Instagram recently released tips on how to create an effective Instagram ad plan to help marketers reach more potential customers and grow audiences. Our team of digital experts wanted to take it a step further and share how SMBs can apply these learnings within their own marketing campaigns. Keep reading for our breakdown.

 

1. Utilize SMART Goals

As with any campaign, identifying the goals should be the first step. We agree that “getting clicks” can be a goal, but implementing specific parameters around these goals can help define campaign performance, influence optimization efforts, and aid in advertising decisions moving forward. SMART goals are goals that are:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Achievable
• Relevant
• Timely

So how exactly do you turn a goal into a SMART goal? Let’s use the example of “getting clicks,” to turn this generalized goal into one we can measure the outcome of our campaign against let’s make sure its specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. Instead of “getting clicks,” let’s try, “increase clicks to the website by 10% by the end of Q1.” This defined goal can help us measure the success of our campaign and guide our optimizations to get us closer to it.

 

2. Align Messaging with Goals

Now that we have SMART goals in place, we need to make sure our messaging aligns with those goals. Sticking to the previous example, if we are looking to increase our clicks to the website, our ad(s) should highlight why our target audience would want to visit our website, maybe there is a sale going on or more information about our program. Additionally, the CTA should clearly direct users to the website. All language should ultimately point the user to the end goal, in this case, getting the customer to click through to the website.

 

3. Keep Consistent

So why does having a consistent brand matter? Creating a coherent image of your brand across all channels of communication is one of the best ways to build connections with your customers. By using the same voice and tone in your writing, brand guidelines in your designs, and having parameters around communicating, you can help customers connect with who you are as a company and why they should buy from you over your competitors. Brand consistency is key, specifically when advertising on Instagram or any social media platform. Your ads, landing pages, websites, profiles, and the entire user journey should all be one consistent seamless experience for the user.

 

4. Use Instagram as One Piece of the Puzzle

Marketing plans are like pizza, individually you can eat the ingredients, cheese, mushrooms, pepperoni, but when they work together, they make something even better. Look at your own Instagram marketing strategy, are your ads just ingredients? Or are they working together with your other tactics to create one holistic strategy, leading users to purchase from you over a competitor? So how can your Instagram ads best support your holistic strategy? Try using them to promote organic content, promote new product launches, and highlight blogs.

 

When spending budget on social ads, you want to get the best results for your dollars. If you want to learn more about implementing these best practices within your own marketing campaigns, reach out to our experts today!