Instagram’s Branded Content Ads: Quick Tutorial
If you’re looking to expand your reach, then, Instagram influencer campaigns should be part of your marketing strategy.
Instagram recently launched a feature that allows brands to promote, both, organic and paid content, to reach an influencer’s network.
In other words, as an advertiser, your ads manager will be able to create an audience based on your brand partner’s audience, using the branded content feature.
I can already see a big smile on your face!
Let’s dive in.
What Is Branded Content On Instagram?
Just in case, before we cover the advertising benefits of branded content, let’s simplify what “branded content” is.
According to Instagram, branded content is “a creator or publisher’s content that features or is influenced by a business partner for an exchange of value (for example, where the business partner has paid the creator or publisher).”
In practical terms, it’s when you tag an account that happens to be a marketing partner. You can totally tag your marketing partner like you normally do. However, when you take a few additional steps, using the branded content advanced feature, you’ll open your Instagram marketing strategy to another level.
To enable your advanced tagging feature, you’ll need to activate Instagram’s Branded Content Tools.
How To Find Branded Content Tools – Business Account
It’s important to clarify that your Instagram account needs to be either a creators account or a business account.
If you have a business account, here’s how you access your Branded Content Tools: Business Settings – Branded Content
Branded Content Tools – Creators Account
If you have a Creators Account, you’ll find your features via Settings- Account – Branded Content Tools.
Switching to a creator profile, influencers and creators get access to flexible profile controls, simplified messaging, and more growth tools like scheduling and music features that sometimes disappear in the business account.
If your music feature disappeared, switching to Creator Profile might do the trick!
How Do You Approve Branded Content On Instagram?
Let’s assume you’re the brand and you hired an influencer to share a product review.
The first thing is to make sure that your account is accepting business partner tagging. You’ll go to your Branded Content Tools and that’s the fist option available.
How To Tag A Business On Instagram?
As a business partner (Instagram influencer), you’ll create the new post, hover to Advanced Settings and tag the business partner.
This tag will send a notification to the brand account and once it’s accepted, the post will display a headline announcing the Paid partnership. See image below.
What About Instagram Branded Content Ads?
As a brand advertiser, you’ll be able to promote an Instagram branded content post.
To access this feature, go to your Ads Manager, start a new ad, choose engagement as objective, and when you select the post, you’ll notice your Branded Content posts available.
Using Branded Content ads you’ll be able to create new targeted audiences, since now you’ll reach your influencer’s audience.
Personally, I think of this as word of mouth on steroids!
I’m recommending my clients to initiate official brand partnerships now, in preparation for the holiday campaigns.
You will be able to display ads on both Instagram feed and stories.
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