Hopefully by now you’ve heard about – or read about on our blog! – the upcoming Instagram advertising opportunities that’ll be coming our way soon. Beta testing is already under way as big wigs like Levis, Adidas, and Macy’s get to test out Facebook-style sponsored posts on US users.

We’re not sure yet exactly when the beta will end and humble aspiring advertisers like us will get the go-ahead to start posting our marketing images onto feeds, but we do know that this is a big deal and a whole new frontier – and we need to be prepared for it!

1. Think Instagram

Any good marketer will tell you one size never fits all media. Just like TV advertisers had to transition from radio and internet advertisers had to figure out new ways to engage immediate online audiences, Instagram advertisers have to reshape their approaches.

Remember that your audience will be mobile, so you need to have CTAs and landing pages that are ideal for the mobile user. Also remember that this is a rapidly engaging medium that’s visual-oriented, so text will have vastly minimal influence here. This isn’t 90 characters on Facebook with an image on the side – like with Tumblr marketing , this is a premier image network with a tiny bit of room to insert a few words.

2. Get Ready

Once you’ve reimagined your approach to marketing, it’s time to plot out your upcoming campaign(s). If you don’t have one already, it’ll be best to get a team together that specializes in creating custom images and editing existing images to get them to be high quality and esthetically luscious.

Consider your industry and what types of followers you have, and from there you can start thinking about the types of images they’ll be most engaged with.

3. Take It to the Bank

Creating a bank of powerful images is key. We’re not able to post our own sponsored ads quite yet, but once the beta’s over and the floodgates open up, you can bet there’ll be a flood of advertisers – and you want to be the best and the first.

Getting an extensive bank of these ready means that once those gates open, you’ll be ready to hit the feeds hard. And remember, people like sharing interesting images and posts most!

4. Set Some Goals

Just like any social media advertising medium, Instagram advertising allows you to set a multitude of goals. Do you want greater community engagement? More likes? Increased traffic? Maybe straight up leads? Incorporate these goals into your image bank and test them all OuT!

5. Listen Up

This is a new medium of advertising, so there’ll be some growing pains. People won’t like it, and advertisers will fail at campaigns. It’s all inevitable. But the most important part of any social media marketing campaign is the audience.

Ask your social followers what they think about these changes and what interests them about it. Look through forums to see what people really think about the beta testing and learn from the mistakes the big shots are making.

Are you excited to start Instagram advertising? What will your approach be like? Let us know in the comments below!