Best Time to Run Ads on Instagram: A Complete Guide for 2023
Hi everyone,
Are you looking for ways to boost your engagement, reach, and sales on Instagram? If so, you might want to consider running ads on the platform. Instagram ads are a powerful way to connect with your target audience, showcase your products or services, and drive conversions.
But before you dive into creating and launching your Instagram ads, there's one important question you need to answer: When is the best time to run ads on Instagram?
In this article, we'll help you find the answer to this question by covering the following topics:
- Why you should run ads on Instagram and how they work- How to determine the best time to run ads on Instagram based on your goals, audience, and industry- How to schedule your ads on Instagram using Facebook's ad system- How to measure and optimize your ad performance using Facebook's analytics tools- How to answer some frequently asked questions and tips about running ads on InstagramBy the end of this article, you'll have a clear understanding of how to run effective and efficient ads on Instagram that will help you grow your business in 2023. Let's get started!
Why Run Ads on Instagram?
The Benefits of Advertising on Instagram
Instagram is one of the most popular and influential social media platforms in the world, with over 1.4 billion monthly active users and 500 million daily active users. It's also a platform where people are ready to shop, as 83% of users say they discover new products or services on Instagram, and 130 million users tap on shopping posts every month.
Running ads on Instagram can help you take advantage of this huge and engaged audience by allowing you to:
- Increase your brand awareness and reach new potential customers- Showcase your products or services in a visually appealing and creative way- Drive traffic to your website, landing page, or app- Generate leads, sales, or conversions for your business- Retarget your existing customers or website visitors- Test different offers, messages, or creativesHow Instagram Ads Work
Instagram ads are posts or stories that businesses can pay to show to specific segments of users on Instagram. They look similar to organic posts or stories but have a "Sponsored" label and often have more features such as links, call-to-action buttons, or product tags.
Instagram ads use Facebook's advertising system, which means you can create, manage, and measure your ads using Facebook's Ads Manager or Business Suite. You can also use third-party tools such as Buffer or Hootsuite to create and schedule your ads.
There are six types of Instagram ads you can choose from:
- Photo ads: These are single-image ads that appear in the feed or stories.- Video ads: These are single-video ads that appear in the feed or stories. They can be up to 120 seconds long in the feed or 15 seconds long in the stories.- Carousel ads: These are multi-image or video ads that appear in the feed or stories. They allow users to swipe through up to 10 images or videos.- Collection ads: These are dynamic product gallery ads that appear in the feed. They allow users to browse and buy products directly from the ad.- Explore ads: These are photo, video, or carousel ads that appear in the explore tab. They allow you to reach users who are looking for new content or accounts to follow.- Reels ads: These are video ads that appear in between organic reels. They allow you to reach users who are watching short-form video content.You can also create Instagram Shopping ads, which are organic posts or stories that have product tags. These allow users to view product details and prices, and click through to your website or app to make a purchase.
How to Determine the Best Time to Run Ads on Instagram
The Factors That Affect the Best Time to Run Ads on Instagram
There is no definitive answer to the question of when is the best time to run ads on Instagram. The best time for your business may vary depending on several factors, such as:
- Your goals: What are you trying to achieve with your ads? Are you looking for more impressions, clicks, conversions, or sales? Different goals may require different timings for optimal results.- Your audience: Who are you trying to reach with your ads? What are their demographics, interests, behaviors, and preferences? When are they most likely to be online and engaged with your content?- Your industry: What industry are you in and what are the trends and seasonality of your market? When are your customers most likely to be interested in your products or services?- Your competitors: Who are your main competitors and when are they running their ads? How can you avoid or leverage their ad activity to stand out from the crowd?The Methods to Find the Best Time to Run Ads on Instagram
There are several methods you can use to find the best time to run ads on Instagram based on the factors mentioned above. Here are some of the most common and effective ones:
- Use your own data: The best way to find the best time to run ads on Instagram is to use your own data from your previous or current ad campaigns. You can use Facebook's analytics tools such as Ads Manager, Business Suite, or Insights to see when your ads perform the best in terms of impressions, reach, engagement, conversions, or cost. You can also use third-party tools such as Google Analytics, Shopify, or WordPress to track your website or app performance and see when your ads drive the most traffic or sales.- Use industry benchmarks: Another way to find the best time to run ads on Instagram is to use industry benchmarks from reputable sources such as studies, reports, or blogs. These can give you a general idea of when users in your industry are most active and responsive to ads on Instagram. For example, according to a study by Sprout Social, the best times to post on Instagram for consumer goods are Wednesday at 3 p.m., Thursday at 4 a.m., Friday at 5 a.m., and Friday at 1 p.m. However, keep in mind that these benchmarks may not apply to your specific business or audience, so you should always test and adjust them accordingly.- Use trial and error: The final way to find the best time to run ads on Instagram is to use trial and error. This means running your ads at different times and days of the week and comparing their performance. You can use Facebook's ad scheduling feature to set up different ad sets with different schedules and see which ones deliver the best results. You can also use Facebook's split testing feature to test different variables such as audience, placement, creative, or delivery optimization and see which ones affect your ad performance.How to Schedule Your Ads on Instagram
The Steps to Schedule Your Ads on Instagram
Once you have determined the best time to run ads on Instagram, you can schedule your ads using Facebook's ad system. Here are the steps to do so:
- Step 1: Create a campaign in Facebook's Ads Manager or Business Suite. Choose your objective, name your campaign, and set up your campaign budget optimization (optional).- Step 2: Create an ad set within your campaign. Choose your audience, placement (make sure to select Instagram), budget, and schedule. Under schedule, you can choose between two options: run my ad set continuously starting today or set a start and end date.- Step 3: If you choose the second option, you can also set an ad scheduling option under optimization and delivery. You can choose between two options: run ads all the time or run ads on a schedule.- Step 4: If you choose the second option, you can select the specific days and hours you want your ads to run. You can also choose between two time zone options: ad set's time zone or person's time zone.- Step 5: Create an ad within your ad set. Choose your format, media, text, links, and call-to-action. Preview your ad and make sure it looks good on Instagram.- Step 6: Review and confirm your campaign, ad set, and ad settings. Click publish to launch your scheduled ads on Instagram.The Benefits of Scheduling Your Ads on Instagram
Scheduling your ads on Instagram can help you improve your ad performance and efficiency by allowing you to:
- Reach your audience when they are most likely to see and engage with your ads- Avoid wasting your budget on times when your audience is not online or interested- Take advantage of peak times or seasons for your industry or market- Test different schedules and optimize them based on your results- Plan ahead and automate your ad deliveryA Detailed Table Breakdown Related to the Topic
To give you a better idea of how different factors can affect the best time to run ads on Instagram, we've created a detailed table breakdown based on some hypothetical scenarios. The table shows the best times for each scenario based on our own data analysis and industry benchmarks.
| Scenario | Goal | Audience | Industry | Best Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A local coffee shop wants to promote its new seasonal drink. | Brand awareness and sales | People who live or work near the shop, aged 18-35, interested in coffee and seasonal flavors | Food and beverage | Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. |
| A fitness app wants to increase its downloads and subscriptions. | Traffic and conversions | People who are interested in fitness, health, and wellness, aged 25-45, located in the US | Health and fitness | Tuesday to Thursday, 5 a.m. to 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
| A clothing brand wants to showcase its new collection and drive sales. | Reach and sales | People who are interested in fashion, style, and trends, aged 18-34, located in the UK | Retail and e-commerce | Wednesday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. |
| A travel agency wants to generate leads for its holiday packages. | Lead generation and conversions | People who are interested in travel, adventure, and culture, aged 30-55, located in Canada | Travel and tourism | Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. |
| A gaming company wants to retarget its website visitors and app users. | Engagement and conversions | People who have visited the website or app in the past 30 days, aged 15-35, interested in gaming and entertainment | Gaming and entertainment | Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. |
Note that these are just examples and not definitive recommendations. You should always test different times and see what works best for your business and audience.
FAQs and Tips About Running Ads on Instagram
How much do ads on Instagram cost?
The cost of ads on Instagram depends on several factors such as your objective, audience, placement, budget, schedule, bid strategy, and competition. You can set a daily or lifetime budget for your ads, as well as a maximum bid for each auction or let Instagram optimize it automatically. According to Facebook's data, the average cost per result across all objectives is $0.97 for Instagram feed ads and $0.58 for Instagram stories ads.
How can I optimize my ads on Instagram?
You can optimize your ads on Instagram by following these best practices:
- Use high-quality images or videos that capture attention and showcase your brand or product- Use clear and concise text that conveys your value proposition and call-to-action- Use relevant hashtags, emojis, stickers, or filters to enhance your message and appeal to your audience- Use the right format and dimensions for your ad placement (feed or stories)- Use the right objective and optimization option for your goal- Use the right audience network option for your placement (automatic or manual)- Use the right delivery option for your budget (standard or accelerated)- Test different creatives, audiences, placements, or schedules and see what performs best- Monitor your ad performance using Facebook's analytics tools and make adjustments as neededHow can I measure my ad performance on Instagram?
You can measure your ad performance on Instagram using Facebook's analytics tools such as Ads Manager, Business Suite, or Insights. These tools allow you to see various metrics such as impressions, reach, frequency, engagement, clicks, conversions, cost per result, return on ad spend, and more. You can also use third-party tools such as Google Analytics, Shopify, or WordPress to track your website or app performance and see how your ads drive traffic or sales.
How can I create Instagram Shopping ads?
You can create Instagram Shopping ads by following these steps:
- Step 1: Set up an Instagram business account and connect it to your Facebook page- Step 2: Set up a Facebook catalog with your products- Step 3: Create an organic post or story with your products and tag them with product tags- Step 4: Promote your post or story as an ad using Facebook's ad system- Step 5: Choose your objective, audience, placement, budget, and schedule- Step 6: Review and confirm your ad settings and launch your Instagram Shopping adHow can I create Instagram Reels ads?
You can create Instagram Reels ads by following these steps:
- Step 1: Create a video that is 15 to 30 seconds long, vertical, and has sound- Step 2: Upload your video to Facebook's Ads Manager or Business Suite- Step 3: Choose your objective, audience, placement (make sure to select Reels), budget, and schedule- Step 4: Review and confirm your ad settings and launch your Instagram Reels adHow can I create Instagram Explore ads?
You can create Instagram Explore ads by following these steps:
- Step 1: Create a photo, video, or carousel that is relevant and engaging for your audience- Step 2: Upload your media to Facebook's Ads Manager or Business Suite- Step 3: Choose your objective, audience, placement (make sure to select Explore), budget, and schedule- Step 4: Review and confirm your ad settings and launch your Instagram Explore adHow can I create Instagram Stories ads?
You can create Instagram Stories ads by following these steps:
- Step 1: Create a photo or video that is up to 15 seconds long, vertical, and has sound- Step 2: Upload your media to Facebook's Ads Manager or Business Suite- Step 3: Choose your objective, audience, placement (make sure to select Stories), budget, and schedule- Step 4: Review and confirm your ad settings and launch your Instagram Stories adHow can I create Instagram Feed ads?
You can create Instagram Feed ads by following these steps:
- Step 1: Create a photo, video, carousel, or collection that is relevant and appealing for your audience- Step 2: Upload your media to Facebook's Ads Manager or Business Suite- Step 3: Choose your objective, audience, placement (make sure to select Feed), budget, and schedule- Step 4: Review and confirm your ad settings and launch your Instagram Feed adHow can I create Instagram ads within the Instagram app?
You can create Instagram ads within the Instagram app by following these steps:
- Step 1: Create an organic post or story with your content- Step 2: Tap on the Promote button under your post or story- Step 3: Choose your goal (profile visits, website visits, or messages)- Step 4: Choose your audience (automatic or manual)- Step 5: Choose your budget and duration- Step 6: Review and confirm your promotion settings and launch your Instagram adWhat are some tips for running successful ads on Instagram?
Here are some tips for running successful ads on Instagram:
- Know your goal and choose the right objective for it- Know your audience and choose the right targeting options for them- Know your competitors and choose the right timing and frequency for your ads- Know your brand and choose the right creative and message for it- Know your results and choose the right metrics and tools to measure themConclusion
We hope this article has helped you learn how to run effective ads on Instagram in 2023. By following the steps and tips we've shared, you'll be able to reach your target audience, showcase your products or services, and drive conversions for your business.
If you want to learn more about how to grow your business with social media marketing, check out our other articles on topics such as Facebook ads, Twitter ads, LinkedIn ads, YouTube ads, TikTok ads, Pinterest ads, Snapchat ads, and more.
Thank you for reading and happy advertising!
Post a Comment for "Best Time to Run Ads on Instagram: A Complete Guide for 2023"