Instagram ads are awesome, or are they? Are you annoyed by ads on social media?

First things first, I'd love to know if you guys/gals are annoyed by sponsored material on social media as well? What was you experience like?

In light of Instagram ads coming to New Zealand and me setting budget for some clients, I had to dig a little bit deeper to see ROIs and effectiveness levels (if any recorded) and found some interesting points, so interesting in fact that I wrote a piece about it in our blog. The link will be down under
with addition of Facebook targeting tools, and the ability to combine both applications together for mobile campaigns; Instagram advertising looks very promising. But let us not forget the first responds from users to early campaigns by McDonald on Instagram. The sheer volume of complaints (when I say complaints, imagine you most probably are a teenager online, so it means “#s” and “@s”) showed a very strong backlash. Many users were annoyed by sponsored posts and advertisements on Instagram application.

Why annoyed, you asked? Well assume you are using the application and instead of content you usually see or expect to explore, there is sponsored images and posts. With increasing number of advertisers number of these posts will increase as well. Users were particularly angry at the platform not advertisers. The interesting part of it though, is that even Instagram strategists expect this to happen every time they launch a new market. Sophie Blachford, Instagram’s business lead confirms it by saying “we expect something similar over here, but we also know it’s something that dwindles over time.”

What is the solution then? Should we consider Instagram ads here in New Zealand then?
Short answer is, look at your target market and if it fits Instagram users then definitely yes. To begin with, it is all about advertising effectiveness of your campaign. When we talk about advertisement effectiveness, although we might see negative feedbacks from application users but that does not define effectiveness of an advertising campaign. There are many other elements involved in advertising effectiveness (many yet unknown to researchers), so if for instance you consider, the reach to users, brand preference and purchase intent, it still is worth it to advertise even though users seem to be annoyed.

The complaints faded away over time. After a while users were used to seeing sponsored posts and also advertisers became clever. Rather than simply advertising with a picture of a product like old days, advertisers are now using more subtle and adaptive methods to advertise. It is time to put the creative helmets on and think outside the box. The traditional methods of showing a product and making sales is not working, the media is different hence the methods differ. For example this ad by McDonald Australia, shows how smart an ad can get, you don’t see any product yet you know this is McDonald. Not everyone, of course, can afford to do what McD can do but we ought to start thinking smarter.

Would be interesting to know your own personal experience with sponsored material in any social media.
The blog post: http://www.alexanders.co.nz/blog/lo...ill-kiwi-users-respond-well-to-instagram-ads/

 

Yes, I'm annoyed by ads on social media. One particular method of them showing me ads is if I click a LIKE on a game or app, then three or four more pop up under the post and it says OH YOU MIGHT LIKE THESE! - I H.A.T.E that! I don't like them mixed right in the content like that. Of course, On facebook, I tailor what I see by using FBP browser add on. I understand we need ads to pay for costs, but I get sick of greedy.....!

 

Instagram ads are easy to scroll past, occasionally they show a product that I'm interested in but are generally not intrusive. It's a platform with a different type of user to Facebook, so an entire new customer base to advertise to, as people post arty landscape photos and show meals that they've had while eating out. An Instagram user has to be treated differently, the advert has to catch their eye and not be obvious in-your-face advertisement, more so than on other sites.

They're a great new opportunity for advertisers and importantly means that we don't have to pay a fee to use the app! So I'm happy.

 

I see you are also annoyed, that is very interesting for me. I hate them too but as a digital marketer I gotta find a way to use that opportunity for my clients to use it. I am more for direct posts rather than advertising on such platform

 

Agreed

 

Agreed Becky. I love Instagram! It is a fun way of sharing experiences between users, and its an enjoyable way to see branding done by marketers. If using Instagram for advertising, you must do it correctly. You can have the best content in the world and tens of thousands of followers, but if you don't reach your targeted audience correctly, engage with your followers regularly, and brand yourself properly, you won't be successful in converting.

Personally, I'm not annoyed by ads in social media. You always have the option to ignore and move forward. Much better than telephone solicitations.

 

Oh my god those are annoying af

 

I'm neither annoyed nor delighted with those ads. I'm rather indifferent and focused on what I want to accomplish or read. Those ads will be there no matter what we say or how we feel. Or am I mistaken?

 

Well you're not mistaken on this, but it all depends. In this case when we check the ROI and measure effectiveness of an advertising campaign and see despite the hatred those still make sense, then it becomes a business decision. People (regular users such as you and I) get used to seeing these ads after a while unless these ads become invasive in which case the backlash will be destructive.
I'd say I am a bit annoyed at times to see ads every other post but in general I believe even I have become oblivious to them.

 

Yes, oblivious is a perfect word for them. I understand by what you mean about them being annoying. For myself, I only find them annoying in the sense that they are clutter. I'm a bit of a neat freak. I often wonder about their ROI. I just figured that it works, otherwise, they wouldn't keep doing it.

 

I think that a lot of people get annoyed by the ads, but I guess they are inherent part of social media sphere and of the Internet on the whole.

 

I hate those manipulative ads, but they're necessary so it's fine. You must definitely think outside of the box and advertise with creative ads or you will really just annoy people.

 

One aspect that many advertisers were using before and now is either fixed by allowing double clicks or increasing the size of ads was: Fat finger syndrome. If you have a big fat thumb or generally fingers like, you might have faced this before, you try to click on a small close button and you click the entire bloody ad. I thought this also could be interesting to know .

 

Agreed, I also think users are getting used to these ads though.

 

Just recently, I was surprised by an unusual username on Instagram, also to find out that it was an ad.
I saw one that day but on the following days, I saw two ads already.
I'm not sure if as a free user I have some rights to rant about it, but I've been using instagram for a long time now, and I instagram than facebook because it (before) it doesn't have ads on it. Anyway, as long as it don't get too many and annoying.

 

Unfortunately I would't count much on it. It is growing and will grow fast, although since this is a difficult medium to advertise with not many dare to try their hands so it must be small then FB but not that small though.

 

Well.. it is tolerable actually but not when the time comes that links are enabled on posts too.

 

There's an influx of internet ads everywhere you look. You learn to tolerate it after a while. I think Instagram ads are awesome. I have a few clients who can really benefit from Instagram post CTAs for selling their products.

 

Agreed, marketing point of view they are awesome and specially the reach, but user point of view might be different which in fact is as shows by research. But again you are right, people seem to be building a tolerance for it through time.