Instagram has more than 1 billion active users every single month. In other words, it’s a massive social network that’s continuing to grow in popularity.

So as a business owner or marketer, it’s a great idea to consider using Instagram video ads as a part of your marketing strategy.

But if you’ve never done this before, where do you start? How do you get the most bang for your buck?

We’ve got your back. Check out this guide filled with tips to help you get started with Instagram video ads today.

Shoot in the Right Dimensions

First and foremost, think about the dimensions as you’re filming. Instagram has specific sizing guidelines and in order for you to be successful, you should follow them closely.

When you’re creating video ads to be displayed in-feed, make them 600×600. This will take up the most real estate possible.

If you’re making ads to appear in Instagram stories, they should be 1080×1920 so they fill the entire screen.

Focus on the First Few Seconds

When you’re advertising on Instagram, your goal is to catch people’s attention. When users are scrolling through their feed or watching Instagram stories, they’re relaxing. They’re enjoying themselves.

And so when you serve them an ad, you’re interrupting their experience. In order for them to engage with your ad, it needs to catch their attention.

To make this happen, be sure the first few seconds of your video are super attention-grabbing. Use bold colors, striking visuals, or bright pictures–anything you can do to stand out from the crowd.

Optimize Your Landing Pages for Mobile

Next, think about the landing pages that you’re directing traffic to. In your Instagram video ads, it’s common to lead people to your website so that they can learn more about your company, become a lead, or make a purchase.

But if your website isn’t optimized for mobile, it’s not going to do well. And this trend is only continuing. In fact, one study found that by 2025, 75% of the world will only use their smartphones to access the internet.

Since so much of Instagram’s traffic is mobile, if your site doesn’t look good on smartphones, people aren’t going to make purchases. And instead of staying on your website, visitors will leave.

Avoid this issue by optimizing your website for mobile.

Include Text

While sound is important, remember that most people scroll through their feed without audio turned on. So for people to notice your ad, include text in your video.

This doesn’t just mean captions. It’s often a good idea to include text effects that help convey your message visually.

However, don’t use too much text. If you write out the whole script as an overlay, people will become overwhelmed and keep scrolling.

Watch your video and pick out the main points you want to make stand out. Then figure out a way to include those main ideas in a visual way.

Include a Clear Call to Action

Another tip? Make sure you include a call to action in your video.

Whether you want people to visit your Instagram account page, check out your website, or call your store, make this clear throughout your video.

It’s also a good idea to stick to one call to action. Including multiple invitations will confuse your audience and distract them. Focus on one idea and keep it simple. This will lead to the most success.

Keep Testing

Don’t forget that it’s also important to test your ads. Create multiple versions of your video ads and do some A/B tests to see which performs best. It’s easiest to do this if you plan on it from the beginning and work it into your production strategy.

The great thing about Instagram is that you have lots of tools at your fingertips that you can use to measure performance. You’ll be able to see the average click-through rates, how many impressions each ad gets, and the conversion rates for each ad if you enable e-commerce integration.

Once you have this data, think about what is making your best ads perform.

Is it the color? The video content? The music you choose?

Do some analysis and then conduct more tests in your next campaigns to see if your hypotheses are true.

Engage With Your Audience

Last but not least, engage with your Instagram audience. Too many companies make the mistake of publishing their ads and then not engaging with the people who watch their ads.

Constantly monitor your ads to see people’s comments, and then comment back! If people ask questions, answer them. If they have positive comments, thank them for their support.

And if they have negative feedback, it’s especially important to have a meaningful interaction. Thank them for their input and offer to make it right. This will show other people who read your comments that you take care of your customers, those who are happy and those who are angry.

Instagram Video Ads: Final Thoughts

Now that you’ve read through these ideas on creating an Instagram video plan, what’s next? It’s time to get started on your strategy.

Sit down and take some time to think about how you can include Instagram videos in your marketing strategy. Do you want to attract more leads? Drive more sales? Get more website visitors?

Whatever your desire, you can make it happen with Instagram video ads. Have questions or want help with your plan? Contact us any time.