Instagram is one of the best social media marketing platforms for businesses, and it is a great way to target an audience and generate sales. As of now, Reels are the most rolling-out feature on Instagram, where the content is more engaging and reaches a vast audience. When the popularity of Instagram reels continues to grow where it can act as a marketing and advertising tool. Instagram has recently launched Reels ads, a new avenue for businesses and marketers where they can build their brand and reach their target audience. You need to make a creative reel ad, write a copy and set up a target audience that could get more followers for your account. Keep reading this article on how to use Instagram reel ads as a step-by-step guide.
What are Instagram Reels Ads?
Instagram Reels ads are the latest ad format on the platform. Reel ads are another format for businesses to advertise their products online. Instagram announced the reel ad format in June 2021 and was first tested in a few countries, including Australia and Brazil. Reels are the best Instagram feature where audiences easily access the brand or creators account without following them. Reel ads are full-screen vertical videos in 9:16 resolution, similar to Instagram story ads that will appear between individual reels. This Instagram ad will run up to 30 seconds and allow users to comment, share, save, and like. Therefore, like all ads, reel ads are also labeled as sponsored.
How To Set Up Instagram Reels Ads
Creating Instagram reel ads is similar to creating Facebook ads. If you are new to Instagram ads, then follow the below steps to start making Instagram reels ad:
Step 1: Creative Content With Proper Format
The first step is to be creative, which means that before recording a video, make sure that you follow a specific format for running ads on Instagram. The video content should be in vertical format in the ratio of 9:16 and play for 30 seconds long. Once ready with the video, you should write creative captions and use relevant reel hashtags to grab users’ attention. Here are some tools to make reels ads:
- Canva- This is one of the most popular tools for creating simple animated videos using elements, stock images, and videos. It also has ready-made templates that you can customize according to your needs.
- InShot- You can record a video on your phone and edit it using the InShot app to spice up your content.
- Instagram- You can shoot and edit the video within the app, save that video and use it as a reel ad.
Step 2: Navigate To Facebook Ads Manager
All Instagram business accounts have access to the Ads Manager, where you run and manage both Instagram and Facebook platforms. Once you have access to Ads Manager, click on ”Create” to begin the campaign setup. You can also create reel ads in Facebook Ads Manager.
Step 3:Choose Your Advertising Objective
After you click on create, the next step is to choose the goals for your ad campaign to achieve the target. Facebook has 11 objectives under three funnel stages to decide objectives from these to reach your goal. However, Instagram reel ads work with only six advertising objectives. So, you need to choose the right goals for your ads. Here are the six main objectives for reels ads:
- Brand Awareness
- Reach
- Traffic
- App Installs
- Video views
- Conversions
Step 4: Set The Budget And Fill Out The Campaign Details
Make sure to define your advertising goals and give a name for the campaign. Fill out the important advertising details like schedule, target audience, location, and budget. If running multiple ad sets, use the Campaign Budget Optimization strategy to set your ad budget.
Step 5: Create And Place The Ad
Give a name for your Ad set, and it should target the audience who may or may not know about your brand. Ensure you select a Facebook page to connect with your Instagram account to run the ads. Now choose the target goals to show your ad to the audience. You must choose Manual Placements, scroll down the drop-down menu and select Instagram reels to show the ads only on reels.
Step 6: Add Call To Action
Adding a call to action at the end of your ad campaign can boost audience engagement. You can also customize the CTA button according to your ad set. For example, give engaging CTA like “Shop Now, Sign Up or Click Here” this can boost likes and engagement for your Instagram reels and attract more people to your account to purchase your brand product.
5 Tips To Build Effective Instagram Reels Ads
Now that you know what Instagram reels ads are and how to create ads. Follow the below tips to build an effective Instagram reel ads strategy to reach your target audience and promote your brand.
The Time Limit Of The Reels
Ensure to script the reel video for 30 seconds and to avoid any cut-off. However, Instagram reel ads will run between 15 to 30 seconds in length. You need to make the video fit in Instagram reels to ensure you connect with your target audience and advertise your product on Instagram.
Know Your Audience Preference
Take a lot of time and effort to analyze your audience’s demands – their likes and dislikes. Instagram reel insights help to know how well your reels perform in terms of like and engagement. Ensure that you track the number of views, likes, and comments to see which type of reel content the audience engages the most.
Nail The Audio And Text
Adding audio for reels is essential, and choose the right audio for your reel ads. So, the right set of audio for the reels will help your ad to blend with organic Instagram content. Some of your target audience may scroll the reel with the audio off, or some might have impairments. It is good to add text captions to your reels so that everyone can understand and engage with your content. Audio, texts, and effects can place your Instagram reels towards organic and paid reach.
Double Check Your Dimensions
Users will only see your reel ad when it is of good quality. Therefore you need to ensure that your reel has proper dimensions and fits the screen for Instagram ads. The right dimensions for reels are 9:16, and the file size is 1080×1920 pixels. The video you upload that does not fit the screens can result in blurry and poor-quality content. So make sure that you double-check your dimensions for Instagram reels.
Create Engaging Content
With reel ads, create engaging videos to attract customers who like Instagram reels. Among other regular content, try to focus on Instagram reels to get higher views and clicks. Moreover, Instagram reel ads are the best to highlight your brand’s creative side. Generally, the ads you run on Instagram can generate clicks and sales, but you can also share fun and relatable content to gain more audience engagement.
Wrap Up
Instagram reels are a very effective feature for every brand to reach its target audience and increase its brand visibility. If you wish to reach and engage with more audiences, use Instagram reel ads in your marketing strategy. It is one of the ad formats that will enable you to get a high audience interaction. You can achieve your target goal with the above campaign objectives to improve traffic to your account. Use the current trend audios in your reels to expand your reach on Instagram. This article gives you a solid understanding of Instagram reel ads.
