Cool Instagram story ideas – It’s undebatable that Instagram is the leading platform when it comes to social media consumption. It has a colorful user interface and the perfect design to keep a user engaged for hours. Both with Instagram stories and feed, the placement of ads is seamless and almost bends with the rest of the user content.
Instagram stories are one such avenue that has to take a very green turn. Since they are small and relevant, they can keep someone hooked for many hours. The story format also allows for colorful designs and smartly incorporated text, making it further attractive. The use of GIFs and stickers are other fun customizations that make it mesmerizing.
Contents
Understanding Story Ads
Running ads via Instagram story is one sure way to reach more people. The advantage of Instagram is that it already has a vast user base. This means you only need to make creative ads, and the people will come looking for you. Your ads need to be beautiful enough to prompt engagement.
When running ads, keep in mind that videos are the way forward. Making a crisp and attractive fifteen seconds promotion will give you better results than a boring text-filled post. Instagram, as a platform, is very conducive to video content. If you make the right kind of video content, you are sure to see more conversation.
If you have an average marketing and advertising budget for the month as a small business, keep a designated chunk only for Instagram ads. If your doubt is, what will advertising on Instagram cost you? It’s much lesser than most platforms and gives you superior value. It has a very user-friendly dashboard and gives you impeccable statistics. These stats will further help you target your audience better.
What Kind Of Ads Work?
Here are a few ideas that can help spark some creativity into your Instagram ads. These ads can be tailor-made to the interests of your target audience. The end goal of all these ads is to spark interactions.
1. Use Bright Colorful Animation
Instagram is a very colorful medium, and dull ads that look like PowerPoint presentations are easy to ignore. One can easily make peppy animation using an Instagram story template available online. Instead of using photos, give them a creative twist by adding small animations to them.
2. Looped Videos
Small looped videos are a great way to keep an audience hooked. Since it is the same action that plays over-and-over again, this encourages an audience to spend time on the post or story and absorb the messaging. Small loops can be made using online editing tools or GIF making software. Make sure these are relevant to the brand, so you attract the right audience.
3. The Element Of Surprise
Let your videos be a reveal of something bigger. Use Instagram-story-videos as a way to make trailers for your products or services. Let the final unveil be the call to action. For example, if you are a company that sells bakery products, create a video around making a cake. Edit out the ending and ask your users to visit the link to see the final product.
4. Direct Them To The CTA
If you are very sure that the call to action is the most significant selling point of your ads, then jump right to it. Use words like ‘Swipe Up’ or ‘Visit My Profile’ and divert traffic to your links. Some ads in the past have an animation that directs users to the profile name as a way to ask users to follow them. Be direct with your message.
5. Open-Ended Questions
Asking questions is a great way to drive engagements. Marketers have been using this trick for many generations, and it is now on the Instagram world. Make videos that ask questions, and let the answer be a click to your products. For instance, if you are a brand that offers online courses, let the video read, “Do you want to build a career as a freelancer?” These are tried and tested formulae to generate traction.
Tips and Tricks For Your Story Ads
Here are a few tips to keep in mind when making Instagram ads. Keep them as to the point as possible. Once you have created these ads, run it by a few people and ask them what action they would take when they see such an advertisement. If you feel your message is lost, rework the ad.
The use of music in an Instagram story ad is an excellent value-addition. When well-picked music is complemented with the flawless design, it is sure to make a person hold on the screen and read the ad. Make sure the music is not too loud or off-beat. This sudden surge could annoy the user and skip your ad.
To publish effective Instagram ads, you need to use the tools from the Facebook Ad Manager. You must link your Facebook page and Instagram business accounts. If you are unfamiliar with the advertising, make sure you understand location targeting, creating an audience, and placements of ads before you jump into spending.
Another great trick that has helped many brands with Instagram advertising is that of minimal design. Since ads appear in the middle of stories from friends and followers, minimal design on your videos will stand out. Use a select number of colors and fonts and keep the animations or design-elements in the center of the screen.
In Conclusion
Make all your videos in the right format, size, length, and resolution. If your video resolution is too broad, they could get cropped on the phone screen. If they are too long, they could end before the video reaches its call-to-action. If you use an online video editing platform like InVideo, you can avoid all these flaws. Such a platform will have pre-designed templates you can use. Shabby videos are worse than no video at all.
Lastly, understand the statistics of your ads. Instagram gives you a lot of information in your ad manager about the impressions. Understand which audiences are liking your video ads, and who are skipping them. These stats will help you invest more of your ads in the demographic that reacts. This process will take some trial and error to master.
