First launched in 2010, Instagram has made a place in their user’s heart. It is one of the most used social media platforms that users love. Apart from videos and images, there are a bunch of different features available for this website. One of the most used features is uploading videos. Instagram launched the video option back in 2013, and within 24 hours, users uploaded over 5 million videos. According to a survey, people spent over 80% more time on this platform watching videos than before. The popularity has soared high over the years, and now Instagram has over a billion users. Due to this, brands have started using this platform as a marketing tool. With the help of Instagram story ads, there is a large impact on brand awareness. Brands can use various ad makers available online to create Instagram story ads. 

 

But most of the time, these ad makers can cost a lot of money. For those who want a budget-friendly option to create an Instagram story, ads should visit InVideo. Their website has a large collection of Instagram ad templates, and all of them are customizable. People can also use various features such as graphic, transition and animation. 

 

Best practices for 2020

 

Nowadays brands that are using Instagram want to increase their ROI, brand awareness and engagement. These are possible with the help of Instagram story ads. Now to will discuss some of the best practices that you can do for 2020. 

 

 

1. Imagine your ad on a smartphone.

 

Instagram was first launched in iOS and specifically designed for a smartphone. Some of its features also work only on the phone. The layout and design fit perfectly with a smartphone. Keep this in mind, and start creating your Instagram story ad. It is important to remember that the video dimension for vertical is 1080 x 1920 and for the square is 1080 x 1080. Do not opt for a horizontal story ad. People using Instagram do not like to turn their phone vertical to watch a video in full-screen mode. This is why IGTV specifically focuses on showing vertical videos. The platform also believes in keeping the video short and creative. According to the survey, shorted videos have more recall rates, and average view time is longer than traditional ads. 

 

2. Make sure to promote the brand within the first few seconds

 

Brands who create ads mainly for Instagram tries to promote it within the first few seconds of the video. It is seen in a survey that brands that mentioned themselves within the first 3 seconds have 23% more recall rate. Instagram users have very less time to spare, so it is essential to promote the brand in a short video and within a few seconds. This plays a significant role in brand awareness, and users love it more than traditional video ads. 

 

3. Look for the perfect length for your video ads.

 

Most of us don’t like to stare at the screen for a more extended period of time. In a survey done in 2015, an average user only spends 8 seconds watching a video ad on Instagram. But with the increasing amount of gadget usage over the years this has gone down by a lot as we stare at multiple screens. Make sure to keep this information in mind when creating a video ad for Instagram. The length of your video should not be too long as you have the possibility to lose viewers. When using the story feature to promote your product, make sure to showcase your products or services immediately. Longer video does not get many views, so make sure to stick with a short and creative video for your Instagram story ad. 

 

4. Opt for captions

 

Instagram video ads by default play with the sound off. The website comes with an option to tap on the screen to turn on the sound. This is a good reminder to give your audience who are watching the video ad on silent. But it is essential to make your video have sense even without the sound. Try to incorporate captions to your video ads as it reminds the users to turn on the sound if the content is interesting. With the help of captions, brands can portray their message to the audience even without sound. But the caption is not available for Instagram video ads so opt for putting text in the actual video. 

 

5. Make the videos look organic.

 

Make sure the Instagram story ads look organic to the viewers and not videos that you paid to display. Create a video ad, which looks organic but make sure not to put too many effects. But that does not mean brands should have low-quality video ads. Try to find the right balance, which will have the creativity and at the same time look organic to your audience. If you make the video ads organic, the users will take some time to understand the video is an ad. 

 

6. Ads that have call to action should put it in the middle

 

Those brands who want to incorporate a call to action in the Instagram story ad should put it in the middle of the video. Although Instagram story ads already have a call to action button in the bottom of the screen, brands can still include a call to action in the middle of the video. If you have a CTA at the beginning of a video, audiences are likely to not indulge in the content. Keep the first few seconds for brand awareness and then put the CTA. 

 

7. Take the leap

 

Most of the time, brands don’t want to take the risk; hence they avoid using the Instagram story ads. But this feature comes with lots of positive aspects. Marketers have always said the huge number of opportunities that Instagram story ads provide should not be missed. Although it requires practice along with trial and errors, once you get the hold of it, video ads act as a great marketing tool for your brand.