Instagram has announced further expanding its platform for advertisers. The image and video sharing platform had introduced ads a year and half ago. The company claims it has already expanded business to eight countries and has an extensive usage of the platform for branding objectives. Instagram has now decided to make ads available to businesses of all types and sizes.
Instagram, which is now owned by Facebook, will allow advertisers to connect users through expanded targeting options. The feature will also see a deeper Facebook integration, of which Instagram says: “Working with Facebook, we will enable advertisers to reach people on Instagram based on demographics and interests, as well as information businesses have about their own customers. We will also improve the feedback mechanisms within Instagram to give people greater control and improve the relevance of the ads they see.”
“People want to connect with businesses of all sizes on Instagram, from their favorite local clothing stores and restaurants to the largest brands in the world. To give all businesses the opportunity to reach the right people, we are working to make Instagram advertising available through an Instagram Ads API and Facebook ad buying interfaces over the coming months,” added Instagram. “There are more than two million advertisers who actively use Facebook to market their business and we want to leverage the best of Facebook’s infrastructure for buying, managing and measuring the success of ads on Instagram. We will start by opening the Instagram Ads API to a select group of Facebook Marketing Partners and agencies, and we plan to expand globally throughout the year.”
Expansion of Instagram ads is certainly good news for brands which have been leveraging the platform through subtle marketing. Expansion will allow them to target more and relevant users as well as grow a community outside Facebook. As far as users go, it's highly unlikely they'd welcome the move. With Facebook already littered with ads and sponsored content, Instagram users are unlikely to welcome a heavier dose of advertising, especially custom ads.