8 Best Methods of Social Media Advertising – 101

Gaining Organic traffic is something that is getting harder day by day. With the increase in competition, it is next to impossible to get your content noticed. In such hard digital times, social media advertising is the need of the hour to expand the customer base, get more leads, and boost brand awareness in no time.

The numbers don’t lie. With over 4.48 billion users on social media, these numbers account for 56.8% of the world’s total population. Now if that many people are actively scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, and other popular platforms, businesses have a sure-shot chance at growth and success.

But, it is easier said than done. If you have never tried paid advertising on social channels, then you should first clear out some of the basics and then dive into the deep sea of social media. So, without any further ado, let’s get started with our ultimate social media advertising 101 guide!

What Is Social Media Advertising?

Social media advertising is a marketing technique that focuses on displaying advertisements to users on social media platforms. From a commercial video before the start of a YouTube video to a shopping box on Facebook and a promoted post on Instagram, these are all part of social media advertising.

Social networks have smart algorithms that help in identifying the perfect audiences to display relevant ads. Businesses also have the option to target the audience based on different factors such as behavior, demographics, preferences, and more.

As relevant ads will be displayed to your set target audiences, the chances of conversions and sales increase through social media with a lower cost of acquisition. Now that you know what exactly social media advertising is, let’s have a look at the advertising tips before setting up your first social paid ad campaign.

Social Media Marketing: 8 Advertising Tips

Starting your social media ad campaigns without any proper plan can cause mayhem. Here is a set of steps that you should consider.

#1 Set Your Social Media Goals

Without goals, there is no way to track the results of your campaigns. Different businesses have different goals that they want to achieve through this marketing channel. When you define and understand your objectives, it gets easier to choose the right social network, the right strategy, the right target audience, the right ad type, and the right content.

Some of the most common social media goals are:

• Boost Brand Awareness
• Capture Quality Leads
• Generate More Sales
• Increase Customer Engagement
• Drive More Traffic To Your Website

Once you decide on your goal, you can narrow it down further using the SMART goals technique. Make sure that your goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based. This way, you will set realistic goals and will know exactly what you want to achieve, how to track it, and when to expect results.

#2 Set Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Now that you have figured out your primary goals, it is important to set the key performance indicators so that you can track the progress of your goals regularly. Based on your deadlines and the time frame you want to run your social ads, you can set daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly KPIs.

Some of the common KPIs are:

• Reach
• Clicks
• Engagement
• Conversions
• Sentiment
• Hashtag performance
• Impressions
• Followers
• Video views
• Shares 
• Mentions
• Profile visits

You can aim for a certain number for your KPI such as 25,000 clicks every month, 10,000 views on video ads, and so on. It makes measuring and analyzing performance easier.

#3 Know Your Target Audience

The first place to start your target audience research is your existing customers. Map them out and check what kind of products/services have they purchased from you. Read their reviews/valuable insights to understand what your customers liked about your brand.

Then, you can move to the demographics. Is your audience local/region-specific? What is their average age group? What are their occupations? This helps you narrow down your audience based on demographics. 

Next, research and ask yourself. When is your target audience most active? Are they more active on certain days or weekends? This helps in finding the best times to post your social media ads.

Finally, you can use Google Trends and keyword searches to know how customers think about different topics and products/services. Make different sets of audiences that can be used for your different goals.

#4 Pick Your Social Platform(s)

Picking the social media platforms where you will advertise is one of the most important points. You should invest your money in platforms that you are most familiar with and already have a set of followers. If you are starting your first social advertising venture, then we would recommend you stick to a single platform for some time.

You can even ask your existing customers through surveys which social media channel they use. This might help you figure out where your target audience is most active. As different networks have different ad types that are suited for different types of goals, make sure to do full research.

If you are confused, you can always try the biggest social media platform – Facebook, as it offers the greatest diversity. It is popular among all age groups and you also get a wide variety of ad types to try and test different strategies.

#5 Have Your Social Media Presence in Order

Before starting with your paid advertising ventures, make sure that you have a consistent and recognizable social media presence across various channels. This helps in attaching uniqueness to your brand. How so?

First, optimize your social media profiles by keeping a consistent brand bio, brand picture, contact options, and professional URLs. Then, make sure to do regular shout-outs to customers as it will encourage loyalty and activity on your page. Finally, you can promote user-generated content and reviews. This will increase trust among other users.

#6 Design Your Ads With Mobile in Mind

Most people access social media platforms from their mobile devices on the go. That is why your mobile ads should be designed specifically for small screens. Use images and content that is easy to digest on mobile devices.

You should focus on using large and clear text, eye-catching graphics, and creative copy that instantly grabs visitors’ attention. This will prevent users from scrolling to another post and keep them on your page. So, mobile ad design optimization should be a top priority.

#7 Track Performance & Measure Results

As important as it is to set your goals and objectives, it is also important to track your performance and measure results. This allows you to analyze whether you have achieved your set targets, where you lack, and different areas of improvement.

ROI is an important metric but you should focus on all the set KPIs to measure the success of your social media paid ad campaigns. All the major social platforms provide analytics tools to measure the results and generate in-depth reports.

#8 A/B Test Your Ads to Optimize Performance

One of the best advantages of social media ads is that you get daily results and instant feedback. With advanced analytics reports, you will know exactly where your ads are lacking and you can use that to A/B test your ads.

The best way to do so is to test several ad copies with small audiences. Make small changes in your content, graphics, headlines, designs, etc., to see what works best for your target audiences. This will help you optimize your ad copies and strategies for better performance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Wrapping Up

Better late than never! If you are feeling that you have arrived late to the social media boat, then this is the perfect statement to get up and running. Set your goals, choose your target audience, pick the right social channel, post your ads, track their performance, monitor the progress, and optimize the performance with constant testing. That’s it.

It is not that difficult if you cover the basics and do things the right way. One thing to keep in mind is that results in new ventures sometimes take time and you should be patient while strategizing and optimizing. Stay consistent, understand your audience, and witness results!

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