Instagram is currently sitting at the 22nd most popular website across the globe. So, it makes sense that more and more people are wondering how to target the right audience on Instagram ads and other social media platforms. In 2019 alone, the spend on social media has hit a total of $89.91 billion.
How Do You Target the Right Audience on Social Media?
With social media ads spending on the rise, more and more brands wonder exactly where they should allocate their money. Unfortunately, most marketing teams don’t understand that not all social media platforms are created equally, especially when it comes to where their ideal audience is spending their time.
For example, the average adult spends approximately 38 minutes a day scrolling through Facebook. Alternatively, those between 16 and 24 years old spend an average of three hours a day on various social media platforms, including Tiktok, Snapchat, and Instagram.
How do you target the right audience? You’ll want to keep these tips in mind:
Create an Audience Persona
The good news is you’ve already likely discovered who your ideal audience is. Take that information and apply it to where they are spending their time on social media. If you haven’t quite yet discovered exactly who you should be targeting, then you do need to take a moment to create a detailed audience persona that includes information such as:
- Age
- Location
- Language
- Spending Ability
- Spending Frequency
- Interests
- Challenges
- Stage of Life (student/parent/retired)
Once you’ve collected this information, you can move on to the next step.
Do Market Research
Market research can tell you a lot about not only your current market and your competitors, but it can also help you understand who your customers are, what they want/need, and where they are spending their time and their money.
For instance, research shows that:
- Facebook users typically range between 18 and 34 years of age
- Instagram users average between 18 and 29 years of age
- The average TikTok users are between 16 and 24 years of age
- The majority of Twitter users range between 13 and 50 years of age
Twitter and Instagram are currently two social media platforms that seem to attract the widest age range amongst users. However, when it comes to social media ad spending, more brands are leaning towards Instagram.
How Can You Target the Right Audience on Instagram Ads?
On Instagram, not only do brands have the option of posting more traditional ads via their Instagram feeds. They can now create ads via their Stories, create video ads, and even great carousel ads, giving users a more immersive shopping experience without having to leave the app.
It’s important to note that there are currently two ways to create and share via Instagram ads. The simplest way is to choose an existing post you’ve already created on your IG profile and simply “promote” it to give it a visibility boost.
However, if you are looking for a bit more control over your Instagram ad’s details, you’ll actually want to set it up using Facebook Ads Manager. Yes, Facebook did acquire Instagram back in 2012, so it would make sense that you can cross-post between the two platforms and create Instagram ads from the behemoth that is Facebook.
If you choose to go this route, you’ll need to fill out a few key pieces of information before your Instagram ad will go live, including:
- Your campaign objective
- Identifying your audience (which should be easy after you’ve completed your audience persona)
- Your ad placement
- Your available budget
- Your campaign’s schedule
Once you’ve filled out all that information, you’ll finally be able to create your ad and let it run.
Can You Target Instagram Ads to Specific Users?
Unfortunately, there is no way to target Instagram ads to a specific user. However, you can tag certain users in your post, which can help you draw certain individuals’ attention.
Are Instagram Ads Worth It?
That’s going to come down to the individual. It’s difficult to determine the average ROI of Instagram ads since there are so many different moving parts involved. While some people see great ROI from their Instagram ads, others see very little.
The best way to determine whether Instagram ads are worth it is to run a few test ads and see how your audience responds to them.
Need Help Determining Whether Social Media Ads are Worth It? CadenceSEO Can Help
Trying to determine what marketing methods will suit your needs the most can be a challenging task. The good news? Here at CadenceSEO, we help you figure it all out with our various digital marketing services.
Wondering if we can help you? Contact us today for more information!
