driving 179% higher return on ad spend. Another online retailer found that high-quality product photography was a hit with their target audience, resulting in a 219% increase in purchase rates. These and countless other success stories have made it clear that strong ad creative truly pays off.

So which creative strategies perform best on Instagram? The answer is different for everyone, but following proven creative best practices is a smart place to start. The insights in this guide will go far in helping you meet your Instagram advertising goals, whether that’s growing mobile app adoption among your customers or driving more purchases to boost the bottom line.

WHAT’S IN THIS GUIDE:

Creative strategies for getting started

Performance-driven best practices

Strategies for high-ROI ecommerce, gaming, and lead generation ads

Simple ways to replicate what works with creative refreshing

This guide highlights compelling ad creative examples from a wide variety of advertisers, and companies featured are not necessarily Nanigans customers.



Strategies for Getting Started 1

Since the Instagram advertising ecosystem is relatively young, many advertisers that invest heavily in campaigns on Facebook and Twitter may not have the same depth of experience on Instagram.

As you get started scaling performance on Instagram, it’s important to first ask yourself some simple questions. Since creative plays such a critical role on the platform, thinking through these points will help you craft striking images and videos that speak directly to your target market—and drive real business growth as a result.

What interests my audience most? What challenges frustrate them?

What messaging approach or tone will motivate a potential customer to engage with my ad?

How can our visual brand identity support my performance marketing objectives?

What is my product’s unique selling point, and how can I best convey it visually?



For marketers already successfully driving revenue on Facebook—Instagram’s parent company—adopting this new platform is a logical, smart step forward. There are two distinct approaches large-scale Facebook advertisers are using to add Instagram into their marketing strategies: leveraging the same ad creative across channels, or designing unique assets tailored specifically for Instagram.

REPURPOSING FACEBOOK AD CREATIVE FOR INSTAGRAM

Since Instagram uses the same targeting as Facebook, and has comparable ad types, reusing Facebook ad creative on the platform can be a natural way to get up and running fast.

Strong ad creative is just as important (if not more important) to scaling ROI on Instagram as it is on Facebook. If you plan to employ existing Facebook ad creative in Instagram’s visual-centric environment, be sure to start with the most eye-catching, vibrant, and high-performing imagery from your past campaigns. Even more so than on Facebook, ad creative will be front and center in your target audience’s Instagram feed.

The opposite of Facebook, ad copy comes after the image or video on Instagram. Keeping this switch in mind, make sure viewers can understand your business and offering first from a creative perspective. Ad copy below your image and video can support and enrich the message conveyed by your visual creative.

Another important consideration when using Facebook ad creative on Instagram is the environment in which your audience will see your ad. Facebook ads can be served across desktop and mobile devices, while Instagram is an entirely mobile experience. It’s critical that all ad creative is clear and impactful on smaller-sized smartphone screens.

Finally, be open to testing and experimentation. Ads that drive high conversion rates on Facebook may not produce the same results on Instagram. Strategic testing should always be part of your plan when launching on a new advertising channel.



DESIGNING ORIGINAL AD CREATIVE FOR INSTAGRAM

If you don’t currently have Facebook ads that you think will work well on Instagram, then designing original creative is another way to start advertising on Instagram. A clean creative canvas gives you the opportunity to craft imagery that is tailor-made for the platform. For example, while Instagram supports a variety of image and video aspect ratios for ads, square content still dominates the platform. By creating new images designed with a 1:1 ratio in mind, your ads can feel even more native when your target audience discovers them in their feed.

Developing new ad creative is also a great opportunity to test visual messaging strategies and inspiring call-to-action tactics.

Visually, Instagram is built around high-quality images. When designing new ad creative, try aiming for more stylized, atmospheric photos that convey your brand’s unique message and value. Instagram content has its own unique aesthetic, and starting from square one will enable you to be creative in finding new ways to connect with your customers and drive real performance growth.



Creative Best Practices to Power Performance2

Visuals define the Instagram experience, so it’s critically important that the images and videos in your ads are high quality. These five creative best practices are a great place to start when designing eye-catching ads that deliver results.

USE A STRONG FOCAL POINT1

Avoid imagery that is busy or complex and instead direct viewers’ attention to a clear focal point. You can achieve this through creative use of color, lighting, layering, and layout of products or models. Compelling imagery that draws in the eye is much more likely to cause someone scrolling through their Instagram feed to pause and engage with your ad.



Color is one of the most powerful tools for capturing attention. Ads that feature bright, vivid colors are more likely to immediately stand out among organic posts on Instagram. Once color grabs your audience’s attention, the rest of the ad can do its job compelling them to take action.

BE BOLD WITH COLOR2

THINK MOBILE-FIRST3

With more than half of digital media time spent on mobile devices, mobile should be a priority for any modern marketer. Since Instagram ads only appear on smartphones and tablets—and not on the desktop version of the site—a mobile-first mentality is a must. For both ad creative and landing pages, be sure your offer and content are clearly understood by people on smaller screens.

Strong continuity from your ad to your mobile landing page can go far in delivering a smooth experience for customers.

https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/Mobile-Internet-Usage-Skyrockets-in-Past-4-Years-to-Overtake-Desktop-as-Most-Used-Digital-Platform

https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Blog/Mobile-Internet-Usage-Skyrockets-in-Past-4-Years-to-Overtake-Desktop-as-Most-Used-Digital-Platform



Every audience responds to imagery differently, so be sure to tailor your ad creative to the specific segments that you’re targeting.

For example, ads targeted at young, trend-setting consumers are likely to perform well if they feature imagery focused on cutting edge styles and the latest trends. Ads aimed at travellers may be more likely to spark a conversion if they are tailored based on specific locations.

ALWAYS PRIORITIZE RELEVANCE4

DIFFERENTIATE BY DESIGN5

What would happen if your logo disappeared from the top of your Instagram ad? Would your target audience still recognize your creative as undeniably you?

Try to promote ad creative that is instantly identifiable with your brand to differentiate yourself from competitors and other advertisers on Instagram.



Tailored Tips for Your Vertical3

Every industry is unique, but marketers from all types of business can find success with Instagram advertising. Some of the most data-driven advertisers on Instagram work at large-scale commerce companies, like those in the retail or ecommerce, gaming, and lead generation space.

The recommendations below should provide more tailored insights and recommendations to marketers in these verticals.

RETAIL AND ECOMMERCE

To keep your creative simple and effective, it can help to focus on a single product when using a single-image ad on Instagram. When it makes strategic sense to showcase multiple products, try using a carousel ad to feature a different offering in each scrollable frame.

Another creative alternative is to leverage video to promote multiple products in a single ad. Whether you’re using carousel or video ads, it’s important to feature products that fit together. You can build a cohesive collection for a multi-product ad based on style, color, or theme.



Every retailer knows that special deals can be an irresistible incentive for shoppers. When you’re running a sale or limited time promotion, try calling it out in your Instagram ad creative (imagery and copy) to entice more potential customers to click and make a purchase.

Try complementing Instagram’s built-in call-to-action buttons with graphics and language like buy now, limited time deal, or get it before it sells out!

Read the Case Study

CASE STUDY

How Retail Advertisers on Instagram are Achieving Higher Returns for Less with Nanigans

Instagram is proving to be a highly effective advertising channel for marketers increasing revenue on mobile. Find out how a commerce giant and a growing flash sale retailer increased purchase rates and return on ad spend on Instagram.

Instagram is home to many fashion-forward influencers with millions of followers hanging on their every word and recommendation.

If you have a partnership with an influencer who’s already popular on Instagram, prominently featuring them in your ad creative is a smart strategy to capitalize on name recognition to drive more purchases.

http://www.nanigans.com/resource/igram/ecomm/retail-advertisers-instagram-higher-returns



Try highlighting just one selling point of your game in each ad instead of complicating your creative with too many messages.

With a focused approach, you can show different ad creative to different audience segments, featuring unique elements of your game to the people who are most likely to find them appealing.

MOBILE GAMING

Use video ads to showcase in-app gameplay, someone holding a smartphone or tablet, or a member of your target audience interacting with the app. Images still dominate Instagram, so an eye-catching video can help your game stand out from the crowd.

Including an Install Now call-to-action button enables prospective gamers to quickly transition from viewing your video ad to playing your game in just a few taps.



LEAD GENERATION

Instagram users open the app to be visually inspired and entertained by images. For lead generation advertisers, it’s especially important that ads feature inspiring creative, even if the product or service isn’t traditionally viewed in that context—like tax planning tools or home loans.

Try to make ads fit in with surrounding content on Instagram by focusing on real-life benefits and emotions that customers experience using your service.

Mobile games often have well-known characters or celebrity partners. Use this recognition to your advantage by featuring the characters your users know and love in your app install ad copy and creative.



High-quality creative is just as important for advertisers aiming to generate leads as it is for anyone else marketing on Instagram.

Ensuring your imagery adheres to basic design principles will help it feel right at home in people’s feeds. When your ad fits in with other beautiful visuals on the platform, people may be less likely to scroll right by.

Explain how your product or service is differentiated from the competition in a simple and direct way.

The image or video creative in your ad should convey most of the message, with the copy reinforcing these ideas or driving people to take a specific action, whether that’s to request a quote, learn more, or register for an account.



Building on Success Using Fresh Creative4

Even the best performing ad creative has a limited shelf life. In the always-updating world of Instagram, keeping ad creative new and exciting is critical. If your audience sees the same image or video too many times, ad fatigue may set in and performance could plummet.

Luckily, there’s no reason to abandon a creative strategy that’s producing results. With a quick refresh using these simple strategies, you can build on past success to take performance to the next level.

BUILD ON A COMMON THEME1

If there’s a creative tactic that’s delivering on your ROI goals, don’t reinvent the wheel. Take elements from your most successful ads and build on those ideas.

Use a common theme that you can put a new spin on in every iteration of your ads. For example, use different versions of before and after shots that demonstrate the value of your product or service. Or, feature new customer testimonials that prove your company’s credibility.



Storytelling is a powerful tactic. If your product or service lends itself to a story or progressive series of events, use a creative refresh to move the narrative forward. By structuring ads in a connected sequence, you’ll have a logical, easy to execute strategy when it comes time to launch new creative.

CONTINUE THE STORY2

Without radically changing your creative style, it can be easy to experiment with promoting different special offers and incentives. By constantly testing your ad messaging, you’ll gain a better understanding of which approach drives optimal performance from your audience.

OFFER UP SOMETHING NEW3



Finding success with standard link ads? Put a new spin on what’s already working. Build on those high-performing ads by exploring additional formats like video or carousel ads. This way, you’ll be investing in creative elements that are proven winners on Instagram.

TAKE NEW FORMATS FOR A SPIN4



Picturing Success on Instagram5

On a visual platform like Instagram, the creative used in your ads is vital to their success. It can make or break your ROI outcomes, regardless of whether your goal is to increase purchase frequency, grow your app’s user base, or generate high-quality business leads. Understanding the creative nature of the experience, implementing best practices, and keeping ad creative elements fresh are the keys to building a strong performance marketing strategy on Instagram.

As Instagram’s growth accelerates, direct response advertisers have an enormous opportunity to grow return on ad spend from their digital efforts. And those who make top-notch creative a priority are best positioned to reap the rewards.

To start scaling your Instagram advertising and increasing the revenue impact of your digital marketing efforts, request a demo of Nanigans advertising automation software today.

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As an Instagram Partner, Nanigans has been badged with the Ad Tech specialty for its advertising automation software that empowers in-house marketing teams to manage, measure, and scale the revenue impact from their digital advertising investments. Take control of your Instagram advertising and start driving more revenue for your growing business today.

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The Marketer's Creative Guide to Instagram Advertising