Are you looking to increase your sales but don’t know how to create that perfect ad copy? We have you covered!
In this article, we share tips to help you create ads that are specifically designed to sell products and services on Instagram.
It is well-known that Instagram is a great visual platform and the information you provide and your ad visuals will help the audience to take action. So, it is important to find the right image or video to improve your sales.
If you are relying on Facebook Ads Manager to auto-generate your ads from one set of the copy and assume it will work on all placements, you are mistaken. You must edit the ad copy so it works within the limitations of that platform.
For example, if you include links in your ad copy, it will be clickable in Facebook's ads but not on Instagram. It means, adding links to your Instagram copy is waste of time and takes up real estate. Also, it may leave people wanting to tap through your website from that copy, frustrated. To avoid this, stick to the features provided and encourage the audience to tap on the call-to-action button.
That said, you have to make sure to treat the ad copy for Instagram Story ads differently from the one you use in the Instagram news feed. This is because Stories are displayed for up to 15 seconds so, your audience won’t have the time to read long ads. Also, if you rely on Facebook to auto-generate story ads from your newsfeed ads, your ad is unlikely to display it.
So, it is important to keep your ad copy concise to ensure it captures your audience’s attention effectively. To make it more effective, you can include a captivating image and a compelling CTA.
If you are using Instagram ads specifically for sales, here are a few tips that will help improve the results.
1. Brand voice
Make sure to keep your brand voice the same across all your content such as emails, websites, and social media accounts to build rapport with your audience. If your brand voice changes in even a single content, you will risk losing the connection you built through your other content.
Pro tip: As Instagram is more casual and relaxed, so make sure your ad copy suits the platform. Avoid sales jargon or technical terms your audience is not familiar with.
2. The Ad copy must address a person directly
Your ad copy must speak to one person making them feel that you have been listening to their conversations or reading their minds. If your Instagram ad copy speaks to a group of people, it will lessen the impact of the message.
That said, your message must comply with Facebook’s language policy used in advertising copy. Assertive or questions that imply personal attributes to attracting an audience will be rejected. For example, questions like “Are you stressed or anxious?” or “Do you find it difficult to fall asleep?”, in your ads are considered afoul as per Facebook policies as these questions imply that you are speaking to one person making assumptions about them.
Instead, you could revise the copy such that it identifies products for people with those difficulties.
For example, you can consider what Pom Plush has done here.
Most businesses use storytelling to get an emotional reaction from their audience in their organic Instagram posts. The same can be used in Instagram ads. However, make sure that the message guides the reader to the next steps. Of course, not all your ad copies have to be long and detailed to get the message across. Sometimes, a concise ad copy is an effective way to drive the point.
3. The first 2 lines of your ad copy must encourage people to tap on “More”
As your audience gets to see only the first two lines of the ad copy in the Instagram news feed, you must ensure that these two lines are compelling enough for them to tap on the ‘More’ link.
4. Inform your audience that your product can solve their problem
If your product or service is designed to help solve your audience’s problem, you need to tell them about it in your Instagram ad copy.
For example, an Instagram ad by Ocushield identifies problems such as headaches, tired eyes, and sleep issues that are caused by the blue light emitted by screens. So, people facing these issues will be more interested in learning more about the product. These people are more likely to take action as they are being presented with a solution.
Simply put, asking a question in your ad copy can be a great way to get your audience to consider whether to buy your product or no.
5. Compel your audience to take action NOW!
Most users on Instagram aren’t on the platform to buy something. While they may find something interesting, they will not consider buying your product unless there is a deadline to complete the transaction.
Try to introduce urgency and scarcity to your ads so that you compel your audience to take action now rather than putting it off until later.
That said, remember consumers may not be looking for the best deals on a particular product. You can consider offering them a discount or special offer at the right time in the sales funnel. This will influence their decision-making.
Make sure to include the offer in the first two lines of your Instagram ad copy and if feasible, in the as image as well. This way you won’t have to rely on people needing to tap on ‘More’ to see the offer details.
6. Address people’s objections
Try to eliminate any concerns(objections or most frequently asked questions) your target audience may have in your Instagram ad copy. This will do wonders for your sales.
The common objections or questions may vary from product to product so you will need a different ad copy for different parts of your campaign.
For example, Social_chics addressed two key objections their audience has to buy their product;
Lack of time
Lack of graphic design skills
So, they addressed these objections directly in their ad copy and explained to the buyers to use their template “in minutes without graphic design skills.”
7. Include a clear CTA
Your Instagram ads must clearly convey the next step for your audience. Stick to one strong call-to-action (CTA) and avoid any confusion. If you provide too many options, your audience will not know what action to take and simply go back to scrolling through their feed.
Pro Tip: Remember, some people in your target audience may not be familiar with Instagram. So, it is important to tell them how to take an action from your ad.
Conclusion
When creating your Instagram ad copy make sure to keep in mind the stage of the sales funnel and also give them a clear CTA to help them take the next step.
If you’ve been struggling with your Instagram ad copy, please feel free to contact us.