For the last 15 years, businesses and consumers have been watching the rise and the evolution of social media. There is no longer any doubt that social media is here to stay, and with its undeniable power and reach, business owners are turning to social media experts to help them tap into the possibilities. If your business has joined the social media world, you are probably seeing the benefits that being a part of the digital conversation can offer. But if you really want to get into the social media game and use those outlets to boost your business, you need to understand and start executing social ads.
There is certainly still merit in running pay per click (PPC) advertising campaigns, in fact, it remains one of the top ways to increase web traffic to you site. However, digital advertising options have certainly expanded with the development of social ads and the high ROI that they can also offer businesses of just about any size.
The following social media sites offer advertising options:
- SnapChat
- YouTube
While the social advertising options do vary depending on the platform, the benefits available are similar and all of them offer some unique opportunities for businesses looking to boost their digital advertising strategy. A social media expert can really offer some insight into which platforms would work best for your business and how to run effective and dynamic ads.
Here are some of the things that Measure Marketing clients like best about social media ads:
1. Targeting
While it may seem like there is nothing too unique about targeting when it comes to advertising, the targeting options offered via social media are impressive. Social media collects incredible amounts of information about people and then allows businesses to target their ads based on:
- Interests – sports, skills, other pages or people they follow, keywords
- Behaviour – website activity, past purchases
- Custom targeting using email lists, phone numbers or other customer data
- Lookalike audiences – target people similar to your current customers
Because of the specific and deep knowledge social media provides, businesses are able to create and deliver ads that are that much more interesting and effective.
2. The Price is Right
Pay per click (PPC) advertising offers strong results at a realistic price for most businesses. But what we can’t ignore is the effectiveness of social ads at a price that is often even better than PPC. Social media platforms also offer great flexibility in terms of setting budget limits, turning ads on and off easily and customizing whether you are looking for impressions or only engagement.
3. Tracking and Real Time Data
Once you set your social ads in motion, you can see how effective they are right from the get go. Each platform offers real time tracking for each ad as well as reports and analytics that are extremely useful for marketers and social media experts.
Opportunities for conversion tracking also exist. By adding a snippet of code to the pages on your website you can track conversions from the ads you are running.
4. Connect with the Mobile Consumer
Mobile devices continue to gain more time with consumers each and every day. Social ads are your best bet to attract and convert those users into interacting with your brand or buying your product and services. Social media ads are also seen as less intrusive and more relevant to today’s consumer – which is the consumer that is never too far from their mobile device!
If you are reading all these benefits of social media ads and wondering why you haven’t had any success, know you are not alone! While there are so many benefits that businesses can gain from running social media ads, it does take some knowledge and skill to effectively execute ads that will produce results. Measure Marketing works with Mississauga, Oakville and Toronto businesses and has a team of social media experts ready to help you understand how social ads can work for you and what to do to get started. Contact us today and get your business in front of more qualified buyers!