Instagram to offer brands real-time performance ad data

The Facebook-owned social network has created a suite of advertising analytics tools offering a deeper view into how branded paid and organic content is shared on the site.

Previously, Instagram sent campaign information to advertisers manually upon request, whereas now they can access it from a bespoke dashboard. Also, brand marketers will be able to better understand the best time of day to post a photo or video.

The first of the three new tools is called “Account Insights”. It allows marketers to track the performance of unpaid posts through impressions, reach and engagement. A second “Ad Insights” tool lets users gauge the performance of paid campaigns using analytics such as reach and frequency for each individual ad delivered to the target audience. The final “Ad Staging” product gives advertisers the option to preview, save and collaborate on ad creative for upcoming campaigns.

While advertisers will be able to glean data from the tools in real time, they will not be able to adjust campaigns instantly, which is an option Facebook has built into its own offering.

Instagram has been testing the tools with several advertising partners and will make it readily available to marketers over the coming weeks and months.

It is Instagram’s latest bid to lift the value proposition for advertisers building on the hire of its first advertising chief last month. The photo-sharing network, which has more than 200 million users worldwide, first began working with brands on ads last October and has since signed deals with several advertising agencies.

Despite the investments into its advertising offering, the business is erring on the side of caution in order to avoid scaring off users who first flocked to the site in the wake of larger platforms such as Facebook increasing the number of ads shown. Instagram is currently only working on ads with a “handful” of brands in the US, Canada and Australia.