Is social media advertising an area you want to focus your business’ digital marketing efforts? While an organic presence is valuable, when paired with ads the results can be incredibly valuable for businesses. Research shows:
- 78% of social marketers are very or somewhat satisfied with the value Facebook Ads provide (com).
- 60% of survey participants reported they purchased from a company due to something on Twitter (com).
- 41% of small and medium businesses use social media advertising to drive revenue (LinkedIn’s Marketing Solutions Blog).
In this day and age, an effective social media advertising like the ones at Growth Giants is a must for any business. First, you are able to reach consumers through platforms they’re already using, and second they’re extremely cost effective. Compared to standard advertising, social ads are extremely affordable for those on a tight budget; most platforms having a click-through rate (CTR) as low as $0.45-$3.77 per click, with the ultimate CTR being determined by competition, your target users, when you run your ads, etc.
5 Steps For Effective Social Media Ads
While social media ads are cost effective, you still want to make sure you’re using your resources effectively. Before you start running your campaign, follow these steps to success.
- Determine Your Goals
Actually sit down and write out what your goals are for your ad campaign. Do you want to increase website traffic? By how much? Or maybe you want to grow your email marketing database or accrue a specific number of new leads.
Regardless of the goals you choose, make sure they are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely. As you put your social media ads together, keep these goals front of mind.
- Select the Right Platform(s)
Where do you plan to run your social media ads? Are you selecting the platform(s) they use the most?
For example, if you’re trying to reach B2B decision makers, LinkedIn may be the best social media platform to invest in. However, if your target user is a younger male, Twitter may be a better fit.
Think about exactly whom you’re trying to reach and then research which platforms they use. That way you can ensure each and every dollar you pour into your social media ads are a wise investment.
- Create a Landing Page
When it comes to social media advertising, a common mistake is spending so much time and energy working the ad itself that the landing page is an afterthought. But really it should be one of your primary areas of focus!
When social media users click on your ad, where will they go? Some businesses just use their Home page or Contact page; this is a wasted opportunity.
Instead, create a separate page on your website specifically designed for those that see your ad to land on. This way it’s a natural follow-up to the ad they saw, with similar visuals and messaging, that directs them to act in the way you want them to: contact you for a consultation, purchase your product, provide their contact information to receive your email newsletters, etc.
- Invest in A/B Tests
Does your target audience respond best to images or videos? Do they relate better to men or women? Is there a particular color they prefer? What type of language do they respond well to?
You can do all the research in the world regarding powerful ads, but the very best way to create a strong ad for your unique target audience is to do your own research.
At the beginning of your social media ad campaign, run A/B tests. This means you run two nearly identical ads at the exact same time; there should only be one variable between the ads so you know which differentiator your target responded better to. Once the ads finish running, review the results and then run another A/B test to glean more insight into your target audience.
For example, run two identical ads at the same time, only have one image feature a man and one feature a woman. Then compare the results. If your target responded better to the female, you know it’s better to select images of women.
A/B testing takes time and investment up-front, but it’s well worth it know how to create the most effective ads possible for your business!
- Review Your Analytics
Whether you’re in the A/B testing phase of your social media ad campaign or not, take the time to review all measurement information available – from the insights your social media platform provides to your website data from Google Analytics. These details will help you see how your target audience is responding and can help shape future ads to be more effective.
What should you look for when you review analytics? Here’s a sample of questions to consider:
- What’s the ratio of impressions to clicks?
- How are users engaging? If they’re commenting or “reacting,” is the sentiment positive or negative?
- If you ran a video ad, how much of the video did they watch?
- After clicking through to your landing page, what other pages on your website did they visit?
- Did they follow your call to action to purchase a product and/or provide contact information?
By carefully looking at the data available following each ad, you’re able to glean helpful insight to make your next ads even stronger!
Begin Your Social Media Ad Campaign!
Are you ready to get started with your social media ads? As you begin, make sure you take the time to determine your goals, choose the right platform(s), design an effective landing page, do some A/B testing up front and review all the results. Now you’re on the road to a successful advertising campaign!
