As one of the top 5 social media networks, Instagram has undergone a dramatic transformation. Regardless, it’s still growing in numbers of users, so much so, that Statista reports,
As of October 2021, roughly 32 percent of global Instagram audiences were aged between 25 and 34 years. Over two thirds of total Instagram audiences were aged 34 years and younger and this makes the platform particularly attractive for marketers.
Statista, 2021
After its acquisition by Facebook in 2012, Instagram has been adding new features like videos and stories. Initially, Instagram was mostly used for homemade images. However, now its image and video capacity is immense. Undoubtedly, the app’s UI/UX design gives content creators, and even digital marketers, an advantage to capture their target audience.
Instagram Advertising Services
You may be thinking that the Instagram described above doesn’t seem like a good place for marketing and advertising. And you would be right! The old Instagram didn’t have a lot of features to help advertisers. But that has changed completely. Instagram has added or expanded several features that make Instagram a prime social media marketing channel for engaging users aged 34 and younger. From Statista,
As of October 2021, it was found that 17.9 percent of global active Instagram users were men between the ages of 18 and 24 years. More than half of the global Instagram population worldwide is aged 34 years or younger.
Statista, 2021
Instagram New Features for 2022
At the beginning of the pandemic, we thought that it would be a major hit against all businesses. However, social media, specifically Instagram, quickly capitalized on the amount of people working from home with expendable income. Presently, your Instagram account can serve as your brand’s storefront. Paired with competitive Instagram advertising strategies, businesses can tap into a large pool of customers eager to buy. To this end, Instagram has rolled out new features that make advertising so much easier and more effective. Here are a few of these new features.
1. Anyone Can Add Links to their Stories
Stories have become one of the most-liked features for Instagram users. According to Instagram, “58% of people say they have become more interested in a brand or product after seeing it in Stories.” This makes reaching your target audience through Instagram Stories even more important. Being able to post an active link right in the middle of your story will drive more traffic to your website, and you can track it through Google Analytics or another preferred analytics application.
“50% of people have visited a website to make a purchase after seeing a product or service in Stories.” With a direct link, you will be able to understand how much impact your posts to your stories make, and how best to use them. The new links will show on your stories as link stickers which are highly visible on stories posts.
2. Facebook Business Manager for Instagram Comments
Moderating comments is crucial to building your audience and engaging your followers. Sometimes scrolling through them on Instagram seems like it takes forever. But there is a better way to moderate comments for Instagram, and that is by using Facebook Business Manager.
If you integrate your Instagram and Facebook accounts, your post comments on Instagram automatically show up in your Facebook Business Manager. It makes comments easier to work with, delete, or respond to, all from Facebook.
3. Create a Public Thread in Stories with the Add Yours Sticker
If you’re looking for better engagement with your audience on Instagram, you will be thrilled by the new Add Yours Stickers. Stickers on stories posts have been extremely popular with users, and this new sticker allows creators to invite their friends to post on their story as an addon. This allows other users to post images to their friends’ Instagram stories. The concept is similar to a Twitter thread, except it uses images.
Adding to your friends’ stories with your own pictures will create a lot of interest in followers.
4. Shopping on Instagram
Did you know that 90% of Instagram users directly follow a business? This is good to know if you are a business trying to use Instagram advertising services to showcase your products. Instagram added a Shop tab in November 2020, saying,
With the Shop tab, we’re making it easy to get inspired by creators you love, shop on Instagram, and support small businesses. You can find personalized recommendations, editors’ picks curated by our @shop channel, shoppable videos, new product collections, and more.
Instagram now offers the ability to add a storefront to display your products for sale. Instagram says “your shop is a place to sell and share your brand story, where people can browse products and explore collections.” You can use real-time and pre-made content to create an interactive, inviting visual shopping experience for users.
People can shop for your products throughout the site. Instagram product tags let you highlight items from your catalog directly in your images and videos, so people can easily tap and learn more. The best feature additions are in-app purchasing, and shoppable tags in stories or on posts.
You can also reach more customers with your paid ads that have product tags, giving people the opportunity to learn more about your shoppable content.
5. Optimize CTAs on Paid Ads
Stories ads have a built-in call to action at the bottom of the screen, but this can be easy to miss. If you add an enhanced CTA, more people will engage with it. According to Instagram, there is an 89% chance of campaigns that emphasize the CTA outperforming creatives without the CTA emphasis.
Instagram gives you examples of different kinds of post enhancements so you can decide which works best with your ad. There are several elements to choose from that will really intrigue your audience. Instagram has really upgraded their technology and interface in the last two years. You should take another look to see how these changes can improve your use of Instagram advertising services.
Time to Take Another Look at Instagram
Instagram has really blossomed as a social media channel that offers brands numerous ways to advertise to its unique market of users. If you are working to attract millennials and younger generations to your website or E-commerce store, you should give Instagram ads a try. To learn more about Instagram advertising services, contact us for a customized strategy tailored to your business needs.