How To Use Instagram AR Filters For Campaigns
Did you know? Instagram has partnered up with Spark AR, making AR more accessible to everyone. Any brand is now able to create a custom AR Filter unique to their brand and upload it to Instagram for users to enjoy at no cost.
The Augmented Reality (AR) filter is one of the most powerful viral marketing tools by Instagram. It was only last year that Instagram fully opened their platform to branded AR filters, which means it is still a new marketing tool and there are not yet many Instagram Filter campaigns. Augmented reality filters are therefore a golden opportunity to improve your social media marketing.
The first step in taking this golden opportunity is to understand how to launch an effective campaign with Instagram’s AR Filter and measure ROI. In addition, knowing how to make your Instagram AR Filter easily found and shared by your audience, and measuring audience engagement with your branded AR experience are pivotal to your brand’s Instagram marketing success.
Launching An Instagram AR Filters Campaign
The first reason a brand may not launch its own AR filter campaign on Instagram is that they lack expertise. In reality, there is nothing to fear. Create your AR filter immediately with the professional Spark AR Studio. All your filters will be published and accessible on your brand account profile and stay as long as you want it to as long as your filter does not violate Instagram rules and regulations. The second reason a brand may not launch its AR filter campaign is that they aren’t fully convinced about what Instagram AR Filter campaigns promise. Fortunately, this quick article will pacify your doubts and convince you to launch one today.
#1 Boost Your Brand Engagement on Instagram
Instagram’s AR Filter helps to attract a lot of attention to your brand. You can incorporate elements of your brand into the Instagram AR Filter to reflect your brand identity, which helps increase brand awareness. Tinker Society’s “Diary Instagram AR Filter” on their @tinkersociety account on Instagram achieved 116.2 million of impressions in just one month, with 1.9 million captures and 328,000 shares on Instagram.
Displaying the author of the filter on the top left of Instagram Stories also adds a boost to your Instagram AR Filter campaigns. This way, every time someone uses your Instagram AR Filter on their Instagram stories, your brand name will pop up at the top of their screen, pulling those who are interested to visit your brand profile in the least intrusive way possible.
And if your AR Instagram filter manages to draw attention, your filter may become visible in the AR effects gallery, which is guaranteed to increase your brand awareness over time. Indeed, the Instagram AR Filter is a fun way for IG users to build a relationship with your brand.
#2 Free Brand Ambassador
The Branded Instagram AR Filter is a total marketing game-changer. If you launch an adorable filter that reflects your brand, endorsements will come your way. A lot of people will cooperate with you to promote your brand despite not being paid because their purpose is to simply have fun. By having fun with your filter, they are automatically advocating your brand.
#3 Minimal Cost and Unlimited Reach
AR filters allow you to grow an immense audience with minimal investment. Tinker society’s Instagram AR Filter is an example of a brand that did just that. From just one AR filter, 116.2 million brand impressions were earned in less than a month (not to mention the zero advertising cost involved).
Making Your Instagram AR Filter Easy to Find
When you publish an Instagram AR Filter, it will be linked to and sits directly under your brand profile. Once you set the filter to go live, it will be accessible on the filter tab under your Highlights reel. Otherwise, share it through your Instagram Stories and tap the link button on top of the screen to share the camera link via the swipe up link feature.
If you are running a branded Instagram AR Filter with the help of influencers, get them to tag you with a label that begins with “Paid Partnership With” so that as a partner, you will be able to view the metrics of their story. You can even go further by turning an influencer’s tagged story into an ad, though keep in mind that once you turn the story into an ad, you won’t be able to edit it as the ad would have been publicly listed in the Ad Library.
Running A Successful Instagram AR Filter Campaign
How do you incorporate Instagram’s AR Filter into your brand’s campaign? Firstly, when designing an Instagram AR Filter for your brand, make sure it engages your intended audience by conveying your brand story and that the visuals convey your brand image. Try not to play it safe when it comes to creativity, as pretty much every single idea you can think of has most likely been published by other brands or individuals. In short, don’t be afraid to try something completely different when designing your AR filter.
The Objectives of Creating an Instagram AR Filter
Having a clear goal and understanding why you want to create an AR Filter for your particular campaign is a must before even designing the filter. What are you trying to achieve from your AR filter campaign? Brand awareness? An increase in the number of interactions and engagement?
The development of your filter (brainstorming of ideas, flow and effect) will be based on the objectives you had in the first place. No objectives, no direction, campaign failure (the opposite is also true!).
Who is your audience – You cannot really control the spreading of the filter when your filter has been launched, but you can and you should always think of your initial preferred target audience. Think about who and what kind of personalities you would like to attract, and imagine what they would consider interesting.
What’s the story behind your filter – Consumers love to know the stories behind what they are interacting with. Think about where the inspiration for your filter came from and tell your audience the story behind your creation to make them feel connected. Help them relate to your brand on a personal level and encourage them to do something about their love for your filter. For example, launch an AR filter Photo Contest in which winning requires sharing a wefie of them with your brand’s filter. Doing this makes the audience take action in sharing your brand, thereby increasing growth, not just engagement.
What’s your target KPI– To wrap up a campaign performance report, there needs to be a measurable KPI for each creation, so that you always improve in your upcoming campaigns. Big wins require learning from past mistakes.
Instagram AR filter campaigns are a miracle to brands thinking of boosting their brand awareness through engaging with an infinite amount of users, some of whom will advocate your brand for free, saving you the trouble of having to pay brand ambassadors. If you are looking to draw attention to your brand, there is only one great way to speak out to millions about your brand, and that is to design your own Brand AR Filter as part of your campaign—and if you’re new at this, do this with the help of Instagram AR filter experts.
