How to Create Engaging Instagram Video Ads that Boost Your Brand

By Cepy 8/16/2023 Post a Comment

Hi Online Friends,

Are you looking for a way to reach more potential customers, increase your brand awareness, and grow your business? If so, you might want to consider using Instagram video ads as part of your marketing strategy.

Instagram video ads are short, captivating, and immersive videos that appear on the Instagram app and website. They can be shown in different formats, such as stories, reels, feed, explore, and IGTV. They can also be targeted to specific audiences based on their interests, behaviors, demographics, and location.

In this article, I will share with you some tips and best practices on how to create engaging Instagram video ads that boost your brand. I have experience in creating and running successful Instagram video ads for various niches and industries. I will also show you some examples of Instagram video ads that you can use as inspiration for your own campaigns.

Why Use Instagram Video Ads?

Instagram video ads have many benefits for your business

Instagram is one of the most popular and influential social media platforms in the world. It has over 1.4 billion monthly active users, 90% of whom follow at least one business account. It also has a high engagement rate, with users spending an average of 30 minutes per day on the app.

Instagram video ads can help you leverage this huge and engaged audience to promote your products or services, drive traffic to your website or landing page, generate leads or sales, or increase your brand awareness and loyalty. According to Instagram, 60% of people say they discover new products on the platform, and 75% of them take action after seeing an ad.

Instagram video ads are versatile and creative

Instagram video ads allow you to showcase your brand personality and story in a visually appealing and dynamic way. You can use different types of videos, such as live-action, animation, stop-motion, or user-generated content. You can also use different features and tools, such as filters, stickers, music, captions, or interactive elements.

Instagram video ads can be adapted to different formats and placements, depending on your goals and budget. You can choose from the following options:

Stories: These are vertical videos that appear between user stories and disappear after 24 hours. They are ideal for creating a sense of urgency and FOMO (fear of missing out).
Reels: These are short-form videos that are similar to TikTok videos. They are displayed on the reels tab and the explore page. They are ideal for creating entertaining and viral content.
Feed: These are square or vertical videos that appear on the user's home feed or the explore page. They are ideal for showcasing your products or services in detail.
Explore: These are videos that appear on the explore page, which is where users discover new content and accounts. They are ideal for reaching new audiences who are interested in your niche.
IGTV: These are long-form videos that can last up to 60 minutes. They are displayed on the IGTV tab and the feed. They are ideal for creating educational or inspirational content.

Instagram video ads are easy to create and measure

You don't need a big budget or a professional team to create effective Instagram video ads. You can use your smartphone or a simple camera to record your videos. You can also use free or affordable tools and apps to edit your videos, add effects, music, text, or stickers.

You can create and manage your Instagram video ads using the Facebook Ads Manager or the Instagram app itself. You can set your objectives, budget, schedule, audience, creative, and placement. You can also track and optimize your performance using various metrics and insights, such as impressions, reach, views, clicks, conversions, cost per result, etc.

How to Create Engaging Instagram Video Ads?

Define your goal and audience

The first step to creating engaging Instagram video ads is to define your goal and audience. What do you want to achieve with your video ads? Who do you want to reach with your video ads?

Your goal should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, you might want to increase your website traffic by 20% in one month or generate 100 leads in two weeks.

Your audience should be based on your ideal customer profile (ICP) or buyer persona. You should consider their demographics, psychographics, behaviors, and pain points. For example, you might want to target women aged 25-34 who are interested in fitness and wellness.

Choose your format and placement

The next step is to choose your format and placement for your video ads. This will depend on your goal, audience, budget, and message. You should consider the following factors:

Length: How long do you want your video to be? Different formats have different length limits. For example, stories can be up to 15 seconds, reels can be up to 30 seconds, feed can be up to 60 seconds, and IGTV can be up to 60 minutes.
Orientation: How do you want your video to look? Different formats have different orientation options. For example, stories and reels are vertical, feed can be square or vertical, and IGTV can be vertical or horizontal.
Sound: How do you want your video to sound? Different formats have different sound options. For example, stories and reels have sound on by default, feed and explore have sound off by default, and IGTV has sound on or off depending on the user's preference.
Placement: Where do you want your video to appear? Different formats have different placement options. For example, stories can appear between user stories, reels can appear on the reels tab and the explore page, feed can appear on the home feed and the explore page, explore can appear on the explore page only, and IGTV can appear on the IGTV tab and the feed.

Create your video content

The most important step is to create your video content. This is where you need to capture your audience's attention, deliver your message, and inspire them to take action. You should consider the following tips:

Hook: Start your video with a strong hook that grabs your audience's attention and makes them want to watch more. You can use a question, a statistic, a testimonial, a problem, a solution, or a teaser.
Story: Tell a compelling story that connects with your audience's emotions and values. You can use a customer story, a founder story, a product story, or a brand story.
Value proposition: Highlight your unique value proposition that sets you apart from your competitors and shows how you can help your audience achieve their goals or solve their problems. You can use benefits, features, testimonials, social proof, or guarantees.
Call to action: End your video with a clear and strong call to action that tells your audience what you want them to do next. You can use buttons, links, swipe-ups, stickers, or hashtags.

A Detailed Table Breakdown Related to Instagram Video Ads

Format	Length	Orientation	Sound	Placement
Stories	Up to 15 seconds	Vertical (9:16)	On by default	Between user stories
Reels	Up to 30 seconds	Vertical (9:16)	On by default	Reels tab and explore page
Feed	Up to 60 seconds	Square (1:1) or vertical (4:5)	Off by default	Home feed and explore page
Explore	Up to 60 seconds	Square (1:1) or vertical (4:5)	Off by default	Explore page only
IGTV	Up to 60 minutes	Vertical (9:16) or horizontal (16:9)	On or off depending on user preference	IGTV tab and feed

FAQs About Instagram Video Ads

What are the best practices for Instagram video ads?

Some of the best practices for Instagram video ads are:- Use high-quality videos that are clear, bright, and sharp.- Use captions or text overlays to convey your message- Use a consistent and recognizable brand identity, such as colors, fonts, logos, or filters.- Use a catchy and relevant title and description for your video ads.- Test different formats, placements, audiences, and creatives to find what works best for your goals and budget.- Monitor and optimize your performance using the metrics and insights provided by the Facebook Ads Manager or the Instagram app.

How much do Instagram video ads cost?

The cost of Instagram video ads depends on various factors, such as your objective, budget, bid strategy, audience, placement, and competition. There is no fixed price for Instagram video ads, as they are based on an auction system, where you compete with other advertisers for the same ad space.

However, according to some estimates, the average cost per thousand impressions (CPM) for Instagram video ads ranges from $2 to $8, depending on the placement. The average cost per click (CPC) for Instagram video ads ranges from $0.20 to $2, depending on the placement. The average cost per view (CPV) for Instagram video ads ranges from $0.01 to $0.15, depending on the placement.

How to measure the effectiveness of Instagram video ads?

You can measure the effectiveness of your Instagram video ads using various metrics and insights provided by the Facebook Ads Manager or the Instagram app. Some of the most important metrics are:

Impressions: The number of times your video ad was shown to your audience.
Reach: The number of unique users who saw your video ad.
Views: The number of times your video ad was watched for at least 3 seconds or to completion, whichever comes first.
Clicks: The number of times your video ad was clicked by your audience.
Conversions: The number of times your video ad led to a desired action by your audience, such as visiting your website, filling out a form, making a purchase, etc.
Cost per result: The average amount you spent for each result from your video ad, such as impressions, views, clicks, conversions, etc.

How to optimize your Instagram video ads?

You can optimize your Instagram video ads by following these tips:

Analyze your data: Use the metrics and insights provided by the Facebook Ads Manager or the Instagram app to understand how your video ads are performing and identify areas for improvement.
Test different variables: Experiment with different formats, placements, audiences, and creatives to find what works best for your goals and budget.
Adjust your bids and budget: Increase or decrease your bids and budget based on your performance and competition.
Refresh your content: Update your videos regularly to avoid ad fatigue and keep your audience interested.

What are some examples of engaging Instagram video ads?

Here are some examples of engaging Instagram video ads that you can use as inspiration for your own campaigns:

- This video ad by Spotify uses a catchy song and a colorful animation to promote its playlists and attract music lovers.- This video ad by Airbnb uses a customer story and a stunning scenery to showcase its experiences and inspire travelers.- This video ad by Nike uses a motivational message and a powerful imagery to highlight its brand values and connect with athletes.- This video ad by Netflix uses a teaser and a cliffhanger to generate curiosity and excitement for its new show.- This video ad by Glossier uses a user-generated content and a social proof to demonstrate its product benefits and appeal to beauty enthusiasts.

Conclusion

Instagram video ads are a great way to reach more potential customers, increase your brand awareness, and grow your business. They are versatile, creative, and easy to create and measure. You just need to define your goal and audience, choose your format and placement, create your video content, and optimize your performance.

I hope this article has given you some useful tips and best practices on how to create engaging Instagram video ads that boost your brand. If you want to learn more about Instagram video ads or other topics related to Instagram marketing, check out my other articles below.

Thank you for reading and happy advertising!

Google Ads Guide