Facebook continues to roll out more and more audience segmentation updates, and currently, many of these changes relate to Instagram.
Read my full post about Facebook advertising
Engagement for audiences
When you click on “custom audiences” (in Danish: Brugerdefineret målgruppe) in Power Editor, you may have noticed that for a while now, it’s been possible to target people who have engaged with your posts and ads.
For long it has been possible to target the following:
- Video (people who have watched one or more videos)
- Lead form ads (people who signed up via lead ads)
- Canvas (people who interacted with canvas ads)
- Facebook page (people who engaged with your Facebook page)
Now, Facebook has expanded this function, and once again they’re favouring their new darling — Instagram.
If you’re among the lucky ones, you will now see an additional option: “Instagram business profile.” I say “lucky” because not everyone has received this update yet.
In other words, this new feature allows you to target people who have engaged with your Instagram profile — if you have a business profile.
What is a business profile on Instagram?
Most people forget to set up a business profile on Instagram, which is perhaps the biggest hurdle. If you don’t, you won’t have access to all the valuable features — and who wouldn’t want those?
A business profile simply means that you get an extended version of your profile, and it’s completely free.
With this profile, you can:
- See analytics about your users (for example, when they’re most active)
- View which posts perform best
- Offer expanded contact options, such as location and route planning
As mentioned, it’s free. You can upgrade by clicking the small gear icon at the top of your Instagram profile — there, you’ll find the option.
Audiences based on interactions
This is highly relevant if you have a strong brand or presence on Instagram.
Several brands I follow are much stronger on Instagram than on other platforms like Facebook.
The same goes for bloggers and celebrities — making it extremely relevant that Instagram ad targeting has become more detailed.
When choosing this type of audience, you can split your ads into multiple segments for further targeting.
Types of audience segmentation under Instagram engagement:
- Everyone who has interacted with your Instagram business profile
- Everyone who has visited your Instagram business profile
- Everyone who has interacted with a post or ad on Instagram
- Everyone who has sent you a message on Instagram
- Everyone who has saved a post or ad on Instagram
You can then choose the time interval.
However, keep in mind that even if you select 365 days, the data only goes back to the start of the summer. That’s because Facebook only recently began using this data for audience targeting.
Your turn – do you use Instagram in your marketing?
As a marketing consultant, Instagram isn’t always the most relevant marketing channel for me.
As I’ve mentioned in other blog posts, it’s important not to spread your efforts too thin — especially if you don’t have the resources to support it. It’s better to focus on the platforms that make the most sense for your business.
I personally have a private Instagram profile where I combine both my personal life and business — and that works well for me.
Do you use Instagram for your business, and have you tested their ad platform? I’d love to hear your thoughts and tips so we can all learn more.
Thanks for your time!
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