What Is Instagram Promotion? How To Get Started Boosting in 2022

Instagram is one of the world’s most popular social media platforms with over 1 billion monthly users. From cute dog photos to engaging video stories, this visual platform grabs and retains user attention. In fact, Gen Z spends an average of 53 minutes a day scrolling through the endless feed.

So, why should your company care? Because Instagramers are doing more than just posting pictures of their vegan pizza lunches. 1 in 2 people use the platform to discover new brands and 72% of users report making purchasing decisions based on products they find in their feed. This makes Instagram a powerful tool to gain and retain a larger customer base.

If you’re interested in building brand awareness, engaging customers, and ultimately selling more products, paid promotion on Instagram is an investment every business should consider. We’ve created this guide to help you better understand how Instagram Promotion works along with best practices to ensure your campaign is successful.

What Is Instagram Promotion?

Instagram Promotion is a feature that lets brands sponsor their regular posts, stories, and highlights. These posts look organic but have a “Sponsored” tag included below the Instagram handle. This tactic is also called ‘boosting.’ By boosting posts on Instagram, companies can add a clickable call to action (CTA) to their content and make it more visible to a broader audience. 

This isn’t the only option for advertisers, as the platform also offers Instagram Ads. 

What’s the difference between Instagram Ads and Instagram Promotion?

Instagram Promotion focuses on boosting the visibility of existing posts and stories while Instagram Ads are unique assets that need to be created and posted using Facebook Ads Manager. Ads are a great way to create unique campaigns featuring new content, but boosting posts is key to creating more awareness and engagement around already successful posts and stories. 

How much does boosting posts on Instagram cost?

While Instagram costs vary, the average cost per click (CPC) for the platform falls between $0.50 and $1.00. That being said, if you’re in a highly competitive industry like apparel, costs may reach up to $3.00 per click. The same applies to boosted posts. 

You control the budget when you boost on Instagram. The higher your budget, the more people will see your post. Additionally, you have control over how long a post is sponsored. However, Instagram recommends sponsoring your post for a minimum of 7 days. This allows the platform to exit the learning phase and find the best people for your ad.

Brands on a budget may gravitate toward Facebook ads since they’re usually cheaper, but it’s important to consider potential reach when choosing a platform. Instagram’s user base is growing more quickly than Facebook. According to Hootsuite’s Global States of Digital 2021 report, Facebook’s global advertising reach increased by only 6.5% last year while Instagram’s grew by over 20%. 

Instagram Promotion: Best Practices for Boosting Posts

Before you start boosting posts, follow these Instagram best practices to make sure you’re getting the most out of your budget.

Promote posts that aren’t overly promotional

Instagram users don’t want to feel like they’re being advertised to. 78% of users will unfollow brands that post too much promotional content. Instead, promote posts that blend seamlessly into a viewer’s feed. Rather than focusing on your logo, boost posts that convey your brand’s personality. 

Promote what performs best

Rather than spending time and money creating new content, why not use posts that your followers already love? Scroll through your organic posts and see which ones are receiving the most engagement. Once you’ve identified posts that are the most popular with your followers, you’ll know what content you should be promoting. If a post has resonated with your current followers, chances are it will resonate with new viewers as well. 

Collaborate with influencers

Working with influencers not only gets your brand in front of a wider audience, but it also provides users with content they’re actively looking for. Research conducted by MuseFind found that 92% of consumers trust an influencer more than an advertisement. So, when considering what posts to promote, look for posts featuring influencer collaborations. This may help you get more engagement from viewers who are fans of the influencer. 

Tell the story behind your products

According to Instagram’s 2022 Trends Report, younger viewers are interested in the story behind your products. A recent article from HBR argues that this may be caused by people’s desire to feel more grounded in an increasingly digital world. The article cites a study conducted by the Journal of Consumer Research that showed customers of a chocolate store were much more likely to buy chocolate when the packaging included a handwritten note versus a machine-written typeface. 

This research implies marketing that helps people feel connected to a company has a positive impact on sales. While you may not have the time to write all your customers a personalized note, you can promote posts that highlight your employees so followers can learn more about what’s happening behind the scenes. 

Leverage Instagram stories 

Hubspot research found that 55% of marketers plan on increasing their investment in Instagram stories this year—and for good reason. According to Instagram, businesses are seeing amazing results using the story feature. 

OpenTable is one of those businesses. The restaurant reservation software company uses Instagram Stories to drive reservations by showing different dining experiences. When OpenTable used the tactic in 2018, it resulted in a 33% lower cost per reservation compared to other ad formats. To make the most out of your stories, give them a boost. Although a story will disappear from your page in 24 hours, promoted stories will run for as long as you’d like.

Test your posts

When you first start promoting posts on Instagram, it can be hard to know which ones will see the most engagement. That’s why it’s a good idea to promote several types of posts to help you identify which ones get the best response. When testing posts, consider using different copy, aesthetics, video, and images.

Get Started With Instagram Promotion Today

Brands can’t afford to pass up promoting posts on Instagram. Still, figuring out how to get started can feel overwhelming. If you’re interested in learning more about how Booyah can help with your social media marketing strategy, contact our team today.

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