Instagram Targeted Ads Bring Your Online Tribe to You

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Karen Lin

Instagram 101 | Feb 16, 2024

Want More Real Instagram Followers?

Instagram is almost unrecognizable. We used to share pictures of our loved ones that we didn’t think much about. Now, Becky from down the street regularly uploads Instagram reels with voice captions. She even has an Instagram, which seems to be doing well. Secretly, you want to be successful on the app, too. Watching Google TV every day has lost its appeal. How do you do that? Well, Instagram targeted ads are good tools.

Your competitor audiences are growing rapidly from all the Facebook ads. You need to join the game, too. It may sound daunting. However, with technology like campaign templates and online editing tools, you could have quality ads, too. You’ll barely have to worry about things like Image ratio and video duration for your reels. Are you ready to start your social media marketing journey? Great! Path Social is here to help.

A person holds an Instagram phone next to a mug of coffee.

How Do Targeted Ads Work on Instagram? What Makes Them Different From Normal Ads?

Putting out blanket ads that reach a wide range of people isn’t the best use of time. Having Instagram targeted ads is a much better tactic. Well, how do targeted ads work on Instagram? We’ll tell you how.

One way to reach a larger and more specialized Instagram audience is by paying to postpaid content on the platform.  IG allows you to pinpoint your ideal audience through Instagram ad targeting. With intensive Instagram advertising, you can raise brand awareness and page traffic. Draw in new quality followers and increase engagement

Instagram gives you the fine-grained control you need to target people based on certain categories. These include their gender, age, location, interests, habits, and more. There are location-based campaigns that will bring you even closer to people in a particular country.

You can show your ads only to a specific list of leads or to people with a similar demographic description. You do this by selecting a bespoke audience or a lookalike audience.

How To Run Targeted Instagram Ads  With Content You Already Have

There are a lot of ways to get your business known. There are so many choices for Instagram targeted ads. If you want to know how to run targeted Instagram ads, there are easy and more complicated ways to do it. It doesn’t require editing and a huge Instagram ad campaign.

You might have a good reel that you just didn’t share at the right time. Promote an Instagram post you’ve already made. This is the fastest and most straightforward way to make targeted Instagram ads on that site. You want people to see your content, right? To use a post as an ad, choose one and click the “promote” button in the upper right corner.

You should decide who your effort is for, how long it will last, and how much money it will cost. This will give you a very accurate estimate of how many people will see your post. Change anything that you need to change.

If you make an ad that doesn’t follow the company’s rules for ads, you will get a notice. It will say that IG turned down your ad proposal and won’t be on the website.

Here are some quick things to note:

  • Instagram’s study shows that ads work much better when they focus on their “call to action.” Put the goods or services front and center. Say it out loud, and be sure!
  • Meta has put in place rules to make the app as easy to use as feasible.  If your ad doesn’t meet these requirements, there’s a chance that IG won’t post it. You still have to follow its Community Guidelines.

How Much Do Targeted Instagram Ads Cost?

Instagram targeted ads are great, but they shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg. It’s best to ensure they are within budget. So, how much do targeted Instagram ads cost?

Depending on the buying process, the cost of advertising on Instagram can run from $0.20 to $6.70 per day. When marketers use CPC, which is also called “cost-per-click,” they pay anywhere from $0.20 to $2 for each click.

CPM, which stands for “cost-per-thousand,” means that advertisers pay $6.70 for every thousand views. Cost-per-engagement, or CPE, is an approach where advertisers pay between $0.01 and $0.05 for each interaction.

You can get a better return on your advertising dollars by using intensive targeting options. Do you want your Instagram advertising to work the way you want it to? You’ll need to keep tweaking and improving the way you do it.

Paying for targeted ads on Instagram could be a great investment. However, remember that you need a great advertising plan to get great results from Instagram.

According to WebFX, Ads on Instagram lead to better order values. But they also have higher conversion rates than ads on other networks. The average number of people who click on Instagram ads is 1.08%. Compared to other ads, Pinterest ads have an average conversion rate of 0.54%. Twitter ads have an average conversion rate of 0.77%.

A content creator takes photos for their Image ad.

Where Are the Best Places to Target on Instagram Ads?

There are so many spots on Instagram where you can place Instagram targeted ads. You need to know which Instagram ads your audience will respond to best. These are the best places to target on Instagram:

  • Instagram image ads are popular. Businesses can use one picture to promote their company, products, and services. They need to have strong visuals that can fit into one picture.
  • Collection Ads: Items from your product catalog are in sets. The ads for Instagram collections are a mix of shopping ads and scrolling ads. These are great for online stores because customers can buy things right from the ad.
  • Explore ads: Users see new content, ads, and accounts on the Explore page. They tailor these ads to the ideal user based on how they use Instagram.
  • With Instagram Reels ads, some commercials can last up to sixty seconds. They are full-screen movies that run up and down. Good ones have video captions.
  • Instagram carousel ads let users swipe through a collection of photos or videos. They have a call-to-action button or swipe-up link that goes straight to your website. They could show up in both the feed and Instagram Stories.
  • Video ads on Instagram are a great way to display your services. You can use these to show off special features in a way that grabs attention and stands out. Show how things work, or just tell the story of your brand. You can’t capture everything in a still photo.
  • Instagram shop ads: These ads take you right to a page in the Instagram app that describes a product. Then, they can buy something from your mobile site.
  • Story ads are full-screen pictures or videos that run between Instagram users’ tales.

An influencer promotes the content on her page with a reel ad.

If I Have To Choose, Who Is the Best Target Audience for Instagram Ads?

What we are about to say may seem counterintuitive. The best demographic for your Instagram targeted ads is those who already follow you. We don’t mean the same people, but those of a similar profile. The best target audience for Instagram ads looks like the audience that engages now.

People who are already fans of your business represent one of the Instagram audiences with the greatest engagement rates. Get to know them. You will be able to define your ideal clientele by selecting particular variables such as:

  • Age
  • Gender
  • Location
  • Language

They are more likely to like your posts and promotions on Instagram if they are already following you on Instagram.

Your Instagram advertising needs to correspond with the demographics of your target audience. When you attract more people of the same demographic, you can positively impact engagement.

A person holds a phone, looking at an Instagram page.

Are Instagram Ads Targeted for the People Who Will Buy What I Sell?

Instagram targeted ads give creators so much leeway to reach the people they want to reach. So, are Instagram ads targeted? That depends on you!

You need to be best friends with your Instagram analytics. That tool will tell you the kind of people you already attract. If you’re not satisfied with who follows you, you can target a different demographic.

The behaviors of your audience may tell you a lot about the content they want to see. You will know the material your target audience wants to interact with by using your social media analytics.

Instagram users create content for their video ads.

Can You Target Instagram Ads To Specific Users? Who Should Those Users Be?

When it comes to your brand, you should have a very clear idea of who your typical customer is. There is no use using Instagram targeted ads when you don’t even know who to target. Ask yourself about the nature of your material and the followers you attract. They may not be your ideal. Perhaps they make you ask, “Can you target ads to specific users?” What if you want to reach a different group?  There are several ways to find out who is following your material.

Use the population data that is already out there. Using Instagram statistics, you may be able to get a breakdown of your current audience’s groups. Find out who interacts with what you post. You can try to change things if you don’t like someone.

To see who is following you, go to “Insights” and click on “Followers.” In this area, you can see some important information about the people who are already following you. This includes how old these people are, what gender they are, and where they live. This should make it easy for you to form an image of the people who make up your target group.

Use votes on Instagram. Why not ask your followers some questions? Use Instagram tools like Stories polls to get information. You can learn more about your target group by asking them questions. Ask them to vote on what kind of content they like best and what they want to see more of. Create questions to find out more about what they want. Find out what they like and don’t like, what they like to do for fun, etc.

An Instagram user scrolls their feed for a photo to promote.

Instagram Targeted Ads Help You Reach Your Ideal Followers

It’s important to know who you want to reach on Instagram. By doing this, you can target a certain group of people with your work. You won’t confuse your audience, and you’ll produce content they like. To have a good effect, you should try to get Instagram targeted ads with these people in mind.

Who do you want to reach out to among your Instagram followers? As part of your job, you will be making ads and material for these people. Before you spend a cent on Instagram ad targeting, you need to know this.

Do you have a clear idea of who you want to reach? You will be able to change your plan based on the things they all have in common. With this approach, you can focus on and target people who follow you naturally. Plan out your content approach in a smart way. Then, you should think about targeted Instagram ads.

This approach will work out in your favor. Targeted followers increase your engagement rate. They like, comment, and share your content with other people. You cut down your work when you have followers who promote your content for you. Think about that. You can ultimately save on ad costs when you focus on a target group.

Once you’ve got this group in your sights, you need to keep moving forward. Change the style, message, and tone of your brand to better match what people are looking for.

A woman looks through her Instagram page feed.

Consider Insta Targeted Ads and Use Path Social To Help 

At Path Social, we use AI technology to help us with our planning. We have tools that can help you with your Instagram Targeted Ads. It might boost the number of people who connect with the material you post. You don’t have to use fake fans on Instagram to reach this goal. It would be a pleasure for us to help you reach your goals. You should start to use what you’ve learned as soon as possible. You should count on us if you want to do well on social media.

Ask yourself if you’re ready to take your Instagram status to the next level. We’re ready to help. At this point, you only need to look at Path Social. Have you heard anything about the different ways we can help you grow?

You can use your account to its fullest and grow your fan base in ways that have never been possible before. You should start building your Instagram profile right away. You should instead use Path Social to help you grow your page right now!