Branded Content Ads on Instagram

Branded Content Ads on Instagram

If you strive to get a bigger ROI on the influencer marketing that you are carrying out, it’s worth to consider Insta’s new branded content ads. According to the announcement made on the 4th of June, with this new feature businesses will have an opportunity to promote organic posts from influencers via feed advertisements yet only within the application. If this interested you as an Instagram brand owner, here we shall discuss everything you need to know about the feature. InstaBF is a leading Instagram and IGTV provider that has gained a good reputation and trust among multiple users. But besides providing its clients with likes, comments, views, and followers for their Instagram and IGTV accounts, the service also offers crucial recommendations on using this social media in its blog. And today you will learn about the new branded content ads on Instagram and how you can run your own campaign.

 

 

What Branded Content Ads on Instagram Are

 

Partnering with influencers in order to create branded content is an amazing way to get to new audiences quickly since almost 70% of people state they search ways of interactions with creators when they come to Instagram. If Instagram branded content was thoroughly organic before with no business able to advertise posts they had sponsored, now the rules of this game have changed. From now on, brands have the opportunity to promote influencer posts as advertisements on Gram using Facebook Ads Manager. All this is sure to result in a much higher ROI for businesses.

So, Instagram brands can now target specific audiences with the content they have sponsored, measure their performance with Facebook’s ads platform tools.

 

How You Can Run Your Branded Content Ads on Instagram

So that to create branded content ads, you need to perform three steps. First of all, brands allow influencers to tag them in branded content posts after which influencers enable business partners to promote their posts as advertisements. And finally, the business will see that post in Ads Manager within the Existing Posts and select to run it as a feed ad or not. To settle all that, access to the advanced settings.

 

 

The Benefits of Instagram Branded Content Ads for Businesses

 

Perhaps the major advantage of this new feature is Reach. If before this feature businesses had to hope for attracting only the influencer’s audience, now there are no borders. It’s also possible to leverage FB’s optimization tools, thus driving even more specific goals with the sponsored content, no matter whether it’s engagement, traffic, brand awareness, etc. Basically, this new feature gives businesses more control over their sponsored posts, on who sees that content. This, in its turn, takes the control away from the partnering influencers.

However, influencers benefit from this not less than brands. Besides getting paid for the services, the branded content ad becomes kind of free exposure for the influencer. So, you see this new feature is beneficial for both sides, as well as possible customers who get more chances to see a product that might be useful.

Find the Best Instagram Hashtags for Your Brand

Find the Best Instagram Hashtags for Your Brand

Hashtags are an inseparable part of Instagram. Surely, the platform can well operate without any tags, yet an efficient hashtag strategy makes IG much more powerful. Particularly due to tags brands and Instagram marketers reach broader audiences, generate more engagement and attract more followers. However, this doesn’t mean any hashtag has that much power. If you want to “squeeze” all the power a hashtag has, you should experiment those you use, try new ones and build various combinations. Today InstaBF your faithful IG and IGTV provider is going to help you find the best hashtags for promoting your brand.

 

 

Make a Hashtag Research Before Using It

 

The first rule of using the right hashtag is making research on it beforehand. So that the tags you’ve picked boost your results, they must be perfectly relevant to your post and audience. Slightly relevant hashtags won’t do that. Do never go after super popular hashtags unless they are relevant to your post, otherwise, it will look spammy and bring you a bad reputation on Instagram.

 

 

Captions Clean of Hashtags

 

Instagram has made it possible to post up to thirty hashtags in one caption. Using all of them can be beneficial and is definitely tempting. However, agree that a caption full of tags looks messy and even spammy. To avoid this, you can post a clear caption and include all your hashtags in the first comment under the caption.

 

 

More Niche Tags

 

As we have already mentioned, using super-popular hashtags is really tempting. You get extra attention by using those tag researched by millions of people around the world. But are you sure you need particularly that kind of attention? If you make posts with #instagood, #love or other similar tags, your post will be viewed millions of times but those will be by people who won’t ever come back again for more posts of yours. That’s why it’s recommended to leverage niche hashtags in Instagram posts. They are the clue to a more targeted audience.

 

 

Mix Them

 

In the passage above we spoke about the benefits of using popular hashtags. However, don’t forget that the more popular the hashtag is the less your chances are your post will be noticed. Therefore, use a mixture of hashtags. These can be super niche tags that gather 100-1000 posts or middle-of-the-road ones gathering hundreds of thousands of posts.

 

 

Don’t Use the Same Tags

 

Agree that sometimes it’s tempting to use those hashtags, which you think, were a success over and over. We deeply advise you not to. If you do that you will end up facing the same audience over and over. Besides, the Instagram algorithm isn’t there to let you learn which tags work for your brand the most. So, explore and try new tags.

 

 

Measuring Results to Optimize Your Hashtag Strategy

 

Anyway, if you still plan to discover which hashtags work for your brand the best, it’s worth having a glance at your Instagram insights. This way you will get better ways to improve your hashtag strategy and move further. Constantly keep a close eye on your analytics.

Obviously, there are other ways of bringing a post to success. But hashtags aren’t the thing to neglect. Use them, monitor your metrics and see your efforts bring a good outcome.

Authentic or Inspirational Brand

Authentic or Inspirational Brand

Authenticity or perfection? Which is better for a brand on Instagram? Perhaps most brands will answer without even thinking twice -it’s better just to be yourself. This implies extending beyond personal accounts to consumer brands. In fact, it’s very difficult to distinguish between an authentic and a perfect Instagram account. There are examples of brands achieving great successes on both ends of the authenticity-perfection spectrum. Whether your brand needs authenticity or perfection for Instagram presence depends on these points:

  • You aim to get an attractive feed which will make your target audience fantasize about what they could have if joined to your brand;
  • Or you prefer less-polished photos and conversational captions your followers will relate to.

 

InstaBF, a leading provider of Instagram and IGTV comments, followers, likes and views, is going to dig deeper into the matter.

 

 

Authenticity on Instagram

 

Authenticity is the concept Instagram brands understand in different ways. If for some brands it’s the behind-the-scene images, for others it’s sharing genuine (not photoshopped) images. To be authentic on Instagram means to be true to your personality and brand spirit. However, it doesn’t have to fit every brand. Can you imagine the Instagram account of Walt Disney World filled with images of tired toddlers, long lines, sweating parents… Definitely no. That would be more realistic yet not true to the brand’s spirit. You expect images of magnificent fireworks, attractions and an overall fairy tale from the brand’s feed and you get that.

 

The Case for Authenticity

 

According to the statistics, around 86% of consumers state that the factor of authenticity is decisive when buying a product. Plus, the latest tendency shows that influencers have adopted a rawer presence, thus posting unedited images which show their imperfectness. Instagram Stories, designed to share off-the-cuff images of an uncurated life, are the biggest tools of authentic Instagram brands. They feel so little styled and so authentic that customers do rely on them.

 

The Case for Perfect Aesthetic

 

As we have mentioned above, the authenticity of a brand is highly crucial for consumers. But despite this, if we look at the most famous Gram accounts, we can see another story – those accounts which are complete with astounding photos of perfectly styled models taken by professional photographers are on the top. Just have a look at Kardashian sisters’ accounts. They have the highest follower counts in entire Instagram and post exceptionally perfect images with no single hair out of place. Indeed, Kim Kardashian has been reported to take more than $500, 000 for a single IG post and there’re plenty of brands who go to this. They get a tremendously higher ROI as numerous people get excited about buying from a brand promoting perfection. Such brands sell a glamorous lifestyle and the number of people dreaming of it will never decrease.

So, whether to go for a more authentic Instagram account or a perfect one depends on your brand, as well as the kind of your offers. If you serve up luxury stuff, sticking with an Instagram perfect aesthetic will be what you need. And if your brand is based on humor, for instance, going for an authentic approach is the best option.

2019 Instagram Themes to Inspire Brands

2019 Instagram Themes to Inspire Brands

There’s no sense in denying that over years we have met all the same Instagram themes – black and white, puzzle, quote themes, etc. and that all feels a bit yesterday. Creating a downright attractive theme for an Instagram profile requires an artistic approach. And once you start off a blank page with no guidelines, the task will appear even more difficult. So, InstaBF, a remarkable IGTV and IG provider, would like to draw your attention to thirteen freshest IG themes of this year and explain how you can recreate them for your particular brand. Let’s get down to work now:

 

 

Golden Minimalism

 

This Instagram theme catches the eye with its unique elegance and simplicity. It combines structured shapes and soft textures with golden hues enriching a picture’s feel. If you plan to use this theme, it’s recommended to keep the backdrops in white or light colors. This will add a more minimalist feel to the entire grid. For an ultimate effect, a product showcase or a human element should be added.

Golden Minimalism is best for skincare, decor, homeware, beauty, and jewelry brands.

 

 

Sunset Tones

 

This marvelous Instagram theme brings in Autumn vibes, a creative focus on the product, and some glorious natural motifs. In fact, it’s that unique theme, which has a great focus on the color and content curation. If you are attracted by this theme, you are to concentrate on sunset-tone images. This way you’ll get an effortlessly fresh and natural look in your Instagram grid.

Sunset Tones theme is especially appropriate for lifestyle, outdoorsy, fashion, and location-focused brands.

 

 

Modern and Clean

 

In achieving a clean and modern look in your Instagram grid, opt for this particular theme. For this, use light colors with contrast to bright examples. You can use human elements, quotes, and product photos. Generally, the theme works perfectly for light and pastel color schemes. You’d rather avoid patterns. Bold backgrounds and branded graphics are welcome! If you have a branding agency, a design brand or a creative agency on Instagram, Modern and Clean theme is ideal for you!

 

 

Textured Beauty

 

This Instagram theme has a fabulous key feature – it mixes a number of surfaces thus giving a somewhat three-dimensional feel to the grid. To apply it to your grid, mix videos and images in a line of different textures. Particularly which textures to use depends on the brand and industry of the account. Fashion, beauty, and swimwear brands can benefit from Textured Beauty theme in particular.

 

 

Colour Pops

 

The fact that Instagram is a truly very visual platform can be used purposefully. Once you mix black and white images with subtle color pop, some specific elements will be easily emphasized. In the meantime, you won’t affect the overall aesthetics. It can help you showcase your brand color if there’s any specific one.

So, if you wish to replicate Colour Pops theme, get only one color pop on the plain background. Black and white background will work best of all (gray ones will do as well).

Colour Pops theme will look awesome for informative brands, as well as those brands, which share many tips of which have a strong accent on shareable content.

Instagram Fashion Brands with Next Level Strategies: Part 2

Instagram Fashion Brands with Next Level Strategies: Part 2

Last time, here, in the blog of a remarkable IG and IGTV provider InstaBF, we started discussing the most popular fashion brands rocking Instagram. By their example, we disclose crucial tips in skyrocketing in this sphere. So, to cut it short, let’s dip into the miraculous world of Instagram fashion brands again.

 

 

Running Original Contests to Attract Untouched Markets

 

Loop giveaways are great for fashion brands, yet, to attract new audiences, it will be more effective to mix up contest types. A bright example of that is the competition that Bond has run annually since 2011. This is the Fur Bonds Baby Search. Instagrammers are encouraged to submit images of their pets, share submission on Instagram and then ask users to vote for their four-legged friends. The winning bub gets shot in a video campaign and is gifted with many goodies. Cooperating with Whiskas and Meals for Mutts, the fur baby winner also gets food supply for the whole year. First, the contest was taken for babies and was named Bonds Baby Search, but once the brand found out that not all of its audiences are parents, it introduced this contest. And as Bond got entrants’ email addresses for promoting their giveaway, they were able to market to those entrants long after the contest was over.

 

 

Personalizing IGTV Content to Promote Engagement and Entertainment

 

Instagram has recently made it possible to show a piece of IGTV content right in your feed. And if people can see it in their newsfeed, it’s the right time for fashion brands to incorporate IGTV into their strategy. And such fashion brands as Her Pony and ASOS come to prove that IGTV can significantly boost engagement.

ASOS shares personalized IGTV content featuring their team members. This is definitely a clever idea if a brand wants to appear more humanized. In fact, the brand has introduced a whole content series while incorporating the human touch into their strategy seamlessly. It shows its team members speak about their beloved ASOS pieces. How does this work? Just look:

  • It makes the brand’s audience feel excited about the new products that are going to hit the stores;
  • It drives traffic back to the brand’s feed so that they can check if their preferred pieces have been released;
  • It reassures potential customers that the brand’s products are really great;
  • It gives people a sneak peek into the “inner” world of the brand thus making them feel they are a part of ASOS’s Gram community.

 

What concerns Her Pony brand, it publishes brief movies intended to entertain their followers and stay with the brand longer. It showcases various garments through documentary-style videos. This brand has a young target audience which is far not little (around 136k). One of the brand’s most recent undertakings was devoted to their Ariana collection launching.

 

Surely, this IGTV video was not a Hollywood level, yet it was a success among the brand’s followers. In fact, the brand actively uses IGTV to present each piece it launched in a funny way. So, being creative with your IGTV content, you will not only have it viewed by a wider audience, but also influence the Instagram Algorithm.