Why Social Media Ad Campaigns Are Becoming the Next Big Marketing Phenomenon.
If you aren’t already capitalising on social media for your brand’s ad campaigns, you’ve either just started your business, or you’re missing out on the marketing phenomenon of the decade. No matter who your target audience is, they probably don’t sit in their lounge every night, watching cable television, and buying every product they see advertised. In fact, there’s a growing likelihood that they’ll never have a cable television connection and never buy a newspaper – and if they do, they’re probably already thinking about cancelling that subscription. Why? Because of the excellent social media advertising is done by companies like Netflix.
Why advertising on social media is the cheap marketing solution you need to get on board with:
Customers have evolved. Social media offers an opportunity for brands to evolve too.
While having an organic strategy for your brand’s social media accounts is a step in the right direction, social media advertising offer a way to reach out beyond your brand’s following. Think you can’t afford it? Think again. Social media is cheaper than you might realise.
In terms of average CPM (Cost per Thousand Impressions):
- Radio is $10
- Television is $28
- Social Media is $3
It gets better.
Whereas radio and television advertisements are like shouting into the void, social media advertising can find your target audience with laser precision, ensuring that every one of those views is a potential customer. Social media advertising content does not have to be expensive to produce. Take Lowe’s excellent DIY advertising campaign, for example. They produced all their ads on a $5,000 budget, using an iPhone instead of an expensive camera for filming, with a stop-motion technique. Social media advertisements are not expected to reach a high standard of quality. The most effective advertisements are instead funny, original, and entertaining.
Use social media to promote engagement with advertising content:
Gone are the days of plastering advertisements everywhere you can afford to, shouting promises at every reader, and hoping they’ll pay attention.
Social media advertising is more than just another way to create ads for people to look at. It’s a way to create movements for people to be a part of, competitions for people to join, and calls to action that potential customers can respond to. The interactive and social features of social media bring an entirely new element of engagement. Campaigns that encourage customers to get involved aren’t possible on billboards, newspapers,
radio, or television. Nor can they include calls to action or @-mentioning.
In traditional advertising, the customer is spoken at as a passive listener. In social media, the customer is spoken to as a valuable part of the conversation.
Sold on social media? Your customers will be too. Here’s how to run a powerful social media advertising campaign:
Make good use of ‘call to action’ features such as ‘swiping up’ and clicking to ‘read more’ to further engage social media users. Make sure that your calls to action are intriguing without being clickbait. Use active language and offer something extra – whether it’s an exclusive offer or simply information
– to encourage the viewer to act. Grammarly makes great use of this with social media advertising that invites viewers to download their free chrome extension. Social media stories are also an excellent way to utilize this tactic.
@-mention to let followers know you love them. Rather than just mentioning somebody, the @-feature allows you to directly address followers. Lavishing personal attention on your followers is a sure-fire way to promote a great brand reputation. Cheerios makes excellent use of this by giving
customers compliments in their Instagram stories to spread positivity.
Consistency, consistency, consistency. Be consistent in everything you post, from the colours used in your content to your brand voice. Make sure that your advertising is similar and consistent across your platforms while still catering to each. Consistency builds brand recognition and perceived trustworthiness.
Remember: when you advertise on social media, you enter the world of your customers, where you are as open to criticism as they are. Respond graciously to complaints and learn from your mistakes.
Social media goes two ways. Listen to your customers as much as they listen to you. Monitor feedback closely and use it to decide on your next step.
Know your platforms. Instagram users click through on ads 2.5 times more than other social media sites, making it an excellent platform for advertisement. What’s the catch? Their average CPM is $6.90.
When in doubt, cover all your bases. If you have an older demographic, many of them may still only have Facebook. If you aren’t sure, advertise on as many platforms as you can, then monitor the response to decide where to advertise next.
Cater your content to each platform. If you’re advertising on Tumblr, it’s even more important that your advertisements have entertaining content that promotes a social cause. On Instagram, advertisements should have a strong aesthetic quality, and on Twitter, they should be short and snappy.
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Want to know the secret behind the most successful social media advertising campaigns?
Don’t sell your product. Social media users aren’t interested in products they haven’t seen before. They’re interested in stories, ideas, emotions, and movements. They’re interested in who they can relate to and what they can be a part of. They care about individuals and their stories, snapshots of people’s daily lives in which they can recognize some fragment of their own. They don’t care for social media posts about your services. They care for the social awareness of your people.
It’s no secret that the key to marketing is to target emotions. Sell them an idea, and the idea will sell your product better than any advertising campaign ever could.
Sell your brand’s idea with original content and an authentic voice:
Our team of social media marketing professionals will make sure you get it right. We can combine excellent market insight with quality content production to help you get the most out of your budget. Advertising doesn’t have to be expensive or take up all your time. Let us sort out the marketing side so you can focus on what’s important – running your business.
If you are interested in seeing how we can get your product or service out to your ideal customer through online advertising, please book a free 45-minute strategy call with one of our digital advertising experts.