With so many entrepreneurs, artists, and brands fighting for attention in this digital era, animators like you need to follow strategies to stand out, get followers, make them stay, and convert them into animation clients.
There are tons of effective hacks you can use to get animation clients for free on Instagram. However, if you want high-quality and consistent clients, you can get better results with Instagram ads.
Engagement is higher on Instagram than on any other social media platform. This makes Instagram the perfect place to market yourself in a way that will get you results. Instagram ads can help drive traffic to your business profile and website, and increase your conversions.
We want to share with you all the ways you can get more followers and animation clients using Instagram ads.
1) Retarget Ads
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Retargeting your ad is a great way to get more people to follow you when they have already interacted with you on Instagram before but haven’t purchased your animation services.
Retargeting allows you to reach out to potential clients and persuade them to consider your animation services.
Research shows that 92% of customers don’t make a purchase of a service or product on their first visit to a website. This is why you need to retarget customers and offer them something that will appeal to them more the second time around.
According to Social Media Examiner, when creating a custom audience, you will be able to choose whether you want to reach people who checked your Instagram account, sent you an Instagram direct message, saved your post, or engaged with your posts or ads, and set a timeframe.
You can also use the Exclude feature to retarget even more specifically. For example, you can make your Instagram ad reach people who sent you an Instagram account but exclude those who saved your Instagram ad.
2) Use Instagram Stories Ads
Image by Georgia de Lotz via Unsplash
People spend more time in Stories now more than they do in their feeds. That is why Instagram Stories ads are essential to any marketing strategy and are the perfect ways to show your animation services to an engaged audience.
It’s been shown that one in five Instagram Stories ads gets a direct message from its viewers.
Ben Leavitt, a digital marketer and social media strategist, recommends using paid Instagram Stories to funnel people back into your Instagram business profile. He says they are the most effective and least expensive kinds of ads that bring you high engagement.
For example, if you placed a call-to-action that will lead viewers to your website on the bottom of your Instagram Story Ad and viewers click the call-to-action, that will be considered as a click.
However, if users visit your profile instead of swiping on the call-to-action and if you only pay-per-click for your ads, that’s not considered a click. That means you don’t have to pay the social media platform for that engagement.
The only downside to Stories ads is that you only have 15 seconds to get your point across r and convince your audience to perform an action. In this situation, it’s best to present a lead audience rather than ask for a direct sale since you are presenting yourself to a cold audience.
3) Create Video Ads
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Instagram ads can come in photo format, carousel ads, Stories format, and more but the best kind of ad to put out is a video ad. Research shows that users favor video ads over static ads.
To create compelling Instagram video ads, you need to use an appealing thumbnail image, title, and clear call-to-action. Also, make sure your video will be able to communicate your message even without sound by adding subtitles.
According to Next TV, 92% of people view videos with the sound off. People watch videos without sound when they are in a quiet space, didn’t have headphones, and when multitasking. If you want people to watch your video ads wherever they are and whatever they’re doing, make sure you follow this tip.
4) Make Your Video Ad Look Less Like An Ad
Video ads should blend naturally or like a normal post on Instagram users’ feeds. When people scroll through their feeds you want to get their attention and not push them away.
To grab their attention, use movement and bright colors then offer something helpful or useful such as a tip or lead magnet rather than promoting your animation services.
Posting a video ad that brings value to your audience besides simply promotion for your product or service will be more likely to get engagements. According to Marketing 360, this is one of the most effective ways to advertise in the digital age.
This strategy has a long history from print media to video commercials yet it is effective and drives curiosity and interest.
5) Make a Poll on Your Instagram Stories Ads
GIF via GIPHY
To increase engagement, make a poll or add emoji sliders on your Instagram Stories Ads. People will give you more engagement from viewers since they just have to tap an answer.
After making a poll, engage with your animation sales leads and turn them into a warm audience by sending a direct message to every person who responded to your poll.
Polls not only give you more engagement, but they will also help you get to know your audience’s opinions and preferences. You will be able to learn a lot from your audience in a way that Instagram analytics cannot show you.
Are you wondering what’s the best way to reach your animation clients? Is it via email marketing, cold calling, or messenger bots? Instagram polls can help you with that.
6) Tell a Story Using Carousel Ads
GIF by truTV’s Late Night Snack via GIPHY
Aside from using just Stories ads and video ads, you can also use carousel ads to reach people who are on-the-go and scroll through Instagram quickly. Carousel ads are more likely to get the attention of your target audience over a standard photo ad.
They are more interactive since your audience has to swipe through your post to see your photos and videos. Carousel ads are also cost-effective. They help you reach your audience without wasting money targeting people who aren’t interested in your offer.
If you’re trying to talk about your animation process or give some animation tips, create it into a story to make it more engaging. Make the photos colorful, appealing, and subtly include the animation service that you offer.
You can share the kind of videos you make whether it’s 2D, 3D, motion graphics, mixed media, whiteboard animation, etc. and put them in different images in your carousel ad.
Another way to use carousel ads is to tell your customers’ stories. In your ad, include some testimonials from your high-value customers and tell how your animation services helped their business grow.
Don’t just focus on the visuals but also pay attention to your copy. An ad with nice visuals won’t be effective without good copy. Make your copy a simple 1-3 sentences, ask an engaging question, include a link and a CTA, and use relevant hashtags.
Wrapping It Up
Now that you know these6 ways to get more followers and animation clients on Instagram, it’s time for you to start trying them out on your next Instagram post or Story.
For maximum Instagram ad results, it’s best if you try the tips altogether and use different kinds of ways to engage with your online audience.
If you’d like to see more social media marketing and animation business tips, make sure you sign up for our free masterclass and get a copy of our free marketing handbook.
