While ads are not widely available on either platform just yet, both Pinterest and Instagram have been conducting some initial tests to gauge performance. In anticipation of the impending rollout of these ad programs, we wanted to provide a brief overview of each platform so that marketers can consider the potential value add when thinking through their social paid media strategy.
Who is on Instagram?
According to a recent report, Instagram’s primary audience consists of people in the 18-34 age bracket accessing via mobile device (50/50 iOS vs Android). The app is most popular in urban areas, and its reach is over 150 million users and growing.
What will ads on Instagram look like?
Below are two examples from a recent test run in late 2013 featuring Levi’s and Ben & Jerry’s.
What are the benefits/advantages to advertising with Instagram?
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Early photo ads have seen great results so far — Ben & Jerry’s ice cream reached 9.8 million people aged 18-35 in 8 days.
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Users aren’t interrupted by ads, as they simply look like a native Instagram post. This makes it easier for users to engage without feeling smothered by paid content.
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Across initial campaigns, each was successful at delivering a broad reach, and they all achieved a high impact with a very low average frequency of ad impressions per user.
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Because Instagram is owned and integrated with Facebook, there is ample opportunity for brands to reach a larger audience as content gets posted/shared on Facebook.
The overall value to promoting your brand with Instagram comes from the reach and engagement received. While users can’t buy anything directly from ads on Instagram as clickable link support doesn’t exist yet, the ads are a great vehicle to drive engagement and new followers — Michael Kors (another early test partner) gained 54,000 followers in the first 18 hours after each ad.
Visit Instagram for business to learn more.
Who is on Pinterest?
According to recent data, Pinterest is predominantly used by women (skews 68% female). It is popular among bloggers, avid online shoppers, travelers, moms, and more. As of last year, its reach was over 70 million users.
What will ads on Pinterest look like?
Introduced on their blog late last year, Pinterest’s Promoted Pins will look like this:
What are the benefits/advantages to advertising with Pinterest?
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Deep connection with users — Pinterest has created a “unique hub where products and items are intrinsically linked to emotions.” (AdAge)
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Word of mouth – even a pin that only initially reached 32 followers went viral eventually. It’s just a matter of reaching the right influencers at the right time.
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Direct response – 47% of online shoppers have made a purchase based on Pinterest recommendations
Pinterest’s overall ad value is more in awareness than immediate action — while it can drive purchases, it is largely a platform based on impressions, on browsing through images. In terms of the social funnel we posted about earlier this month, Pinterest is a great tool for the first step – brand exposure. Pinterest does offer rich pins which provide additional context that can include real-time pricing, where to buy, full recipes, and contact information among others. This can help increase click through, but for now focus should still be on impressions. Clicks and repins are the first step and an obvious objective, but we must also realize that influence comes from impressions as well — sometimes just seeing the ad is all that is necessary to spur a purchase decision and ultimately drive sales.
Interested in promoting your brand through Instagram or Pinterest? SHIFT’s Open Marketing Cloud contains solutions for working with both of them, and more. Contact us for a demo today.