Will pushing ad traffic on Instagram help FB?

While the social media giant is formulating plans and sketching roadmaps to push more ads on its photo blogging platform Instagram, it is important for brands to think wisely and then invest on ads. The key is to look for conversion and target the niche

Brands can optimise their reach by collectively using Instagram and Facebook,” says Facebook India Managing Director Krithiga Reddy. The above quote by Facebook India’s MD is an evidence of how Facebook is pushing Indian brands to advertise on Instagram. The photo blogging platform by Facebook predominantly has a young set of audience, making it a good medium to target the youth.

The very fact that Instagram has over 400 million users across the globe is enough to attract brands to advertise on the platform. If claims are to be believed, the number of Indian Instagram users has doubled in the past year.

These facts are enough to approach marketers and get them to advertise. The idea of integrated advertising is good, but how far this will be effective is the question. It might be a smart move by Facebook to leverage the amount of permission and database it has created through the photo blogging platform, but is this the ripe time to clout the medium with ads?

The world’s largest social networking site has so far carefully built its advertising business patterns to be the second largest digital ad medium after Google. While suggesting integrated digital advertising on Facebook and Instagram to Indian brands, the social media giant has plans of expanding its ad reach because of the easy way of advertising. But then there is no shortcut to success. And no matter how convenient and easy Facebook makes digital advertising, it just cannot overtake Google; they are running on different tracks altogether.

While Facebook is slowly introducing ads in people’s feed, to avoid frustrating users. Despite having age, sex and region targeting, Facebook lacks the most vital filter for targeting people- “keywords”. And that’s where Google takes the pie. If you notice, the ads you see on Google are relevant and related to things you have searched.

And that’s why there is less frustration among users besides the humongous amount of ads. On the other hand, Facebook has a vague targeting and hence most ads you see will be irrelevant and of no use. If we compare, what Facebook does is nothing more than a little evolved version of TV advertising.

While advertising on TV, the brand surely gets a mind-boggling number of impressions, but that is certainly not something a brand would require most of the times. And if there are hardly any conversions, what’s the point of choosing digital over traditional media?

Facebook should start conceptualising its patterns and algorithms and aim for long term promising profits over short-term glittering profits. All we can say to Facebook is – All the best.