For 2019, a further increase in advertising spending on Instagram is expected. The focus is on five areas in particular.
In June, Instagram cracked the magic mark of one billion users. At least now every social media officer should be aware of the importance of the platform.
Not size alone counts
But it’s not the sheer number of users that makes Instagram interesting for more and more advertisers. Would you go after that, Facebook would still be the means of choice with its 2.34 billion users. Unlike Facebook, however, the interaction with the real Instagram followers is significantly higher. This allows brands to more easily connect with new customers and distribute their content faster.
This is especially true for brands that appeal to young target groups and exude a high visual appeal (fashion, beauty, design). But even established brands can reach new customers via Instagram – as long as they visually adapt their advertising message and place it correctly
# 1 Instagram TV
In June 2018 Kevin Systrom proudly presented a new app : Instagram TV or IGTV for short. This means a separate app that allows users to create videos. In contrast to the videos of the Instagram app, these can be up to 60 minutes long. For creating the new app is required, for watching the old enough, since IGTV was incorporated into the existing system. Thus, IGTV offers the opportunity to present extensive content in a familiar environment with little effort.
# 2 Small brands are getting stronger
Over the past few years, there has been a trend on Instagram: many small brands and companies are increasingly using the platform for their marketing. Instagram rewards high interaction rates with its algorithm. These are theoretically easily accessible even for small brands without a large budget.
One example is MVMT, a watch brand that started crowd funding and grew almost overnight thanks to Instagram. Steven Denali, Ad Manager at MVMT, sees many benefits in using Instagram. The engagement rate is twice as high and the brand awareness 75 percent higher than other platforms.
# 3 Story Ads
Since its introduction in 2016, Instagram has been focusing more and more on storytelling. Currently the stories are right at the top of the app’s homepage. When scrolling, users are always reminded of this feature. Between the individual stories, the advertising has arrived. With Ads in this position, companies manage to blend in with their friends’ news. The placement works only if the ad is well made and the right audience is played. In the meantime, the stories are largely consumed by the user by fast forwarding. To assert oneself here with advertising is not easy, but is becoming more and more important.
# 4 Video Ads
In addition to more story ads, an increase in video ads is to be expected. Studies predict that by 2021, 81 percent of total traffic on the Internet will be generated by videos. This trend is already visible, considering how Facebook pushes its watch format or IGTV. Even YouTube is still King of Video, has in the meantime even introduced a vertical format. Established brands such as ESPN and the NBA are reporting increasing engagement rates since they increasingly rely on videos on Instagram.
# 5 Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is not a new trend but is gaining momentum. With the right influencer, a brand can increase its awareness and achieve above-average ROI . This is recognized by more and more companies and are looking for suitable cooperation partners. In 2019, therefore, a significant increase in posts with #Advertising and #display is expected.
