Instagram tests mid-roll video-ad pop-ups in stories

Seems like yesterday when Instagram began to offer sponsored posts in its photo stream, and soon thereafter, leveraged Facebook demographics to customize ads just for you; but now Instagram is taking it one step further in light of the fact that video storytelling has become the juggernaut for reaching and connecting with users. If you haven’t jumped into video content or ads yet, this article should convince you to take the plunge and not get left far, far behind.

On the heels of Facebook’s recent update where video ads are being served mid-roll into broadcasts much like Snapchat; Instagram, after much internal debate, is now testing ad stories peppered within its stream at the top of the feed offering yet another vehicle for your business to advertise its brand and products but with one key advantage over the masses, the video-ad placements will be powered by none other than Facebook’s ad technology.

One of the main concerns that businesses have expressed is the limited control they over the settings for these ad placements and that they want to be assured that ads will actually appear. To address the brands’ concerns, Facebook asked them to tag the video ads to categorize the content, and then customize and target distribution. In addition, Facebook will be adding click-thru functionality in the upcoming months with analytics available via Insights.

Despite the challenges and the yet-to-be-worked-out kinks, the future looks bright for Instagram ad stories. Is your business ready?