Instagram opens a new door for marketers, adding fuel to the marketing game!

Published: June 01, 2023

min read

Be it a big national company or a local business, social media has become an essential part of business marketing strategies to connect with target audiences.

All the social media platforms, including TikTok, which faces a ban threat in the western market, are invariably coming up with various new features for their apps to keep pulling audiences and marketers’ attention.

Needless to mention, Snapchat recently made headlines for its "Dreams" project, TikTok made a new partnership with ReachTV to bring TikTok videos to airports, and so much more.

And now, Meta-owned Instagram has made an announcement on adding new search ads placement via its marketing API.

It is also noted that Instagram made this announcement two months after it began testing ads in search results. These types of ads allow brands to display promotions based on keywords entered into a search query in the app.

Users will soon begin to see ads related to their searches as a result of this update. If they search for "Hair Care Products," they will see advertisements related to hair care products in the search results feed.

The ads can be distinguished from regular posts by a "sponsored" label under the account's name.

With this new update, brands will be able to create and preview their ads in Instagram search results. Besides, third-party social management platforms will be able to create Instagram search ads and provide full analysis capacity with this new update, providing another way for more marketers to tap into new opportunities in the app.

Following the company's first-ever quarterly revenue drop during Q2 2022 due to declining ad sales, Meta increased its ad weight on Instagram. The new ad placement can help Meta generate more income at a time when the company is dealing with low advertising demand.

What does it mean to brands and marketers?

People’s usage of social media is only increasing by the day. As it helps people maintain a healthy connection with family and friends, share their emotions with others, and so much more, almost everyone is on any of the social media platforms.

Consequently, social media has emerged as a prominent spot for brands and marketers to reach their target audiences and build strong relationships with them.

With the various forms of ad placement available on social media, brands are able to make more people aware of them and their products, drive more traffic to their website, and gain new customers.

Thus, it is no wonder that we see the addition of new search ad placement by Instagram as nothing but a new door opened for marketers to attract high-value audiences towards their brands. And, by making the option available via its marketing API, Instagram makes it even more fruitful for businesses.

Here are a few ways we believe the new Instagram search ads will benefit brands and marketers:

Instagram search ads can be highly valuable for brands, as they will help them appear in front of audiences who are already searching for something related to their products. This is significantly different from targeting audiences who are on the platform for other purposes or intentions. Thus, Instagram search ads can be highly impactful for brands to reach relevant audiences and improve their visibility.
As Instagram has various other advertising features on the platform, such as Stories ads, feed ads, etc., by curating the marketing strategy for combining different ad formats, brands can create a cohesive brand experience across different touchpoints. This, in turn, can increase the overall impact of their marketing efforts.
When audiences search for specific products or services on Instagram, they are more likely to be in the consideration or purchase stage. Thus, by using the power of search ads, brands can display relevant ads to them and capture their attention. This will probably increase the chances of those audiences buying the particular brand’s products. This way, brands can use Instagram search ads to boost conversion rates.
As marketers can ensure that their ads are shown to the most relevant audience, it will help them plan and spend their ad dollars meaningfully. Besides, using the comprehensive insights provided by Instagram, brands can effectively measure the impacts of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions for further optimization.

Having said that, the new search ads on Instagram are more of an unwelcome addition for users. At the end of the day, who will like getting bombarded with more ads, be it on social media, TV, or anywhere else? Thus, to use Instagram search ads for success, it is crucial for brands to come up with compelling content, do careful planning, and do ongoing optimization.

Author

Jasmine Jackson

Jasmine is a social media maven with a talent for building engaged communities. She's a natural storyteller and has a way of making complex ideas accessible to everyone. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, and exploring new cuisines.