Mother’s day is often a major revenue booster for retail businesses. But with shops closed, many retailers are adding online ordering to meet customer needs. Meanwhile, homebound Australians are hungry for any sort of normalcy. Using Instagram ads, you can provide it for them.
One in three Aussies uses Instagram actively. All of them have mothers.
Instagram ranks third (after Facebook and YouTube) in terms of most monthly active users. The network’s highly visual format makes it a magnet for people looking for gift ideas.
Related: How to open and run an Instagram business account
Know your Instagram ad options
Instagram advertising works on a cost-per-click (CPC) model, meaning that you pay every time someone clicks on one of your ads. It's important to understand the different ways to approach a Mother's Day advertising campaign before you jump in, so you get the best bang for your buck.
You can choose from several different Instagram ad formats:
Photo ads
The most common type of ads on Instagram, photo ads require a great pic of what you're selling. Rather than a straight "product" shot, consider a "lifestyle" shot that shows how Mum can put her Mother's Day gift into action.
Along with your photo, you need a snappy and engaging caption as well as relevant tags and hashtags to make it easy to find.
Video ads
Video ads are great for engaging Instagram users and typically last 30 to 60 seconds. They can feature either the full-fledged ad or a short clip that links to the full-length video on another video platform like YouTube.
Sponsored ads
Available to those who have business accounts on Instagram, sponsored ads help you put your Instagram posts in front of more people. They appear on your target audience’s home feed, with a direct link to your website, eStore or Instagram profile.
Carousel ads
When a single photo or video isn't enough to get your message across, carousel ads are a good option. These allow users to swipe through three or four images promoting the same product, keeping them engaged for longer. Carousel ads can also be sponsored ads if a multiple photo post is promoted.
Story ads
Typically appearing when Instagram users switch between the stories of different accounts, story ads are backlinked with a swipe up option. This leads users either to your profile or your website. This is a great way to bring in new potential customers.
Guided ads
Guided ads let you take viewers on a personalised journey, using the tagging option to direct them from one page to another. Based on their choices, you can direct them to the perfect Mother's Day gift.
IGTV ads
Handy for posting video content that isn’t promotional but wouldn’t necessarily count as an ad, IGTV ads are a relatively new feature on Instagram. Businesses and influencers use these to share video content like tutorials and real user reviews. These videos remain available for viewers to watch anytime they want, similar to YouTube.
Remember, your Mother's Day campaign isn't just aimed at people looking to buy gifts for their mothers. It's also aimed at mothers looking to spoil themselves and arrange their own Mother's Day gifts for their children to give them.
Or it might be fathers shopping for the perfect gift from the baby for that very first Mother's Day.
You'd talk to these potential buyers in different ways, so you might want to try a few different advertisements with different tags and hashtags, rather than take a one-size-fits-all approach to your Instagram ads.
You can find step-by-step instructions on how to create and publish your first Instagram ad here.
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How to stand out from the crowd
So with all these Instagram advertising options at your disposal, what's the best way to capture people's attention in the lead-up to Mother's Day?
1. A seasonal sale
A seasonal Mother's Day sale is likely to catch the eye of anyone on the lookout for the perfect gift. Everyone loves a bargain and price is the single most motivating factor for an impulse purchase. It's important to understand your customers to know the best way to target them with a seasonal sale.
Limited-time deals are a great way to tap into that fear of missing out (FOMO).
The sense of urgency and scarcity can be a strong motivator, especially when people know that this great Mother's Day deal won't be available if they wait until the last minute.
Before you embark on seasonal sales and limited-time offers, it's important to crunch the numbers to ensure you can meet demand. Keep in mind, eCommerce and delivery services are extra busy in the lead-up to major online shopping events like Mother's Day. Consider every step of your supply chain to ensure you're not going to leave your customers in the lurch.
2. Something for last-minute shoppers
While some shoppers like to plan ahead, you'll win others over with a flash sale featuring great last-minute gift ideas. It's easy for busy shoppers to become overwhelmed, so your gift guide must walk them through making quick and easy purchase decisions (consider a guided ad for this).
Remember, when you're running last-minute campaigns, it's even more important to ensure that you can deliver on time.
3. Free shipping
Free or reduced shipping along with free gift wrapping, are two more good ways to attract shoppers. Of course, you need to understand how these offers will impact your bottom line. When it comes to things like free wrapping you also need to consider logistics; whether you intend to handle it yourself or rely on fulfilment partners.
If you're aiming to bring shoppers into your brick-and-mortar store to do their Mother's Day shopping, try motivating them with an exclusive discount for Instagram users.
Instagram ads can boost your Mother’s Day sales
As Mother's Day approaches, consider Instagram ads as a possible way to boost sales and reach new customers. You can be sure that plenty of the 9.7 million Aussies on Instagram are in search of the perfect Mother's Day gift, so promoting your wares where they’re already looking makes good business sense.
