Combining Facebook and Instagram Ads

 

Facebook and Instagram advertising can go pretty well together. You can set ads to run on both platforms right from the Facebook Ads manager – a one-stop shop! By simply checking the Instagram box on the ad placement section, they will appear on users Instagram feeds as well.

It’s a smart move to combine the two platforms with your ad campaigns because you gain more exposure and can grow your audience faster. You can also then focus more on the platform yielding the best results.  Here are some steps to help :

 

1. Target The Right Audience

Facebook and Instagram include many targeting options you can use to reach your desired audience. For example, you can target an audience based on their interests, demographics, behaviors. You can also select retargeting options (ie: someone who has already visited your website or shown interest in your products). 

The ad platform even allows you to create lookalike and custom audiences. These two options are helpful when you already have an audience to use or know some characteristics of your potential customers. In every case, you can narrow down your audience to reach the right people. The more refined your selection, the more accurately targeted the ad. Right ad shown to the right person in the right place at the right time. With both platforms having millions of daily users – consider the potential target audience!

 

2. Create Multiple Creatives

This one holds true with any online marketing campaign. Instead of creating a single ad for all your audiences, you should be testing out multiple creatives. If you start with two-three alternatives, Facebook and Instagram will keep track of the metrics as they come in and automatically decide which one is best to show. Yes, they watch your analytics and optimize your potential for success based on the results. What’s not to like?

You can use creatives with static images, slideshow, carousel images and even video. Change the wording slightly or the Call to Action. All these options can work but they need to be tested. Facebook will figure out which of your creatives get the best results from each audience. Of course, you can change each ad’s placement and the call to action based on the campaign goal too.

 

3. Test Everything

Many marketers would love to set their ads and never check them again. If we’re being perfectly honest, truth is many small business owners do exactly this. However, this is never the right approach. Some ads and audiences may not convert, while others need small improvements to get the best results. There simply is no one-size-fits-all approach, no matter what the pundits tell you!

The best approach is to test every part of your campaigns. You can test the ads, audiences, placements, and calls to action. If you send traffic to a landing page, you can even test that too. If you perform simple A/B tests, you will figure out which options get the best results and optimize your campaigns at the same time. Ultimately in so doing you’ll find your ad campaigns costing less while in fact provide better results!

 

4. Allocate Your Budget Based On Your Results

If you run Facebook and Instagram Ads for your business, it’s possible to get different results from each platform. The user base is different and so too should be your ad strategy. Your job is to allocate your budget and focus solely on the social media ad placements that work.

You can analyze the results based on your tests and the costs for your conversions. For example, if you can get more traffic from Instagram for the same budget, it’s worth allocating a larger part of your budget to this platform. You can always re-evaluate your results later and adjust them if needed.

 

Final Thoughts

Running Facebook and Instagram Ads together is quite easy. You can control the ads and analyze the results right from your Facebook Ads Manager. You can reach a larger audience just by adding Instagram to your campaigns. It does not always require a different strategy but often just a few improvements in your existing campaigns.

 

TL;DR – Okay well, there’s only 4 points here so this will be quick if you’re really that pressed-for-time :  Target the right audience for you, always create multiple ads, test everything then only allocate your forward budget based on those results. Good luck!

 

Thanks for reading!

P.S. :  Need Help with the Re-Start?  Click here for free business support!