Running paid social media campaigns for your business

Social media advertising has gained prominence in recent years. According to Smart Insights, more than half the world now uses social media. With more and more people using social media, it's no wonder why social media spend was predicted to be over $47.9 billion in 2021.  

Are you a business owner trying to scale up your online presence? Here are some key things to note as you start setting up paid social adverts for your online business.

Simply having an active social media page is not enough

So, you have created a social media page for your online business. Perhaps you have a few active fans who like and share your posts, but you still can't get the high reach you need to push your business forward. In 2019, a study by Trust Insights revealed that engagement for unpaid social media posts on Instagram and Facebook is fast declining. Since then, social media algorithms have become so fickle and restrictive that's why if you want more people to see your content, you need to spend money on advertising

Investing in paid social ads will help your reach unique and niche audiences

One of the benefits of advertising on social media is you get more value for the money you spend. In addition, social media is filled with real people having honest conversations about their everyday lives, which makes it the perfect platform for advertising.  

Tap into lookalike audiences

Once you have posted a successful campaign that converted well, you can increase your chances of success by targeting a lookalike audience. Facebook's system allows you to create an audience that matches the interests and behaviours of your original target audience. That's why you can improve the chances of having a successful paid social campaign that actually converts.

Find real audiences

With access to real people having conversations about their likes and dislikes, you can reach people who have a strong interest in your niche services.  This is what makes advertising on social media a very cost-effective method of online advertising.

Make the most of your ad spend  

Paid social advertising is one of the most cost-effective types of digital marketing. You can be as flexible as you want when you advertise on social media. Costs can start from as low as £1.00 – because of the bidding mode system that platforms use to show ads on their newsfeeds.

Here are some cost-effective ways you can manage your budget and still get the most for your efforts.

Set S.M.A.R.T goals

Your goals should be specific, measurable, achievable and realistic goals that are also time specific. For example, if you want to use your paid social campaign to generate 100 email subscriptions within a week, something catchy and bold such as competition, could help you reach your goals quickly.

Know your target audience

When you know your target audience, you have more of a chance of getting more bang for your buck. So, as you plan out your paid social campaign, dig into the audiences you want to attract a lot more. For example, if you are looking for a young audience, you might consider platforms like Instagram, Snapchat or Tik Tok for advertising. On the other hand, if you are yet to know your target audience, then survey your existing customers and take it from there; chances are the social media platforms they are using will be an excellent place for you to advertise.   

Run A/B Tests

You can get the best out of your social media budget spent running A/B tests on your ads. Experiment with different headlines, pictures, descriptions and much more. The ad that gets the most clicks and conversions is the winner.

Advertise across different social media platforms

You can pick to advertise from many social media platforms, so sticking to just one isn't a wise choice. Instead, you will get the most of your efforts by scoping out each social media site.  As mentioned earlier, it is essential to know what social media platforms your customers use to reach your target audience from there.

Study each platform to understand what does/doesn't work

You should study each social media platform to understand the kind of content that gets the most engagement. For example, if you want to post short and snappy video tutorial videos, you might consider using Reels on Instagram or TikTok and even Snapchat. On the other hand, for longer-form videos, you may consider YouTube or Facebook instead. 

Make unique ads for every platform

This goes without saying, but each advert should be uniquely optimised for each platform used.  Since each social media platform has different pixel requirements for the images and videos, each file needs to meet the specified requirements.  For example, images used for a Facebook ad must be 1200 x 1200 pixels, and for Instagram, 1080 x 1080 pixels.

Master the visual elements of social media

If you want to build your brand awareness on social media, the visual elements of your profile need to be top-notch. You can ensure that each image has a very high quality by getting a graphic designer to design your profile and cover photos.  If you can’t afford a full-on graphic designer, you can use tools like Canva to create professional images with the guide of a professional template.

Benefits of social media advertising

There are so many benefits to opting for social media advertising instead of other traditional marketing methods.

Here are a few:

• You get to advertise and reach real people who have shared their interests online.
• You don't have to have a big budget; you can start from as low as £1.00!
• You can create brand recognition. When you consistently advertise, more eyeballs will learn about your business. By coming up with creative and exciting campaigns, you can also generate a buzz around your company and have interesting conversations with real people who have a keen interest in your campaign theme and topics. 
• You can quickly improve your conversion rate because with many people on social media platforms, your chances of reaching your conversion goals are very high.

If you are a small business, you should definitely run paid social media ads for your business. After all, over half of the world uses social media, and so should you!