If there’s one social media platform that has really taken off in the past few years its Instagram. This relatively new social media platform has helped businesses market their brand and what they offer.
If you’ve thought about Instagram advertising for your brand, we encourage you to go for it.
But you also want to make sure that you avoid the common Instagram advertising mistakes. It takes time, effort, and money to create Instagram advertising, and mistakes are very costly.
This guide will help you understand what all the Instagram advertising mistakes are and how to avoid them.
The Guide to Instagram Advertising Mistakes
Before you jump into the advertising mistakes, we suggest that you find a great graphic designer to create your Instagram posts. You should also find a way to download Instagram photos so that you can recover your images at any time.
Once you’ve got this under your belt, here are the mistakes to avoid:
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Goals
Each of your Instagram ads should have a particular goal in mind. This can be as simple as trying to get more followers to your profile. Or it can be targeted such as garnering subscribers to your email newsletter.
If your company has launched a new product or service, you can create an Instagram ad to promote this product/service.
Whenever you make an Instagram ad, have a specific goal in mind. Your goals should also be varied to grow different aspects of your business.
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Not Setting Metrics
To continue with the previous mistake, another huge mistake with Instagram advertising is to not set metrics. This helps you determine if you are progressing with your goals or not.
For example, if you have created an Instagram ad, you want to set a goal of clicks. You want to ensure that your ad gets a certain number of clicks. You also want to make sure that the ad produces results. For example, if you create an ad that promotes your email newsletter, has it led to subscriptions?
Make sure you are always setting metrics and checking that the metrics are being met or not met. This is something to discuss with your marketing team to determine future advertising strategies.
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Not Targeting Your Ideal Audience
When creating Instagram ads, brands often forget to target their ideal audience. Instagram gives you the option to find your ideal demographic. Your ideal demographic can be based on a variety of factors, including age, geographical location, interests, etc.
If you create an ad and don’t target a specific audience, your ad will likely reach uninterested users. It will miss out on reaching the people who will be most interested in what your brand has to offer.
Always target your ideal audience before you post your Instagram ad.
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Not Focusing On The Visuals
Even though Instagram is made for visuals, you’ll be surprised at how many brands neglect to create great visuals for their Instagram ads.
This is where the talents of your graphic designer and creative team come in. You need to speak to your graphic designer on how to use the image to attract potential clients. You should always discuss the specifics of each image before you post it as an Instagram ad with your graphic designer.
For example, if you are promoting a food product, are you using colors that invoke hunger? Are you using photographs or iconography within your image that can grab your audience’s attention?
Always spend time focusing on the visuals. Do not be in a rush to post your Instagram ad. You might want to share the image with a focus group to see how they react to it before you post the Instagram ad.
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High-Quality Ads
Another huge mistake that brands make is not having high-quality ads. For example, are all of your ads a single image with a well-written caption? After a while, this gets tiring for your audience. This also puts you behind your competition.
Consider the carousel format that Instagram allows. This allows you to put multiple images that your audience can swipe through. If you have introduced a new range of products, consider putting each of these products in a separate image. Then your audience can swipe through and see the specifics of each product.
You should also consider story ads. This is when you create an ad on your Instagram story. Once you hit a large number of subscribers, you might have the option to allow your followers to “swipe up” to visit the target URL from the ad.
You should also consider making video ads. Video is the best way for users to engage with content. Even large and well-established brands neglect video. This is one of the biggest mistakes that you can make. Nothing can entice a user more than a video ad that entices them to engage with your brand.
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Not Being Simple
You’ve likely heard of the acronym KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). Often, brands get overly enthusiastic when creating their ads. As a result, they create ads that are visually stunning — but say nothing. You want your ads to be simple and understandable by your audience.
As soon as your audience looks at your Instagram ad, they should be able to understand what the ad is trying to convey. If your audience has to spend a few minutes staring at the ad to figure out what it’s trying to convey, you are on the wrong track.
While writing a great caption is part of the advertising process, you want to make sure that you don’t depend on the caption. The image should say all that is needed. The caption exists to provide further details that the image cannot state.
Make Your Ads
Now that you know the common Instagram advertising mistakes that brands make, you are ready to make your ads. Make sure you always revise this guide before creating each ad and before you post.
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