AI powered Ad Insights at your Fingertips - Get the Extension for Free

Maximizing Engagement: How Carousel Ads Drive Deeper Connections on Instagram

Instagram Carousel ads

In our fast-paced digital age, it’s harder to grab and hold a reader’s focus than ever. As one of the most successful social media networks in the present day, Instagram also provides multiple types of advertisements to help attract the attention of users and advertise more effectively. Of these formats, carousel ads are particularly notable as a dynamic and flexible creative option that permits brands to feature the narratives of several products and engage users in a richer experience. In this blog, we’ll cover the reasons why carousel ads are a must for brands seeking deeper engagement on Instagram. We’ll explore how they function, what they provide to us as tools, and some guidance for the successful design and implementation of campaigns. And that’s not all, we’ll show you some use cases and examples to illustrate the wonderful ways that marketers use carousel ads to incredible effect. Whether you’re just getting started with Instagram advertising or looking to refine your current strategy, this guide will show you how to use Instagram carousel ads for optimal results.

Ready to Elevate your Marketing Strategy?

What Are Instagram Carousel Ads?

Carousel ads is a multi-image or multi-video ad format that allows companies to showcase up to 10 images or videos in one ad. This gives brands the ability to go further into their messaging, display a wider offering, or tell a multi-step story without letting the viewer move on. With an interactive “swipe” option, the format prompts users to “tap” into content in a way that a single-image ad just can’t.

The battle for marketers isn’t simply to be noticed, but to be remembered. Instagram carousel ads are attention-grabbing and provide a creative way to get users interacting and exploring. This type of format can increase the level of interaction that is created with the end-user, increase brand visibility, and likely generate higher conversions.

Understanding Carousel Ads

At their heart, carousel ads are a storytelling medium.” You can show a different angle of a product or a new product entirely, or take your audience on a journey without boring them. The swipable format allows users to participate in the ad experience, which is the reason why engagement is higher compared to typical ads. They also enable brands to mix media types, photos, videos and text, to tap out a versatile and layered message.

It’s especially effective for brands with a complex product or service because they can show various angles, features or uses. For instance, a fashion brand may use a carousel ad to show an entire look from multiple angles of a new collection, or an electronics manufacturer might highlight several benefits of a new product. Carousel ads are also highly narrative, enabling brands to bring people on a visual journey through their products, ethos or company history.

A primary advantage of carousel ads is that they are action-oriented. Every slide of a carousel ad can have its own call-to-action (CTA), so that users can click to separate landing pages, shop products or explore more about each product. That flexibility allows businesses to direct customers to different sections of their sales funnel within a single ad, creating an interactive format that can convert.

Understanding how carousel ads work can help businesses optimise their campaigns to increase user engagement, interest, and conversion rate.

Related – Pop-Up Ads on Instagram

The Benefits of Carousel Ads for Deeper Engagement

Below are the various advantages of Carousel ads on Instagram that ensure to engage the audience more effectively. Here’s how they stand out:

Enhanced Storytelling

Use multiple images or videos in a single ad to tell a richer story with carousel ads. This linear format is used to tell a story or feature particular elements of a product or service. For instance, a beauty brand can showcase the stages of a skincare routine, and a travel company can transport users to a destination visually. This method of storytelling keeps users engaged and prompts them to interact with the ad all the way through.

Increased User Interaction

Carousel ads naturally lend themselves to being swiped and are more tactile for users. Users see the ad on their screen longer as they swipe through the various slides, as opposed to a single-image ad. More of these interactions can result in higher levels of interest and curiosity, prompting your users to learn more about the brand or product.

Demonstrate More Than One Product or Feature

Especially great for brands offering many products or services, Carousel ads. Brands can feature a single item, they don’t have to think so hard about the first slide. They can treat each slide as a surface and then talk about different products or features, or variations. An apparel brand can show several outfits, colours, or accessories in a single ad to give a more holistic impression of their products.

Enhanced Visual Appeal

Videos, photos and text can be combined in visually dynamic ads. Taking advantage of eye-catching imagery and great content, your brand can grab attention and keep it there. The video feature aside, the image flyers also make it a muse for your followers.

Greater Conversion Potential

Each frame in a carousel ad can have its own call-to-action (CTA), so people can click through to different landing pages and product details. This flexibility can serve as a guide to users at multiple points in the purchase funnel, ranging from awareness to the final request. One slide, for instance, could feature a special offer, while another sends them to a product page.

Better Performance Metrics

Carousel ads give you a lot of critical feedback about how users are engaging and performing. There are metrics brands can monitor, like the number of swipes, clicks, and interactions per slide, which provide very useful data on what works and what doesn’t for the audience. This is vital data for fine-tuning future campaigns and learning about user behaviour.

Higher Engagement Rates

Carousel ads are more engaging than single-image ads. A carousel format is interactive and motivates users to stay with the content for more time, as a result, getting more likes, comments, and shares.

Brands can take advantage of this to craft more engaging and successful Instagram campaigns that will appeal to their audience, facilitate interaction, and, most importantly, raise conversion rates.

Check Out – How To Videos on Instagram

Why Carousel Ads Make Such an Impact with Visuals

On Instagram, carousel ads are a great way to make a visual splash. They exploit the multimedia richness of the platform to attract their readers and generate interaction. This is how carousel ads create such stunning visual interest:

Sequential Storytelling

Carousel ads feature a series of images or videos that tell a story or a theme. This process ensures sequence not only draws lazy users in, but keeps them engaged until they’ve swiped through all the slides. For instance, a clothing brand can display a “Day-to-Night” outfit change featuring two different outfits for two different purposes. The development of images also works in the story being formed to connect with the sensibilities of readers.

Dynamic Visual Presentation

Unlike single-image ads, carousel ads allow you to combine different formats such as photos, videos and text. This variety of content provides visual stimulation that’s visually changing things up. For example, a travel company can develop the image of stunning panoramic views, cultural adventures and real customer reviews, which build an opulent visual dynamics appealing to the viewer’s sense of adventure.

Highlighting Multiple Features

The best use of carousel ads is for highlighting multiple product features or angles. A single slide can have a narrow focus on one characteristic and provide detail without overwhelming the viewer. A tech company, for example, could use each carousel slide to show off various features of a new gadget, battery life, camera quality, overall design and so on. This holistic method ensures that each and every section is successfully relayed.

Adding interactive features

The swipeable nature of the carousel ads invites user engagement that will further underline the visual punch Carousel Ads can have. I also find that this makes it more reasonable for users to swipe through the slides at the risk of staying with each visual element longer. This makes for a “stickier” experience than a static ad, resulting in a more visually arresting experience.

High-Quality Imagery

Carousel ads also give you the chance to show several professionally designed images. The use of bright colour schemes, crisp detail and aesthetically pleasing ordering draws the eyes of its viewers, and creates an impression worthy enough to be printed. The ad is visually engaging and highlights stunning imagery that showcases the product, sets a mood, and/or stirs up emotions, which helps to make the ad more memorable.

Consistent Branding

You can have the same design aesthetic flow through your carousel ads. Through a consistent design theme, colour palette and typography, brands can echo their own identity and achieve a harmonious visual environment. This uniformity aids in the creation of brand awareness and the visual identity of your business.

Enhanced Creativity

The format is highly conducive to creativity, giving brands the chance to play around with visuals. From overlays and text to animations and transitions, carousel content is a canvas to bring creativity to life. Advertisers can write, design ads that break the mould of traditional ad formats.

Focused Messaging

Each slide can be customised to feature a specific message or unique selling point. This kind of focus makes sure that the important things can be communicated without obstruction. It means a beauty brand could dedicate separate slides to showcase various skincare routines, advantages and client testimonials, and get one visual message across in a clear and compelling way.

By tapping into these visual techniques, carousel ads can deliver a strong punch, capturing attention, increasing engagement and guiding the audience to take the actions you want. The fact that you can show several sides of a brand or product in a visually appealing fashion makes carousel ads a must-have for successful Instagram marketing.

Best Practices for Carousel Ad Layouts

Creating good carousel ads is a balance that combines creativity and strategic thought along with audience knowledge. Here is my top advice to make the most out of your carousel ads on Instagram:

Define Clear Objectives

Define your goals before you create your carousel ad. Do you want to raise your brand’s profile, send visitors to your store, highlight a product launch, or highlight a suite of products? Knowing your objectives will drive the look and message of every one of your slides, ensuring your carousel successfully serves your marketing purpose.

Craft a Compelling Narrative

Use the carousel format to thread stories together. For me, each slide is a stripper during act 2, it must add to the next slide, lifting or removing more clothing than it put on. Say, for example, you’re advertising a new clothes line; you can begin with a broader look at the collection, followed by some featured items and a call-to-action. This is a storytelling technique that ensures viewers remain engaged and are more inclined to “swipe” through all slides.

Use High-Quality Visuals

The quality of your carousel ad in terms of visuals is very important. Leverage high-quality images and videos that have been cosmetically designed to engage the followers. Make sure that images match your brand’s aesthetic and are of a high aesthetic quality to represent your brand with quality.

Highlight Key Features

Every slide should highlight a specific feature of your product or the message you are trying to convey. Leverage good, clean copy and imagery to call out features, benefits or key selling points. If you’re selling a tech product, you’ll want separate slides for product features, user benefits and testimonials. Such a targeted method ensures that viewers receive the most important points without being buried in information.

Include Compelling Calls to Action

Add powerful calls to action on relevant slides. Each slide should be leading the viewer toward the action that you want them to take, be it visiting a website, signing up for a newsletter or making a purchase. Ensure the CTAs are unambiguous, actionable and on point when it comes to your campaign.

Maintain Visual Consistency

Be sure that there is a common design theme applied in the carousel. Carry over the colour scheme, font, and style of imagery to Jive. This consistency will strengthen your branding and make your ad more visually interesting.

Optimise for Mobile

Instagram is a mobile-centric platform, so consider the user experience for mobile with carousel ads. Ensure that the text is readable, mobile images are compatible, and everything appears nicely on the small screen. Ah, the old “test it on different devices” trick. Test your carousel on different devices to see that it appears and functions well.

Leverage Interactive Elements

Get your viewers involved by adding interactive content, like swipe-up links, polls, or interactive stickers. If you have the ability to add more interactive elements, you can increase interaction and stimulate user actions, thereby increasing engagement within the carousel interface.

Test and Iterate

Conduct an A/B test with a couple of different carousel designs to see which your audience likes better. Test differences in images, copy and CTAs to discover which factors lead to greater engagement and more conversions. Refine your ads and create better prospective campaigns using performance data.

Analyse Performance Metrics

Track important KPIs like swipe-through rates, engagement rates and conversion rates. Examining these measures will tell you how well your carousel ad is running and how you might need to tweak it. Leverage this data to make your current campaign more efficient and to help determine the right strategy for future campaigns.

Using these tactics, you can create carousel ads that stimulate attention, interest viewers, and influence conversions. The ability to introduce several sides of your brand or product’s personality in an easy-to-consume format makes it a great way to supplement your Instagram advertising efforts. 

Recommended For You – How UGC Ads Enhance Brand Credibility on Instagram

Using Carousel Ads to Showcase Multiple Products

Carousel ads on Instagram are especially great for featuring multiple products in one ad unit. This format can showcase multiple items in a unified manner, which has several benefits for brands looking to promote their diverse offerings. Here’s how you can leverage the carousel ad to display multiple products in an effective way:

Highlight Product Categories

Showcase diverse product lines in your collection with carousel ads. For instance, if you’re running a fashion brand, create a slide each for different categories, casual wear, party wear, accessories, etc. This reduces the time that the viewer needs to spend sifting through different categories and products to find ones that are of interest to them.

Feature Product Variations

Display multiple types of a product, like colour or size, in a carousel. For example, if you’re advertising a sneaker, you can show a different colour or style on each slide. This creates a way for customers to view all options and select their preferred variation without having to click through to various other product pages.

Tell a Product Story

Tell the story of a product in carousel format. Use an opening slide to outline 3-4 key features of the product or unique selling points. Continue with slides demonstrating the product in use, from various angles, and its benefits. This storytelling format offers a holistic view of the product and the overall value proposition.

Showcase Product Bundles

If you’re selling a product bundle or grouping, carousel ads can help you feature each item separately. Each slide can be used to showcase a product in the bundle and illustrate how everything works together. This works to help customers see the full package and how they are saving when they purchase the bundle.

Present Seasonal Collections

Use carousel ads to feature seasonal or limited edition collections. A new product from the collection can be shown on these slides, making it seem urgent and exciting. For instance, in the holiday season, a carousel ad can feature a selection of holiday-specific products, driving viewers to click through and buy the lot.

Include Content by Your Users

Leverage user-generated content (UGC) to drive carousel ads even further. Add some images or more positive reviews from people who have tried other things from this line. This goes a long way and not only does it show your product in action (in real-life situations, which is great! sentimental context anybody), but it is building trust and credibility through actual customer experiences.

Create a Visual Journey

Use your carousel to take people on a visual tour of your product range. Begin with an attractive slide showcasing the series of products, and then continue with slides detailing each product in the collection. Finish with a compelling CTA that motivates people to learn more or buy your product.

Use Consistent Branding

Keep branding elements such as colour schemes, fonts, and logos consistent across all of the slides in your carousel. This will help keep the branding of your presentation the same and ensure all of your slides look cohesive and professional.

Use Slide Captions and Descriptions

Use refreshing caption & description on each slide, create even more interest, and bring you more traffic from everywhere. Use these text fields to encourage your customers to contact you with any questions or to link them to your social media sites. Strong, relatable descriptions encourage those viewers to swipe through all of the slides and act.

Analyse and Optimise

Track how your carousel ads are performing with swipe-through rates, engagement and conversion metrics. Leverage it to know which products appeal most to your audience and optimise your ad copy accordingly. It’s worth experimenting with different product orderings and slide orders in order to optimise your carousel ads for the best results.

You can give your audience a dynamic, interactive experience when you utilise carousel ads in an impactful way to display several of your products. Not only are you able to promote a variety as well as host of different products, but you also have an opportunity to create a story behind them to spark interest and increase sales.

Telling a Story with Carousel Ads

Instagram carousel ads present an opportunity to tell a bold story in a series of visual assets. If you use this format right, you can tell a story, get the audience interested and involved, and then prompt action. Below is how you can create a compelling story with carousel ads:

Define Your Narrative Arc

Before you make your carousel ad, write down the story you want to tell. Decide what you want your audience to take away, and then decide how each slide will help you tell that story. There has to be an obvious beginning, middle, and end to your story that takes your viewer or readers along on the journey of your ideas or events.

Create a Strong Opening Slide

The first slide in your carousel ad is important for grabbing attention. Use it to present the main thrust or hook of your story. It should be eye-catching and interesting to prompt people to swipe through the rest of your feed. Try leading with a captivating image or a thought-provoking question, quotation, or statement.

Build the Narrative

Take the following slides to add more to the story. Each slide should add more content or detail, or add something new to the story. For instance, if you are narrating the history behind a product from the idea to the user, you could display the design phases, the making of and its real-life uses on the middle slides.

Integrate Visual and Textual Components

Graphic novels are so great because they are the perfect marriage between visuals and text. Use images or video to break up sections and display points of interest, and copy them with captions or brief explanations. Make sure the words reinforce the imagery and tell the story well.

Use Consistent Themes and Visuals

Keep a unified visual style and theme in the carousel to keep a cohesive narrative. This even goes down to the fonts and design elements that I use across my slides. Consistency also strengthens your narrative and keeps viewers intrigued as they swipe through the carousel.

Highlight Key Moments

Develop what is important in the story and, moreover, focus on it. These are the high points of the story on which everything pivots. Catchy graphics, bold texts, or brief animations that focus on these touchpoints and make them pop will do the trick.

Incorporate a Call to Action

End your carousel ad with a compelling call to action (CTA) that moves the viewer along the sales journey. Whether people have clicked through to your site, subscribed to a newsletter, or made a purchase, the CTA should complement the story you build and encourage viewers to act on what interests them.

Use User Generated Content to Your Advantage

Use UGC photos in your carousel ad when available to bring in authenticity and credibility to your story. Real customer experiences or testimonials can help tell the story and endear your reader to you.

Test Different Storylines

Try out different stories and formats to find what appeals to your audience the most. By performing A/B tests on different narratives, you can see what story tends to get the most engagement and conversions, and then refine your approach moving forward.

Analyse and Optimise

See how your carousel ad performed After you’ve run your carousel ad, review performance to get an understanding of how well your story was received. Monitor engagement rates, swipe-through rates, and conversions to measure the success of your story. Leverage these findings to continue refining future carousel ads and storytelling.

Carousel ads help you tell a unique story using multiple images and videos so you can connect with your audience in a way that’s both emotional and visual. This storytelling not only grabs the attention of your audience, but it also tells your message in a manner that connects and, in turn, prompts that sought-after action with your brand.

Using Carousel Ads for Retargeting

Carousel ads are especially effective in retargeting since they provide a dynamic approach to re-engage people who have shown some sort of engagement with your brand in the past. Retarget with carousel ads for a more customised feel, promote different items or services and optimise conversions. This is how to use carousel ads for retargeting successfully:

Segment Your Audience

The first step is to separate your targeted audience with respect to their past engagements with your brand. These might be people who have come to your website, read your content, or abandoned a cart. Customise your retargeting to target segments: This will let you offer more relevant and personalised carousel ads.

Showcase Relevant Products

Leverage carousel ads to showcase relevant products or services based on the user’s historic behaviour. For instance, if someone left behind their cart with multiple items in there, make a carousel ad showing them all over again. This method may jog users’ memories and persuade them to check out.

Highlight Special Offers

Use special offers, sales, or promotions in your carousel ads to encourage users to come back and convert. For example, if a product interests but they did not purchase a user, you might use a carousel ad featuring that product and offering a limited-time discount or free shipping.

Use Dynamic Product Ads

Set up dynamic carousel ads that will automatically feature the products a user has already seen or engaged with in the past; dynamic ads pull data from your product catalogue to auto-populate the carousel with items based on a user’s past browsing, and users will find the ad relevant and engaging.

Remove the Obstacles to Conversion

Each slide in your carousel ad should feature a clear, compelling call-to-action (CTA). It could be “Shop Now”, “Learn More”, or “Book Today”. A powerful call to action inspires users to do the next thing, whether it’s making a purchase, registering for a webinar, or visiting your site.

Test Different Messaging

Test out different messaging tactics within your carousel ads to find out what resonates with your retargeting audience the most. Experiment with various offers, headlines, and images to see which combinations get the most engagement and conversions.

Personalise the Experience

Personalise the messaging in your carousel ads to reflect the user’s past engagement with your brand. You can personalise for them by showing similar items to what they viewed, their favourite categories, or user-generated content on products relevant to what they want.

Optimise for Mobile

Make sure your carousel ads are mobile-friendly, as many people will respond to them on their mobile phones. Ensure high-resolution images, easy-to-read text and easy browsing on mobile so your website is usable and enjoyable.

Keep an Eye on and tweak Performance

Always keep an eye on how your retargeting carousel ads are performing; you’ll want to track your CTR, conversion rates, and ROAS. Leverage these insights to fine-tune your ad strategy with data, and you will be sure to pick the right strategy that works best.

Use Sequential Retargeting

Use sequential retargeting to serve back-to-back carousel ads that take users through a journey. Begin with re-engagement ads featuring previous interactions, showing next ads with new products or offers, and conclude with ads promoting the last conversion or up-sell.

With carousel ads and retargeting, you have a second chance to re-engage users and effectively drive conversions on your advertising campaigns. The dynamic visual and engaging aspect of the carousel ad gives you room to display more than one product or message to catch the eye of the viewers more effectively and push them to act.

Must See – Event Ads on Instagram

How to Evaluate Carousel Ad Performance

In order to make sure your carousel ads are successful and lead to a high ROI, we need to measure their performance the right way. Examining these statistics and learning how your carousel ad performed can help you optimise and enhance future campaigns. Here is how to gauge the success of your carousel ad campaigns:

Track Engagement Metrics

Begin by paying attention to engagement metrics: impressions, clicks and swipe-through rates. Impressions reflect the number of times your ad has appeared on a search result, while clicks indicate the number of times users clicked on it. A factor known as swipe-through rates determines whether an ad was successful in engaging a user by toggling back and forth through various slides in the carousel.

Examine the CTR 

The CTR is an important indicator of how appealing your carousel ad is in getting users to just do something. Find CTR by dividing clicks by impressions and multiplying by 100. If your CTR is higher, it means that your ad is attracting the user’s attention.

Evaluate Conversion Rates

Conversion rates are the percentage of people who took a defined action after clicking on your ad. This could involve making a purchase, subscribing to a newsletter or downloading an app. Measure conversions to see how efficiently your carousel ad is moving people to take action toward your campaign objective.

Assess Cost Metrics

Look at cost KPIs like cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-conversion. CPC is useful for getting an idea of how much you’re spending on each click your ad receives, while cost per conversion shows how much you’re paying to acquire each customer. This data is critical for ensuring that your Instagram Carousel ads are not only effective but also cost-effective.

Track Return on Ad Spending (ROAS)

ROAS is a stat used to quantify how much revenue your ad campaign is driving compared with what you spent on advertising. ROAS is total revenue/total ad spend. If your ROAS numbers are trending high, that tells you that your carousel ads are a good investment.

Examine Engagement by Slide

Review performance by sliding in your carousel ad. It will give you insight into what products or messages are recently resonating most with your audience. Identify which slides got the most engagement, and use these types of content in future ads.

Track User Actions Post-Click

Keep track of how users behave when they click on your carousel ad by using tracking tools. That includes how they use your website or app, if they end up making a purchase, and how much time they spend engaged. Knowing after-click activities will allow you to measure how well your ad is able to trigger valuable user engagement.

Analyse Audience Segments

Analyse performance metrics across various audience segments to see which are responding the best to your carousel ads. Analysing segments can help highlight demographic or behavioural patterns that will help you optimise your ads more efficiently.

A/B Testing Results

A/B test between different variants of your carousel ads, whether that be different images, headlines or call to actions. Use those results to decide which variations are optimal and take this as a basis to optimise your ad strategy.

Review Customer Feedback

Gather and analyse feedback from people who engaged with your carousel ads. It may be comments, app reviews, surveys, and other feedback received. And knowing how customers feel about your ads, and what kind of ads they like and dislike, can help you to improve your ad creative.

Adjust Based on Insights

Leverage the analysis of your performance data. Use the learnings from your performance data to fine-tune your carousel ad campaigns. This could involve changing creative, targeting, or your broader strategy to improve ad performance.

You can use consistent measurement and assessment of your carousel ads to help compare what’s working and what’s not, and to use that when testing new creative. This means you can optimise your ad campaigns, enhance your engagement and get better results in your future advertising.

Case Studies and Examples

Real-world examples and case studies of Instagram Carousel ads across industries show how effective carousel ads are, leading to deeper engagement. Let’s take a look at some actual examples and case studies in different industries. The above examples illustrate how various brands have capitalised on carousel ads to meet their marketing objectives.

Fashion Retailer – Zara

Zara is an international fashion retailer that is part of the rapidly emerging fast-fashion segment and based on the trend-reaction design model.

  • Goal: Boost interaction, stimulate sales and launch a new collection.
  • Strategy: Zara developed a carousel ad that featured several outfits from their new collection. Every slide included a separate outfit, with shoppable tags that allowed users to buy items directly from the ad.
  • Results: Carousel ad achieved 30% more engagement than the single image ad. The swipe-through ratio had increased vastly, and users were engaging with more than one slide. Conversion rates also jumped 25%, suggesting that the introduction of product showcases and purchase options was a successful one.

Travel Agency – Expedia

Expedia is one of the world’s most popular online travel booking agencies, and we work with them all of the time to get great discounts!

  • Objective: Drive summer travel bookings and deals for vacation packages.
  • Strategy: Expedia took a carousel ad to showcase different travel destinations, with each slide showing pictures of popular vacation spots alongside special offers. The ad also featured call-to-action buttons leading users to the booking page of each destination.
  • Results: The ‘Not Just Another Hotel’ campaign achieved a 40% uplift in CTR and 15% in bookings against their previous campaigns. The carousel feature enabled users to swipe through multiple travel options, achieving better engagement and more educated booking behaviour.

Tech Brand – Apple

Apple Inc. is one of the world’s most recognisable and creative technology companies, known for its cutting-edge product offerings, stylish design, and ability to cultivate a loyal customer following. 

  • Goal: Highlight new product capabilities and generate excitement around a product release.
  • Strategy: Apple debuted a carousel ad with the swipeable pyramids to show its newest iPhone model. A separate slide struck each feature against which to contrast the Galaxy Z Flip, including camera, battery life and design. The advertisement was spiced with images and short explanations for each feature.
  • Results: The carousel ad produced a 20% higher engagement rate than previous single-image ads. Users were more engaged, more noodling around, which resulted in a 10% increase in pre-orders for the new iPhone

E-commerce – Sephora

As a beauty trailblazer, Sephora revolutionised the industry and has forever changed the face of prestige cosmetics by expanding to the digital realm.

  • Goal: Drive beauty/skincare sales during the holidays with seasonal beauty products.
  • Strategy: Sephora ran a carousel ad of a selection of its beauty products, such as limited edition holiday sets, and exclusive offers. Each slide had a unique product along with a call-to-action button linking to a product page.
  • Outcome: Product page visits were increased by 35% and purchase revenue by 20% with the carousel ad versus their standard ad formats. Multiple product ads enabled the users to browse your products more effectively and helped them to choose their preference.

Fitness Brand – Nike

At the top of the stand is Nike; they make everything from performance to lifestyle to innovation products.

  • Goal: Attract the attention of members with brand new fitness classes that will sell themselves a subscription.
  • Strategy: Nike ran a carousel ad that featured its new app features, such as workout plans, nutrition guides and progress tracking. Each slide showcased one feature with fancy images and users’ feedback.
  • Impact: The app downloads grew by 25%, and subscriptions were 15% higher as a result. The carousel ad unit was successful in showcasing the wide array of offers from the app and helped increase user interest and engagement.

Food and Beverage – Starbucks

Starbucks is now a household name in the food and drink sector, and not just because of its top-notch coffee but because it helped change the very nature of how people interact with cafés.

  • Objective: Highlight seasonal menu items and increase store traffic.
  • Strategy: Starbucks used a carousel ad to promote their holiday drinks and treats, available for a short time. Each flash consisted of a new piece with excellent images and a holiday setting.
  • Results: The carousel’s ad increased foot traffic to Starbucks shops by 30% from the week before, and upped seasonal drink sales by 20%. The visually pleasing format was the perfect way to catch users’ attention and get them to head into stores to sample these new products.

These examples demonstrate the flexibility and success of Instagram Carousel ads in any number of industries. And because they can promote several products, features or stories within one ad, brands can build richer, more interactive experiences for people, which will help increase engagement and drive better performance for their businesses.

FAQs

What are Instagram Carousel ads?

Carousel ads are ads that let people swipe to see additional images and videos in a single ad on Instagram.

What do Instagram Carousel ads do for engagement?

They provide additional real estate for products or to build a narrative, which often sparks more interaction and engagement than a single-image ad.

How do I measure the carousel ads?

Key measures include impressions, clicks, swipe-through rate (how often users click through to the site after seeing the ad), click-through rate (CTR), conversion rates and return on ad spend (ROAS).

How can I test what works on each slide of a carousel ad?

Evaluate slide engagement data and best-performing slides to see which perform best.

Are carousel ads out there in the wild ideal for retargeting?

 Yes, carousel ads work well for retargeting by featuring different products or offers to users who’ve already engaged with your brand.

What are some carousel ad ideas?

Creative ideas could show products from beginning to end, share tutorials, tell a narrative series and show before-and-afters.

How frequently should I rotate my carousel ads?

 Periodically refresh carousel ads with content that is fresh and topical for performance and seasonality.

Are carousel ads pricier than single images?

 The cost is based on ad quality and targeting. Carousel ads might be more expensive per click, but they can pay off in engagement and conversions.

How do I make sure carousel ads are getting more value?

Leverage great imagery, strong CTAs, and test different copy to see what works best for your audience.

What kinds of businesses do well with carousel ads?

Carousel ads can be particularly useful for companies with several products available, e-commerce stores, and businesses that have a lot of details to share or a variety of features to highlight.

Conclusion for Instagram Carousel ads

Instagram carousel ads present an exciting opportunity for businesses to interact with viewers dynamically and in more detail by incorporating multiple images or videos in a single ad. Carousel ads are an invaluable asset for brand storytelling, portray several products at a time, and propel more viewers’ action. Although carousel ads have been regarded as important due to the innovations, updates, and editing, firstly, they provide a visual boost that portrays or narrates a brand story that influences, and thirdly, a viewer’s reminder that permits retargeting. 

Consequently, carousel ads are a vital marketing tool to increase the rate of immediate response or action taken. The most effective use of carousel ads is highly dependent on how data-oriented one’s audience influence is, the nature of the ad projected, and how the brand analyses the data insights after viewing the activity. Therefore, carousel ads are an excellent asset for any player in a competitive organisation.

 

Ready to Elevate your Marketing Strategy?