Amidst the constantly evolving landscape of social media marketing, Instagram is a powerful tool through which brands can reach and engage with their specific demographic. Instagram offers ad formats designed to help you drive awareness and deliver your message in a format that fits your brand and goals. Regular users of the platform exceed one billion. But which Instagram ad format suits your brand well among all these types? Let us help you choose the perfect format for your marketing plan from the various options available.
Photo Ads
Best For: Visual Storytelling
The most simplistic ad type on Instagram is a photo ad. They’re a one-image feed post and are great for brands with heavy visual content. Whether you have a beautiful product photo, a fabulous lifestyle image, or a gorgeous graphic, photo ads represent a highly visual way to create a more compelling brand image.
Why Choose Photo Ads?
- Easy to create and manage.
- Great for displaying products, promotions, and brand imagery.
- Excellent media for brand recognition and awareness.
Tips for Effective Photo Ads:
- Choose professional and visually appealing images.
- Ensure that you include a strong, relevant call-to-action (CTA).
- Stay consistent with your brand’s visual style.
Video Ads
Suitable For: Interesting & Educational Content
Motion, sound, and images enable brands to tell their story through video ads. Those 60-second spots work well for demonstrations of a product, testimonials from clients, or stories that require more nuance than a single image can convey.
Why Choose Video Ads?
- It is exciting and can grab attention quickly.
- It is ideal for showcasing product features and benefits.
- Versatile format for storytelling, tutorials, and behind-the-scenes content.
Tips for Effective Video Ads:
- Make sure to pique interest within the first few seconds.
- Make videos short and to the point, and stick to one clear message.
- Add translations and captions for those who watch without sound.
Carousel Ads
Best For: Highlighting Multiple Products or Features
With carousel ads, brands can incorporate multiple photos or videos in a single ad for users to swipe through. The format helps showcase different products, highlighting various benefits or telling a story across multiple episodes.
Why Choose Carousel Ads?
- Enables the addition of more storytelling elements.
- Users are “swiping into” their experience.
- Perfect for the presentation of product catalogs or series.
Pro Tips for Effective Carousel Ads:
- Ensure that every card is visually appealing and related to the message as a whole.
- Keep the ad dynamic by using a combination of images and videos.
- Add a CTA on every card. A CTA (call-to-action) encourages users to interact with the card.
Stories Ads
Best For: Unadulterated and Timely Content
Instagram Stories ads are hosted between users’ stories and are an effective way to engage users in a full-screen, immersive format. Story ads are available in the form of either video, photo, or carousel and work great for running flash sales, after-hours content, and more.
Why Choose Stories Ads?
- Full-screen has the user’s full attention.
- Highly engaging with features that include polls and swipe-ups.
- Perfect is for building a sense of urgency to prompt subscribers to take action.
Best Practices for Story Ads:
- It should be designed in a vertical view to utilize as many screens as possible.
- Create bold visuals and text to capture attention.
- Include elements and be interactive to create engagement.
Shopping Ads
Best For: E-commerce And Direct Selling
Shopping ads cater to e-commerce brands looking to convert sales directly from Instagram. Those ads facilitate a seamless shopping experience by allowing users to view product details and make purchases without needing to leave the app.
Why Choose Shopping Ads?
- Simplifies the search-to-purchase journey.
- Great for featuring products with descriptions.
- Connects your online store for easy management.
Best Practices for Shopping Ads:
- Include high-quality pictures or images that focus on the product.
- Give detailed, no-nonsense product descriptions.
- Ensure your product list is current and well-organized.
Collection Ads
Ideal For: Featuring a Range of Products
Collection ads allow users to browse and purchase products directly from the ad, merging images and videos with a product catalog. It’s perfect for brands that offer a range of products.
Why Choose Collection Ads?
- Combines storytelling and commerce visually.
- Delivers a rich shopping experience.
- Prompts users to browse and interact with several products.
Key Collections Ads Advice:
- Feature a viral video or image at the top to grab attention.
- Arrange products in a way that is user-friendly and visually appealing.
- It’s more of a challenge when it comes to spicing up your headlines and CTAs.
The format of the Instagram ad you select will depend on what you want to achieve with your ad, the content of your ad, and your target audience. Instagram offers several ad formats to achieve goals such as sales, engagement, and brand awareness. By understanding the pros and best practices of each ad type, you can create actionable, engaging ads that resonate with your audience and effectively reinforce your brand’s goals.
Looking for help with your Instagram ad strategy? Contact Citrus Studio today to discover how we can collaborate with you to create Instagram ads that perfectly suit your brand.
