Did you know that online advertising spend has surpassed television advertising? While PPC (Pay-per-Click) is a big chunk of this spending, social media advertising is becoming just as important.
If you’re not already using social media advertising methods to gain new followers or more prospects, then there are a few techniques you need to know.
5 Social Media Advertising Methods
1. Use Ads to Highlight Non-Sales Efforts
Rather than using social media to only direct users to your various landing pages , send your users to non-sales related pages too. For example, you can post ads to share your charitable efforts or upcoming events.
Many of the biggest corporations employ this method, but it can be just as effective for your own personal brand. In doing so, you highlight details that allow people to connect with you and your brand on a personal level.
2. Use Ads to Encourage Participation
Another method is to use ads to encourage participation by completing a survey, quiz or a poll. You can then use the data collected to learn more about your target market.
One effective social media advertising method that’s used quite effectively by various brands lately is to simply ask a question in your ad and direct users to comment. This spurs conversation, all of which revolves around your brand, helping you gain new followers.
3. Use Sponsored Posts to Gain New Followers
Most social networks have their own form of sponsored posts. These are essentially paid ads, in the form of a post. This lets you instantly reach more social media users, increasing your chances of gaining followers.
Sponsored posts can be combined with the other techniques. You can use sponsored posts for your online polls or highlight your achievements. The idea is to gain more attention than you might with other forms of paid advertising.
4. Use Targeted Social Media Advertising Methods.
With any social media ad, you can target specific regions, areas, or demographics. Use this to narrow down the focus for some of your advertisements. Consider this a form of niche marketing.
When you target a smaller market, you’re likely to face less competition. You can also alter your ads for different regions. This is really simple with Facebook targeted ads.
Facebook provides numerous options for targeted ads. For example, you can target Facebook users that have a specific interest or hobby. You can also target users based on their age range or geographic location.
When using Facebook ads , another option is to exclude visitors to your website. If you decide that you want to focus solely on people that haven’t visited your site or know about your brand, this is a great option. You can even alter this to include retargeting.
With retargeting, you’ve got the option to only display ads to users that have previously visited your website. You can even set the time since they last visited your site. This helps increase overall engagement.
5. Use a Combination of Marketing and Ads
You can’t just rely on paid ads. You also need to stick to your existing marketing strategy. Continue to post regularly and don’t count your sponsored ads as part of your regular schedule.
You want to continue growing followers and engaging with your audience. Therefore use paid ads as a supplemental technique to boost your social media presence. All of this is geared towards increasing your overall online presence and helping you grow your brand.
So Begin to think outside the box. Don’t just use social media ads to direct visitors to a landing page, use the 5 social media advertising methods above to expand your reach and grow your audience.
