It’s no secret that Instagram is popular – as of this writing, there are 600 million active users – and the number of businesses advertising on Instagram has reached new heights. There are 8 million business profiles on Instagram, and of those, 1 million advertise.

Types of Instagram Advertising

There are four kinds of Instagram ads: photo, video, carousel – viewers can swipe through several images or videos, and Stories. The easiest way to create an ad on Instagram is by promoting a post; the platform offers a fairly robust suite of targeting options to help you better connect with your target market.

Which Generation Uses Instagram The Most?

According to the Pew Research Center for Internet, Science & Tech, 59% of Instagram’s users are between the ages of 18-29. This means they’re either Millennials or members of Generation Z. People over the age of 50 made up only 26% of Instagram’s user base.

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We would expect to see these numbers change over time. This is the pattern we’ve seen with other social media networks: the first users tend to be younger, and then as the platform becomes more well-known, older people discover and begin using it.

Which Generation is Most Responsive to Instagram Advertising?

Many Instagram ads are designed with an assumption of a Millennial or Gen Z audience in mind. That being said, it’s not the younger set that’s most responsive to Instagram advertising. A recent study sponsored by Influence.co – a influencer marketing firm – has found that it is people between the ages of 65-74 who are most likely to seek out further information after seeing an Instagram post.

What Does This Mean For Your Business?

Fashion, department stores, and electronics brands saw the greatest boost from Instagram audiences. The same Influence.co study found that Instagram’s audience is extremely brand aware: Baby Boomers and older Gen Xers are most likely to do further research to learn more when they encounter a brand that is new to them. Knowing this can influence your content marketing strategy.

This report also highlights the importance of really delving down into your analytics and purchasing patterns to ensure the attention you’re attracting is converting into profitable customer relationships. It’s never a good idea to assume you know who your customers are: use your analytic reports to assess what’s really going on. No matter what generation your customers belong to, they expect a high degree of personal attention and responsiveness when they choose to take the relationship further.