Have you been running ads in Instagram Stories? If not, you’re missing out on the opportunity to immerse Instagram users in your brand and turn viewers into customers. Instagram Story ads exist within Instagram Stories at the top of your News Feed which provide a continuous stream of full-screen content to users — it’s a great place for your business to be.
In Instagram Stories, your ads can look just like the organic content that users engage with but include a call-to-action like a link to your website, which can really boost your website clicks and purchases of your products. In fact, an app analytics company called Appsee that ran ads in Instagram Stories to attract its B2B audience, saw a 3.4X higher click-through rate and a 35 percent lower cost per qualified lead.
So, if you want to finally take advantage of Instagram Stories, here’s some tips for how to create Instagram Story ads that convert.
Keep your message short and to-the-point.
With Instagram Story ads, you’ve got to grab the attention of users right away and get your message across quickly. Instagram Story ads display the text “Sponsored” at the top of the story to let users know that it’s different from their regular Story content. Once users realize they’re looking at an ad, they’re more likely to swipe away from your story. That’s why it’s so important to keep your message short, engaging, and to-the-point.
So, don’t create Instagram Story ads with a ton of text and expect the user to stick around to read it all. Instead, create an ad with short, punchy copy that will grab the user’s attention and ignite curiosity to keep them interested in your Story.
Don’t forget that as much as copy is important, on Instagram a striking image is just as essential to a good ad. So, remember to make your images as eye-catching as possible.
Use a lookalike or custom audience.
If you put your Instagram Story ad in front of users who aren’t at all interested in your product, you’re wasting your time and your ad campaign won’t be successful. When you’re trying to introduce your business or your product to Instagram users who have never heard of you before, you need to use a lookalike audience. With a lookalike audience, you can show your Instagram Story ad to a particular group of users based on the characteristics of your existing audience. When you show your Instagram Story ad to people most like you current customers, your campaign will be more well-received.
For instance, if North Face showed this Instagram story ad below to users who didn’t care about camping, they wouldn’t get many sales from it. But by using a lookalike audience they can discover the perfect users on Instagram to sell their products to.
You can also use custom audiences to specifically retarget users who have already visited your website, interacted with you on Instagram or Facebook, or previously purchased a product from you. That way your content is shown to the most qualified consumers who will be the most likely to buy.
Don’t rely on sound.
In 2017, only 15 percent of Facebook and Instagram users watched videos with the sound on. So, if you want your Instagram Story ads to convert, you need to create ads that will capture the attention of users and get your message across without sound. If you rely on sound to provide users with information about your product, like a video with a voiceover explaining the benefits, many Instagram users will never even hear it.
If you’re creating a video to show off your products, make sure your video just as effective silent as it is with sound. Also use text in your Instagram Story ads as much as possible to speak to users. I don’t mean cram your ad with copy, but include text to get your main message across so users know what you’re talking about and what to do without turning the sound on.
Create a strong call-to-action.
There’s no better way to get Instagram users to “swipe up”, visit your website, and make a purchase than to include a strong call-to-action in your Instagram Story ad. If you want to convert Instagram users into customers, you’ve got to give them a good reason. It’s a simple and basic strategy, but it’s one of the most effective.
So in your Instagram Story ads, create a sense of urgency or FOMO (the fear of missing out) by telling users that an offer or product is only available for a limited amount of time. You can also advertise a great sale that will entice users to shop on your site, or offer an easy to get reward, for example, ask users to go to your website and subscribe to your email list for 10 percent off.
You can also add text to tell users to “Swipe Up” in case they aren’t as familiar with Instagram or don’t notice the “Shop Now” area at the bottom of the Story. Make sure your call-to-action is clear and exciting so that users will head to your website en masse to shop.
Immersing your company into Instagram Stories is a valuable way to reach your ideal audience on social media. Now that you know how to create an Instagram Story ad that converts, your Instagram account will not only help you increase brand awareness and engagement but help make you more sales than you ever imagined.