A study of layout features on business-oriented instagram feeds and their impact on viewer engagement

Digital advertising is already being used extensively by companies on their respective social media platforms to attract customers. Small businesses are also participating in this growing digital marketing, but struggle to create effective ads that engage a larger audience on platforms like Instagram. Therefore, this study focuses on developing an engaging framework for Instagram ads. To this end, this study proposes three research objectives: (1) to discover the layout features in business-oriented Instagram ads; (2) to investigate the relationship between layout features and viewer engagement, and (3) to develop a framework with appealing layout features in business-oriented Instagram feeds. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), this study examines the interplay between visual appeal and information quality in relation to viewer engagement. Online questionnaires were distributed to 450 respondents at University Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Cawangan Kelantan, Machang Campus, mainly students and young adults living in the Machang district aged 18 to 25 years old to measure preferences for layout features of Instagram ads. The survey data were analysed using the Partial Least Square Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). Research findings showed that both visual appeal and information quality in business-oriented Instagram feeds influence viewer engagement. Visual appeal was rated more positively, but viewer engagement is driven more by the quality of information. Thus, this research develops a framework focusing on improving visual appeal and information quality in ads to maximize viewer engagement. This framework is also expected to provide valuable
guidance to enhance visual communication by making advertisement more seamless and enjoyable not only on Instagram but also on various social media platform, especially for small businesses.