The importance of a highly strategic, targeted social strategy is becoming more relevant to companies every day. Because of the dynamic nature of social media, businesses are constantly evolving their digital strategies to ensure that they remain relevant and continue to engage their audience as they move through the online ecosystem. Whether that be on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or the numerous other channels becoming relevant, the role of targeted communication is evidenced daily as we see companies like Instagram continue to evolve to provide competitive advertising platforms.
The image-based social platform recently announced the expansion of its advertising capabilities and opportunities. As businesses begin to evolve digital strategies and budgets to invest in this space, we see more social platforms striving to become an integral part of these strategies.
Vindu Goel (@VinduGoel) of the New York Times discussed Instagram’s new development and explained how it will have an impact on digital strategies. Here are key takeaways on what Instagram’s new ads rollout means for your company:
- You can advertise more directly to consumers through social media
- Social advertising will remove the barrier between brands and consumers
- You have more targeting capabilities
- Go beyond the standard age, race, gender demographics and reach consumers that have proven interests in products similar to your brand (Meaning less ads being reported or complained about)
- Soon, you will have the ability to embed links
- Instagram plans to introduce a “Call to Action” capability allowing you to embed links in posts
- Embedded links will allow consumers to click on links, visit sites and directly purchase products (meaning higher click-through rates)
While some are excited, others are logging off; “It’s not necessarily going to be the beautiful imagery that fans are used to,” said Debra Aho Williamson, a principal analyst at eMarketer.
In order to uphold the aesthetic integrity that users are used to, James Quarles, Instagram’s global head of business and brand development, encourages advertisers to create ads that focus on visual storytelling and that will resonate with consumers on a more personal level. The company emphasizes that advertisers avoid duplicating their catalogue photos, but rather share key interests of their consumers with a subtle integration of their products for more resonance.
While consumers wait to see how the new advertising system will affect their Instagram feeds, brands can begin to understand what these new opportunities mean for their digital strategies and how they can captivate an audience enough to increase their bottom line.
About Chandler Ryberg
Chandler is an Account Coordinator at Trevelino/Keller and a recent graduate from the University of Alabama. She is a Pure Barre enthusiast and can be found cheering on her Boston sports teams or running with her rescue dog, Brady.
