Step-by-Step Guide: How to Run Ads on Instagram Like a Boss

Ok, Hyrosians. Let’s talk about Instagram ads, what you’re probably doing wrong, and what you can do differently so that you can learn how to run ads on Instagram like a boss.

Ready to get started? Let’s dive into it.

Look, if you’re a business owner, which I assume you are by reading this blog, you’re probably looking to expand your reach and connect with potential customers.

And how do you plan to do that? Social media is a great way to accomplish a larger audience reach and get a better ROI on your ad spend than just about any other type of ad spend you can attempt.

There is TikTok, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Facebook is the world’s largest social media platform, and they own Instagram giving advertisers two platforms to launch ads with and see some great returns.

At their basic forms, these platforms are all about engaging audiences through different types of content such as:

• TikTok is a social media platform focused on short videos and is a popular format for Gen Z.
• YouTube is a video format and is great for entertaining and informing through clips and long-form videos. 
• Twitter is a content-driven platform of images, text, and video, but users need more text to be able to use it.
• Facebook is a platform to engage with other users directly or passively.
• Instagram is primarily for images and “reels,” short videos.

With over 1 billion monthly active users, Instagram is a goldmine for businesses looking to increase their customer base.

So if you’re still wondering what platform is best for you, I’d say Instagram has become  essential for marketers and advertisers of all sizes.

However, running ads on Instagram isn’t a one-size fits all answer to your advertising and can seem daunting if this is your first time doing it.

First, you need to know how to navigate Instagram before you even attempt to run ads. Instagram is a little different than other platforms. People on Instagram are there to get distracted and “auto-scroll.”

Auto-scrolling is where your brain goes on autopilot, and you just scroll past every post without intention.

So as an advertiser, you need to understand that people will just go on auto-pilot and scroll endlessly without any purpose.

This means that when you design your social media ads, you’ll need to create something that snaps them out of the trance they’re in and makes them want to stop long enough to check out your ad.

Now that you know what happens when people are on Instagram, you can comfortably start creating an ad that can stop them in their tracks and get the type of engagement you want.

How To Run Ads On Instagram Like A Boss

Ok, so if you’re still here, you’re probably more than wondering how to run ads on Instagram. You are probably getting itchy and want to know what it is you can learn to help you create killer ads that get the types of conversions to help you build your empire or your objectives.

Step One: Identify Your Target Audience

As you’re setting up your Ad, the most important step is identifying who you’re going to market to, that is, who is your target audience.

If you’re on Instagram already, you’ll already have a feel for the types of ads that work for different groups,

For example, you’re probably not going to market the Marvel Comics Universe to car enthusiasts. Unless you know what type of audience is interested in cross-branding between the MCU and cars–I don’t know about those types of people, but I guess there may be some segments that are into both things at the same time.

To figure out your targeting, you need data and insights. Use analytics tools like Facebook Insights to gain insights into the demographics of your followers and customers, or consider surveying them directly to learn more about their interests and needs.

This will help you craft a targeted ad that resonates with your ideal customer.

By defining your ideal audience, you can better tailor your content to their interests and preferences, increasing the likelihood of your posts being seen and engaged with.

This will lead to higher conversion rates, brand recognition, and business success.

In order to better identify your target audience, you want to get data that reflects who is engaging with your content, how long they engage, their demographics, interests, behaviors, and geolocation.

And to do this, I know no other way than with Hyros. Of course, Facebook and Instagram will only show you what type of person is engaging on their platform, but what if you’ve been running ads all over town on other platforms?

How do you know what brought those people to your ads in the first place if all you do is track them from Facebook and Instagram? If all you do is rely on this type of data, you will make some costly, bad decisions.

Instead, have accurate, long-tailed tracking like the type that Hyros provides, which will accurately track who, where, how, and why a person is engaging with your Instagram ad.

Step Two: Create Engaging Content

Once you’ve identified your target audience, your next step is to create content that resonates with them.

If your content sucks, sorry to be blunt, but if it sucks, your ad is dead.

Your content needs to be eye-catching, creative, and tailored to the interests of your target audience.

Consider using visuals such as photographs, videos, infographics, or illustrations to capture viewers’ attention and stand out from the crowd. Additionally, make sure your content is relevant to your brand and resonates with your followers.

Here are some examples of engaging content that you can use for your Instagram ads:

• Videos. Videos are a great way to capture attention and keep people engaged. Use short, well-produced videos to showcase your products or services.
• Quizzes. Quizzes are a fun way to interact with your audience and learn more about them. Use quizzes to ask questions about your products or services or to get people to share their thoughts on a particular topic.
• Polls. Polls are a quick and easy way to get feedback from your audience. Use polls to ask questions about your products or services or to get people’s opinions on a particular topic.
• Giveaways. Giveaways are a great way to attract attention and generate excitement around your brand. Offer a free product or service to people who follow you, like your post, or comment on your ad.
• Behind-the-scenes content. Give people a glimpse into your world by sharing behind-the-scenes photos and videos. This can help you build relationships with your audience and make them feel like they’re part of something special.
• User-generated content. Share photos and videos your customers have taken of your products or services. This is a great way to show off your products in action and get social proof from your customers.
• Quotes. Use quotes from experts or celebrities to add credibility to your brand. This can help you position yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
• Humor. Use humor to make your ad stand out and connect with your audience personally. Just ensure your humor is appropriate for your brand and target audience.
• Stories. Instagram Stories are great for sharing short, brief content with your audience. Use Stories to share behind-the-scenes content, give product updates, or connect with your audience on a more personal level.

Experiment with different types of content to see what works best for your brand and target audience. Creating relevant, interesting, and engaging content is the most important thing.

Step Three: Set Up Your Campaign

Now that you have identified your target audience and created engaging content, it’s time to set up your Instagram ad campaign.

Select the “Promote” option from your business page or the Ads Manager on Facebook to do this.

An ad set is a group of ads that share the same objective, targeting, budget, and schedule. When you create an ad set, you’ll need to choose your ad objective, which is what you want your ad to achieve. You can choose from various objectives, such as increasing brand awareness, driving traffic to your website, or generating leads.

You can choose a campaign objective, budget, target audience, and ad placement from here.

Instagram offers a variety of ad types, ranging from photo and video ads to carousel ads and story ads. Each ad type has its own set of features and benefits, so take the time to research which one will best suit your goals.

Once you have set up your campaign, you can upload your content and begin running your ads on Instagram.

As we already talked about, you’ll need to choose your targeting, which is who you want to see your ad. Again, you can target your ads by demographics, interests, behaviors, and more.

You’ll also need to choose your budget, which is how much you’re willing to spend on your ad campaign. You can choose to pay for your ads based on impressions (CPM) or clicks (CPC).

Finally, you’ll need to choose your schedule, which is when you want your ad to run. You can choose to run your ad continuously or for a specific period of time.

Step Four: Promote Your Ads

When you’re running ads on Instagram, a sneaky way to get more bang for your buck is to get the help of influencers to promote your products, ads, and pages.

Just look at the Kardashians as an example of this. You get one of them to promote your stuff, and you’ll see MASSIVE returns, but it will cost you.

Here are some tips on how to promote your ads on Instagram using influencers:

1. Find The Right Influencers: The first step is to find the right influencers. You want to discover influencers who have a large following and are relevant to your target audience. You can use a tool like Upfluence to find influencers who fit your criteria.
2. Reach out to the influencers. Once you’ve found the right influencers, you need to reach out to them and pitch your idea. Be sure to explain why you think they would be a good fit for your brand and what you hope to achieve with the partnership.
3. Negotiate the terms of the partnership. Once the influencer is interested, you need to negotiate the terms of the partnership. This includes things like the price, the type of content that will be created, and the duration of the partnership.
4. Create Your Content. Once you’ve agreed to the terms, it’s time to create the content. The content should be high-quality and relevant to your target audience. It should also be in line with the influencer’s brand and style.
5. Promote the content. Once the content is created, you need to promote it. You can do this by sharing it on your social media channels, running ads, and sending it out to your email list.
6. Track your results. It’s important to track the results of your influencer marketing campaign so you can see what’s working and what’s not. You can use a tool like Keyhole to track things like engagement, reach, and click-through rate.

Step Five: Track Your Campaign Performance

After launching your Instagram ad campaign, tracking its performance is important.

If you want to get some basic insights and, in turn, get typical results, then track with the tools provided in Facebook Ads Manager or some other third-party analytics tools.

But, if you really want to know how to run ads on Instagram like a boss, you need to get deeper insights with your tracking data, and the best tool I know of to do a deep dive into every type of data point is through Hyros.

By following these steps, you can become an Instagram advertising pro in no time. With the right strategy and creative content, your business can take advantage of all that Instagram has to offer and reach more customers than ever before.

If you’re ready to learn how to run ads on Instagram like a boss, schedule a free call with us at Hyros and improve your ROI by 20-30%.