Video content is very popular on Instagram, with up to 91% of users watching videos on the platform weekly.
This presents a significant opportunity for businesses to capture audience attention through Instagram video ads.
Here are key strategies for developing engaging Instagram video ads that translate into returns.
1. Think mobile first
Create mobile Instagram video ads to seamlessly integrate with the mobile experience. Traditional mobile-friendly ads won’t cut it.
Mobile ads are viewed longer, resulting in higher assisted recall, for a meta study of 759 video ads in 25 countries. Mobile ads:
It usually includes the introduction of the early brand. They have shorter durations, usually less than 20 seconds. Consider the noise environment.
The ability of mobile ads to adapt to a user’s quick and fast interaction with their devices is one of the main reasons why they are more effective at capturing and retaining audience engagement.
Let’s look at a handful of important aspects to consider to make sure your ads are being created with this mobile-centric mindset in mind.
Vertical video
While the adoption of vertical video may seem like an obvious choice, it’s an element that benefits from more careful execution. Simply adjusting the orientation of a video to fit the vertical format is the easy part; the real impact lies in making the most of the vertical real estate potential.
You can differentiate yourself by approaching your image capture and editing design to strategically exploit vertical space. Consider the single canvas that provides a vertical frame.
A couple of examples:
Make your ad graphics/animated elements unfold vertically in a visually pleasing way that follows the natural flow of mobile scrolling. Frame your video subjects when you roll to take up more of that vertical space.
By adapting your content to the vertical layout, you adhere to user behavior while enhancing the immersive quality of your video.
Closed captions
Using captions is another powerful way to optimize your Instagram video ads. Instagram provides tools to easily embed captions into your video to improve accessibility and engagement in environments without sound.
If you’re looking for 100% accuracy, you can upload your own SRT file, which you’ll need to create separately, or you can take advantage of the platform’s automated subtitle generation feature.
However, you can go the extra mile by embedding custom subtitles through your video editing software, providing control beyond mere precision.
With this advanced approach, you can intricately synchronize the timing of your video captions, control their animation, and customize their appearance to align with your brand identity.
Custom captions are subtle yet influential to deliver a cohesive and visually appealing ad. Small details can positively affect user engagement.
Investing time in creating unique captions for Instagram video ads can greatly improve their impact and resonance.
Interactivity
You can improve your Instagram video ads by actively engaging your audience through interactive features like shopping tags or polls. These tools improve the user experience and reveal valuable information about your audience’s preferences.
Integrating shopping tags into your videos will allow users to explore and purchase products with a simple tap on your ad and create a frictionless path from discovery to conversion.
Embedding polls directly into your videos provides a dynamic way to gauge your audience’s thoughts and preferences while giving you real-time feedback that can inform future content strategies.
This two-way communication fosters a sense of inclusion, where your audience feels heard and valued, and turns passive bystanders into engaged participants. Both of these features improve the overall user experience and position your brand as responsive and tailored to the needs and preferences of your Instagram audience.
Early presentation of the brand
The opening moments of your Instagram video ad are crucial. Making sure your message and branding are introduced early in the video improves the likelihood of user retention and recall.
It’s more than putting a logo on the screen. Integrate your brand naturally into the video story to make your ad feel authentic and help users feel less like they’re being sold to. This brings us to our next best practice.
Dig Deeper: Instagram Ad Formats: Best Practices for Creating Effective Ads
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2. Be authentic
Being authentic is crucial in today’s digital marketing. Successful content often features a less polished and more spontaneous look and feel.
This can include filming with phone cameras instead of high-end professional cameras, or being talented and speaking directly to the camera vlog-style.
It feels counterintuitive, and I remember having my doubts the first time I ran ads that went for this style, but the results quickly dispelled those doubts.
Achieving this rougher aesthetic while staying within your brand guidelines can be difficult, but it’s a strong option in your arsenal of creative options to effectively engage your audience.
Other platforms like TikTok have notably adopted this more human and unscripted approach. Instagram, with its diverse user base, tends to respond positively.
It goes beyond the traditional corporate tone and establishes a relatable and human dimension to your brand.
3. Resonate with the younger demographic
In addition to being authentic, understanding and appealing to Instagram’s diverse demographic is key to running successful video ads on the platform.
Instagram attracts a younger audience, with more than 60% of users between 18 and 34 years old. Tailor your ads to match the preferences and behaviors of younger audiences for maximum impact. Adjust the tone, style and content to resonate with their interests and aspirations.
Whether referencing trending memes, using popular music, or incorporating relatable moments from their lifestyle, the key is to create content that seamlessly integrates into their digital experience.
By tailoring your approach to match the nuances of your target audience, you build rapport and foster a stronger connection that goes beyond a transactional interaction, which can build long-term brand loyalty.
Creativity is key
Like most things, there will always be exceptions to the rule and no guarantees of success.
While these tips and best practices will increase your odds of finding winning video ads, there’s simply no substitute for creativity.
Creativity still reigns supreme on the Instagram platform. It has no boundaries and the rules can be bent if there is an informed intent behind exploring those boundaries.
The views expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.
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