Millennials are hooked to Instagram, with over 1 billion active users every month and 500 million active users who are active every day. It has got users “gramming” everywhere. Cafes, stores, and even brands are being judged on not just the quality of the product or service they provide but also their gram-worthiness. 

Why Instagram Ads?

If you haven’t already tapped into this exquisite resource, this article should be your cue to act quickly. Since 2013, Instagram allows brands to reach out to their potential customers through ads. Instagram not only offers you a platform to showcase your brand and your uniqueness. It lets you connect with your audience like no other platform.

Its engagement numbers are higher than both Facebook and Twitter. It also offers an inexpensive platform for brands to connect with highly influential Instagram bloggers and reach out to their audiences. 

Currently, the platform offers multiple options, including photo ads, carousel ads, as well as video ads and ads on Instagram Stories. This article discusses two major types of video-based ads on Instagram. While the platform reports good performance on other types of ads, the in-feed and story ads are amongst the most popular ones. 

While one reason for using Instagram to post ads is the number of engaged users of the platform. The other factor is that it has integrated Facebook Ad Manager through which brands can leverage Facebook’s massive wealth of user information to advertise directly to their target audience. Let us quickly understand the importance of video ads before we deep dive into the types of Instagram ads.

Why Video Ads? 

Video ads make up for over 66 percent of ad impressions on Instagram. Sponsored videos on Instagram have been seen to generate over three times more comments and engagement than sponsored photos on the platform. Therefore, brands using video ads in their Instagram advertising are sure to reach and engage their targeted audience. 

Having established the significance of the video-based Instagram ads, let us understand the two most frequently used video-based Instagram ads.

Instagram Feed Ads

It is needless to say that Instagram users love videos. According to data, the time spent watching videos on Instagram has been increasing by more than 80% year-over-year since 2017.

As the name suggests, these ads are seamlessly placed in the feeds of the targeted audience with a ‘sponsored’ tag attached to it. However, these ads have a call-to-action button that directs the users to product or service the advertiser is promoting.

1. Call-to-Action Button

Call-to-action is the main agenda of the ad for advertisers and digital marketers. Instagram allows marketers various CTAs such as apply now, book now, call now, contact us, and download. However, it does not allow them to customize the CTA. Although, most campaigns fall under one or the other category, therefore eliminating the need for a customized CTA button. 

2. Brand Motivation

As the ads are placed in the feed of the targeted audience, they do not appear as normal commercials would. Therefore, most audience engages with it as they would with a video from their friends or family. However, if the content is engaging enough, the ads usually see a good click-through rate (CTR).

This makes these in-feed video ads great for increasing brand awareness. However, many brands utilize these ads to increase sales as well.

3. Specifications 

Not too long ago, Instagram restricted users from posting landscape or portrait videos. The only dimension allowed was square. Currently, there is no such restriction. However, the content can only be 60 seconds long to appear as an in-feed ad. Longer videos can be posted through IGTV. 

Instagram Story Ads

As mentioned earlier, Instagram witnesses over 500 million active users who post stories every day. This offers brands a massive opportunity to reach a large audience through quirky content. Instagram Story ads are full-screen ads that appear between users’ stories.

Advertising on Instagram stories, allows you to not only target your audience but also to choose how often they see your ad. Since stories expire after 24 hours, they are the ideal format for sharing limited-time offers and promotions. It also offers brands to connect with their audience by taking advantage of features such as face filters, video effects, and text to create fun and creative promotions. 

1. Call-to-Action Button

The call-to-action button takes the form of a swipe-up feature that takes audiences directly to your website from your stories ad.

2. Brand Motivation

As mentioned above, brands majorly utilize these ads for limited period offers or flash sales. However, as these ads are a new feature by Instagram, more and more advertisers are experimenting with it based on their creativity and needs.

3. Specifications 

Instagram stories ads are restricted to portrait mode and sixty-second videos. The accepted dimension for such ads is 9:16. While several brands are utilizing the platform, you can gain a head start on them by using the Instagram story template app. Such applications allow you to choose from thousands of flexible and customizable ad templates that cater to your brand needs. 

The Obvious Choice

Now that you know what Instagram ad formats are out there, it should be easier for you to decide the best format for your ads. Although, these might change with the changing needs of your business. Therefore, there is no obvious choice, as each format supports different intentions.

Having said that, if you still cannot decide which format to opt for, you should clarify the objective of your ad. For example, if you’re trying to increase brand awareness, you might want to avoid story ads and stick with the video-based in-feed ad. However, if you are simply trying to sell products, you might want to use a carousel ad that will direct users to purchase products through your website. 

It is vital to understand that irrespective of the ad format you choose, it should be in line with your brand guidelines as well as your objective. Finally, in order to create spectacular video ads, you can utilize video-editor tools, which will amplify your message and guarantee high user engagement.