An Introduction to Social Media Advertising for Your Business

Did you know there are more than 3.5 billion social media users around the globe?

If there’s one place to look for your target audience, it’s on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. That’s why more and more brands are running paid social ads.

Many businesses, whether large or small, overlook the importance of social media advertising. Paid social media ads allow you to create brand awareness and boost conversions by targeting relevant users. In fact, there are several benefits to running social campaigns.

Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about social media advertising and how it can impact your business.

Why Run Social Media Ads?

So, what are the benefits of running paid social media ads, anyway?

One of the main reasons that brands run paid social ads is because reaching customers through organic means is so difficult. In fact, organic reach is declining.

In order to get your content in front of your target audience, running paid ads is essential. Paid ads ensure that you’re getting impressions and help you build brand awareness.

Furthermore, social platforms, like Facebook, allow you to target specific audiences with your advertising. This helps you to home in on your ideal buyers. Targeted advertising is an effective way to boost conversions.

How Does Social Media Advertising Work?

Running social media advertising campaigns requires preparation and planning. Remember, small details can impact the performance of your marketing.

There are three main components of social media ads. These are:

• The ads themselves
• Targeting
• Bidding

Creating ads requires you to understand the size requirements of the different social platforms you plan to use. Your ads should feature the optimal amount of text and visuals should be striking enough to capture users’ attention.

When it comes to targeting, certain platforms allow you to target users based on several criteria. This includes interests, age, and career. You can also ‘retarget’ users that have visited your website in the past.

Implementing an effective targeting strategy requires you to know your target audience really well. This is where the importance of market research comes in.

The third crucial aspect of social ads is bidding. Budgeting and bidding can determine the outcome of your social campaigns. For example, Facebook allows you to set a daily budget or a “lifetime” limit.

Running test campaigns is a good way to figure out your ad budget. This way you can refine and optimise your ROI against ad costs.

Purpose of Advertising Through Social Media 

Many businesses think paid advertising is all about ROI and making money. While this is important, your social media goals don’t have to be all about dollar signs.

In fact, social media advertising goals are different for every business.

Social media platforms allow you to optimise your campaigns for a variety of end goals. For example, maybe you’re more concerned about impressions and generating brand awareness than actual sales?

Or maybe you want to increase traffic to a specific page on your website? Alternatively, you could remarket to people that failed to convert the first time.

All of this is possible when building social media campaigns.

Getting your ads in front of relevant users is a great way to communicate your brand message. This also allows you to remind your users why you offer the best solution to their problem.

Types of Social Media Ads

When it comes to social media advertising, there are several ad formats that you should be familiar with. Here are some of the most popular formats.

Static Images

Static image ads are simple visuals that grab users’ attention and get them interested in your product/service.

They also don’t have to be complex. In fact, oftentimes simpler ads are more effective. Static ads are great for showing off new products and drawing attention to sales or promotions.

Video

It takes more effort and time to create video ads, but the result is worth it. 87% of video advertisers say that video ads increased their website traffic.

Short-form video content is dominating social media right now and that’s why platforms like TikTok and Snapchat have become so popular.

Video ads can be used as short commercials that highlight your services, product demonstrations, or looping slideshows. Video ads are the right choice for many businesses.

Collection 

Collection ads feature a collection of images that a user can cycle through using side arrows.

Also called carousel ads, collections are a great way to show off your product ranges. Another benefit to running carousel ads is that they’re interactive. This is one way that social media marketing can encourage users to engage with your brand.

Instagram Stories

It’s no secret that Instagram Stories have become super popular lately! That’s why more and more brands are running these types of ads.

Instagram story ads show up in users’ stories feeds without interrupting the user experience. Because of this, story ads are more likely to be viewed in their entirety. 

Start Running Social Media Ads for Your Business

Running social media ads is a great way to reach more users, increase your website traffic and boost sales.

Due to organic reach on social media decreasing, more businesses are investing in paid social media advertising. Social platforms give brands the ability to target specific user groups and demographics with their content.

Crafting a successful social media advertising strategy takes a bit of time and effort, but the results are well worth it in the end. Here at William Lawrence, we offer advertising services for large and small businesses.

Interested? Contact us today.