How to Run Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp Ads: A Complete Guide

Running ads on Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp is a great way to reach your audience where they are most active. Each platform has unique advertising features that can help you grow your brand, increase sales, or drive traffic to your website. In this guide, we'll show you how to set up ads on Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp.

How to Run Instagram Ads

Instagram, owned by Facebook (Meta), offers advertisers a wide range of ad formats, including image, video, carousel, and stories ads. Here’s how to get started:

Create a Facebook Ad Account
Since Instagram ads are managed through Facebook's Ads Manager, you need to create a Facebook Ads account. Go to Facebook Ads Manager and sign up if you haven't already.
Select Your Campaign Objective
The first step in creating an Instagram ad is choosing your campaign objective. You can choose objectives like brand awareness, reach, traffic, engagement, conversions, and more depending on your goals.
Define Your Target Audience
You can specify who you want to target based on location, age, gender, interests, behaviors, and more. Instagram also lets you create custom audiences from email lists or website traffic and lookalike audiences based on existing customers.
Choose Ad Placement
Instagram ads can appear in the feed, stories, explore tab, and reels. You can select automatic placements to let Facebook decide where your ads will perform best or choose manual placement to focus on Instagram.
Create the Ad Content
Upload your images, videos, or carousels for the ad. Make sure the visuals are engaging and that they meet Instagram’s ad specs. You can also add headlines, descriptions, and call-to-action buttons like "Shop Now" or "Learn More."
Set Budget and Schedule
Choose between a daily budget or a lifetime budget for your campaign. Set a start and end date, or let the ads run continuously. Facebook’s system will optimize your ad delivery to achieve the best results within your budget.
Monitor and Optimize
Once your ads are running, monitor their performance in Ads Manager. You can track key metrics like impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost per result. Use these insights to optimize your campaigns over time.

How to Run Twitter Ads

Twitter ads are ideal for promoting content, increasing brand awareness, or driving website traffic. Here's how you can create a successful Twitter ad campaign:

Create a Twitter Ads Account
Sign in to your Twitter account and go to the Twitter Ads Dashboard. If you don’t already have an account, you'll need to create one.
Choose Your Campaign Objective
Twitter offers several campaign objectives such as awareness, engagement, video views, app installs, and website conversions. Select the one that aligns with your goals.
Set Your Budget and Schedule
Decide how much you want to spend and set either a daily or total campaign budget. You can also choose the campaign's duration by setting specific start and end dates.
Define Your Target Audience
Twitter lets you target users based on demographics, interests, behaviors, keywords, follower lookalikes, and tailored audiences. You can also select the devices and platforms where your ads will appear.
Select Ad Format
Twitter offers various ad formats such as promoted tweets, video ads, and follower ads. Promoted tweets appear in users' timelines, while follower ads encourage users to follow your account.
Create Your Ads
Draft your tweet and include images, videos, or GIFs to make it more engaging. Add a call-to-action (CTA) to encourage clicks, such as “Shop Now” or “Learn More.” Make sure the ad is short, snappy, and relevant to your audience.
Launch and Monitor Performance
Once your campaign is live, use Twitter’s Ads Manager to monitor performance metrics like engagement rate, cost-per-click (CPC), and impressions. Adjust your targeting or ad creative as needed to improve performance.

How to Run WhatsApp Ads

WhatsApp, also owned by Meta, allows you to run ads that click-to-chat. These ads don’t appear directly on WhatsApp but are placed on Facebook or Instagram and redirect users to a chat on WhatsApp.

Set Up a WhatsApp Business Account
To run WhatsApp ads, you need a WhatsApp Business account. You can download the WhatsApp Business app or integrate with the WhatsApp Business API if you need more advanced features.
Create an Ad in Facebook Ads Manager
Similar to Instagram ads, WhatsApp ads are created in Facebook Ads Manager. Select the "Messages" objective, which is designed for click-to-chat ads.
Choose WhatsApp as the Messaging App
When setting up your campaign, choose WhatsApp as the destination for messages. This means when users click on the ad, they will be directed to your WhatsApp chat.
Define Your Audience
Just like with Instagram and Facebook ads, you can target users based on demographics, location, interests, and behaviors. You can also use custom audiences and lookalike audiences.
Create Ad Content
The ad formats available for WhatsApp ads include image, video, and carousel. Your ad should have a compelling visual and a clear CTA like “Chat with us” or “Learn more on WhatsApp.”
Set Budget and Schedule
Set your daily or lifetime budget, as well as the duration of your campaign. WhatsApp ads work on a pay-per-click basis, meaning you pay when someone clicks on the ad and starts a conversation.
Monitor and Optimize
Track the performance of your ads through Facebook Ads Manager. Keep an eye on key metrics such as click-through rate (CTR), cost per conversation, and response rate. Make adjustments to your targeting and creative as necessary to maximize your ROI.