Social media has transformed advertising and marketing like few other technologies. Although there are dozens of elements to modern digital marketing, social media looms large – not only for its power but for how it has reshaped content consumption.
Social media advertising can amplify your sales and marketing like little else. Social ads can be used like other forms of advertising to drive traffic to offers or it can extend the reach of social content.
Like other paid traffic, social media advertising brings risks and rewards. It’s important to approach it in a customer-focused, systematic way to mitigate possible overspending, particularly at the beginning of a social ad campaign.
If you’re thinking about launching social media ads for your brand, here’s how:
Start With Your Buyer Personas
Your buyer personas are core marketing assets. They represent your knowledge about your customers in a crystallized form. Revisit them before launching any kind of social advertising, ensuring they’re aligned with the traits of your best customers.
Everything from job title to industry to company size and revenue should be considered. These factors and many more will ultimately be used in tailoring and targeting your ads when it’s time to set them up on your chosen platform.
Establish Goals and KPIs
All advertising should start with the end in mind. Brand awareness, lead generation, and sales are three key areas where advertising can deliver ROI. Align your goals with executive expectations so you can clearly communicate impact.
Relevant KPIs for social advertising might include:
- Reach: How many people view your campaign?
- Clickthrough Rate: What percentage of those who saw your campaign clicked?
- Engagement Rate: What percentage of viewers liked, shared, or commented?
- Conversion Rate: What percentage completed the targeted conversion action?
- Cost Per Action: How much did each click, conversion, or engagement cost?
Choose Your Platform
Which platform should you select? Most B2B brands should begin by giving LinkedIn a close look – it’s responsible for the majority of social media B2B leads. B2C brands can be successful on Facebook, and brands of all kinds can potentially achieve traction on Twitter.
Choose Your Ad Type
Ad types differ significantly according to platform. Luckily, if you’ve got a good handle on your goals, the process is easier. Each social media ad type is usually closely correlated with either a metric (like engagement or website clicks) or a type of content (like video.)
If you already have a social media presence and you’re on the hunt for ways to make it even more valuable to your business, social media ads are usually the way to go. Done right, they can help you “find your tribe” of engaged, qualified buyers even faster than search platform ads.