Setting up Instagram Lookalike Audiences is a powerful way to reach new customers who are similar to your existing audience. By targeting users who are similar to your existing followers, you can increase the effectiveness of your ads and drive more conversions. In this expanded guide, we’ll walk you through the step-by-step process of setting up Instagram Lookalike Audiences, as well as provide tips and best practices to help you get the most out of this targeting option.
Prerequisites:
Before you can set up Instagram Lookalike Audiences, you’ll need to meet the following prerequisites:
- You need to have an Instagram Business account. If you don’t have a Business account, you can convert your personal account to a Business account by going to your profile, tapping the three horizontal lines, and selecting “Settings” > “Account” > “Switch to Business Profile”.
- You need to have a Facebook Ads account connected to your Instagram account. If you don’t have a Facebook Ads account, you can create one by going to ads.facebook.com and following the sign-up process.
- You need to have a minimum of 1,000 followers on your Instagram account. This is because Lookalike Audiences require a minimum of 1,000 users to create a reliable and accurate audience.
Step 1: Create a Custom Audience
The first step in setting up Instagram Lookalike Audiences is to create a custom audience. A custom audience is a group of users who have already interacted with your brand or content in some way. This could include users who have:
- Engaged with your content (e.g. liked, commented, or shared a post)
- Visited your website or online store
- Made a purchase from your website or online store
- Signed up for your email list or newsletter
To create a custom audience, follow these steps:
- Log in to your Facebook Ads account and go to the Audiences tab.
- Click on “Create Audience” and select “Custom Audience”.
- Choose “Instagram” as the source and select “Instagram Users” as the audience type.
- Choose the specific audience you want to target, such as “People who have engaged with your content” or “People who have purchased from your website”.
- Set the audience size to “Custom” and enter a specific number of people you want to target.
For example, if you want to target users who have engaged with your content, you could set the audience size to 10,000 people.
Step 2: Create a Lookalike Audience
Once you’ve created a custom audience, you can create a Lookalike Audience. A Lookalike Audience is a group of users who are similar to your custom audience, but may not have interacted with your brand or content before.
To create a Lookalike Audience, follow these steps:
- Go back to the Audiences tab and click on “Create Audience” again.
- Select “Lookalike Audience” as the audience type.
- Choose the custom audience you created in Step 1 as the “Source Audience”.
- Set the “Location” to “Instagram Users” and select the countries or regions you want to target.
- Set the “Device” to “All Devices” to target users on both mobile and desktop devices.
- Set the “Age” and “Gender” to the specific demographics you want to target.
- Set the “Interests” to “Custom” and enter specific interests or behaviors you want to target.
- Set the “Behavior” to “Custom” and enter specific behaviors you want to target, such as “People who have purchased from your website”.
- Set the “Lookalike Audience Size” to a percentage (e.g. 1%, 2%, etc.) to determine how similar the new audience should be to your source audience.
For example, if you want to target users who are 1% similar to your custom audience, you could set the Lookalike Audience Size to 1%.
Step 3: Review and Launch Your Lookalike Audience
Once you’ve created your Lookalike Audience, you’ll need to review and launch it. To do this, follow these steps:
- Review your Lookalike Audience settings to ensure they are accurate and targeted.
- Click “Create Audience” to launch your Lookalike Audience.
- Your Lookalike Audience will be created and will start targeting users who are similar to your existing audience.
Tips and Best Practices:
Here are some tips and best practices to help you get the most out of Instagram Lookalike Audiences:
- Start with a small Lookalike Audience size (e.g. 1%) to test the performance of your ads and adjust as needed.
- Use multiple Lookalike Audiences to target different segments of your audience.
- Monitor the performance of your Lookalike Audiences regularly and adjust your targeting and ad creative as needed.
- Use Lookalike Audiences in combination with other targeting options, such as interests and behaviors, to create a more targeted and effective ad campaign.
- Consider using a Lookalike Audience size of 2% or higher to target a larger audience and increase your reach.
- Use Instagram’s built-in targeting options, such as interests and behaviors, to target users who are more likely to be interested in your brand or content.
- Consider using a custom audience size instead of a percentage-based size to target a specific number of users.
- Use Instagram’s ad scheduling feature to target users at specific times of day or week to increase engagement and conversions.
- Consider using Instagram’s ad rotation feature to rotate different ad creative and targeting options to optimize performance.
- Use Instagram’s reporting and analytics features to track the performance of your Lookalike Audiences and adjust your targeting and ad creative as needed.
By following these tips and best practices, you can create effective Instagram Lookalike Audiences that help you reach new customers and drive more conversions.
Common Mistakes to Avoid:
Here are some common mistakes to avoid when setting up Instagram Lookalike Audiences:
- Not targeting a specific audience: Make sure to target a specific audience by using custom audiences, interests, and behaviors.
- Not using a small Lookalike Audience size: Start with a small Lookalike Audience size to test the performance of your ads and adjust as needed.
- Not monitoring performance: Regularly monitor the performance of your Lookalike Audiences and adjust your targeting and ad creative as needed.
- Not using multiple targeting options: Use multiple targeting options, such as interests and behaviors, to create a more targeted and effective ad campaign.
- Not using Instagram’s built-in targeting options: Use Instagram’s built-in targeting options, such as interests and behaviors, to target users who are more likely to be interested in your brand or content.
- Not using ad scheduling: Use Instagram’s ad scheduling feature to target users at specific times of day or week to increase engagement and conversions.
- Not using ad rotation: Use Instagram’s ad rotation feature to rotate different ad creative and targeting options to optimize performance.
- Not using reporting and analytics: Use Instagram’s reporting and analytics features to track the performance of your Lookalike Audiences and adjust your targeting and ad creative as needed.
By avoiding these common mistakes, you can create effective Instagram Lookalike Audiences that help you reach new customers and drive more conversions.
Conclusion:
Instagram Lookalike Audiences are a powerful targeting option that can help you reach new customers who are similar to your existing audience. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can create effective Lookalike Audiences that drive more conversions and increase your brand’s visibility. Remember to start with a small Lookalike Audience size, use multiple targeting options, and regularly monitor performance to optimize your ad campaigns. By avoiding common mistakes and following best practices, you can create effective Instagram Lookalike Audiences that help you achieve your marketing goals.