Maybe you’ve already thought about running ads on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn or even TikTok. But you don’t know whether you can achieve your advertising goals with social media or which platform is right for your company? In this blog post I will provide information about this and show you when it makes sense to start advertising on social media.
Almost every target group can be reached
The common social media platforms offer an interface for a wide variety of interests, which is why almost every target group is represented in a social network. The only important thing is to find out which platform your target group is on and to focus on this platform. Therefore, it almost always makes sense to advertise on social media. Before doing so, however, you should carefully consider what goal is to be achieved, who the target group is and which platform this group of people is using. There are numerous studies that provide information about which interests and demographic characteristics can be found and reached on which social networks. In addition, the company’s internal social media accounts often provide information about which group of people interacts with the content on which channels.
The role of social media channels in the user journey
Instagram, Facebook and Co are primarily channels for increasing awareness and play a role at the beginning of the user journey. There are several reasons for this: On the one hand, legal measures such as Apple’s iOS 14.5 update in spring 2021 or cookie guidelines are increasingly restricting the retargeting of users who have already interacted with my company. On the other hand, I do not actively draw users’ attention to my offer during their research process, as is the case with search engine advertising , for example, but rather come into passive contact with them while they use an entertainment medium. In order to achieve your goals with social media ads, you should primarily set soft goals for these advertising channels such as increasing awareness, increasing interaction with the company or increasing traffic on the website.
Requirements for successful social media ads: Sufficient resources
In order for social media advertising to be successful, there are certain requirements for the subjects that should be met. For example, every image used should contain a hook, a USP and a call to action. Videos should be a maximum of 30 seconds long, although it must be clear in the first 1.5 seconds what the video is about so that the user doesn’t scroll further. Even with limited space for social media ads, it is crucial that the user can immediately see whether the advertised offer is relevant to them. This is why the use of videos is so important, as there is more space to accommodate all the essential information. This teased information can then be discussed in more detail on the landing page so that all of the visitors’ inner questions are answered.
Furthermore, the subject should be structured in a few different variations so that users with different interests can be addressed. I can easily give you a good example of why this is important: When you go to your Instagram Explore feed or scroll on Pinterest, the content there usually exactly matches the user’s interests, because the algorithm knows exactly which ones if you use it frequently Topics appeal to a user. It’s the same with paid advertising on social media. If the algorithm is provided with several differently prepared creatives, users with different interests can be shown the advertisement that is relevant to them, which they also like and which they are most likely to interact with. If only a single variant of the ad is created, the probability of encountering users who react to exactly that design and its message decreases.
That’s why the corporate design guidelines for social media shouldn’t be too rigid, because then the creatives can’t be prepared according to the interests of the users.
It is also important that the creatives are replaced regularly and based on the most successful advertisement. This not only keeps the users happy, but also further develops the most successful ad.
With these requirements for social media creatives, it becomes clear that the number of resources required to create the advertisements should not be underestimated. Because social media advertising can only be as successful as the creatives are.
Conclusion
In summary, it can be said that advertising on social media is suitable for almost every company. Beforehand, you should think carefully about what I want to achieve, where I can reach my target group and how I can best reflect their interests with the advertisements. I also need to be clear about the role of social media in the user journey of my target group and have enough resources to create the creatives. So nothing stands in the way of success on social media.
If you have any questions about this or you are not yet sure whether social media ads are the right advertising channel for you, simply send us an inquiry using our contact form and we will be happy to advise you.
