Instagram is not only a platform for sharing cute pictures or videos. Ever since Facebook Inc (NASDAQ:FB) bought Instagram, it has been providing its marketing expertise to Instagram to make this social networking service more profitable. Two years ago Instagramhas introduced ads model forluring businesses to its platform, proving lucrative for the firm which increases its confidence to expand its ads offerings. From now onwards Instagram ads tools, which began with large brands, is open to small businesses as well in 31 more countries, according to Instagram. From September 30 onwards, Instagram Ads will be open to everyone around the world. The firm has modified its ads targeting capabilities which will allow businesses to post lengthy ads of up to 30 seconds duration and ads with prompts such as “Shop Now” and “Install Now.” Up till now Instagram offer video ads of 15 seconds duration.
Some other new tools Instagram is throwing to advertisers include support for landscape photos and videos to help give ads a more cinematic feel. Facebook holds the largest share in advertising market leaving behind the pioneers like Google Inc(NASDAQ:GOOGL), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ:YHOO).
Back in June Instagramsaid that it will soon release ad-specific developer tools through a new API and via the Facebook ad-buying interfaces to allow more advertisers to join the platform of Instagram. It seems that now is the right time for the firm to launch new and better ads targeting tools to marketers. More than 50 percent of Instagram users’ are outside of U.S, so expanding globally will be the main focus of the firm. Instagram aims to spread its marketing campaign to two hundred countries at the end of the current month.
A new ad tool called Marquee, which will help drive mass awareness and expanded reach in a short time-frame, is also a part of the new ads targeting campaign.
Instagram also give surety that ads don’t irritate the Instgram’s audience.
“We will continue to improve the feedback mechanisms within Instagram to give people greater control and improve the relevance of the ads they see,” the company said.
Although Facebook hasn’t revealed the ads revenue figures for the Instagram, but Facebook’s overall ads revenue of $7.42 billion in mobile advertising in 2014, included a considerable contribution from Instagram. Instagram contributed 17.4 percent of the total $42.63 billion global mobile ad sales in 2014, according to a report by eMarketer.
