It can be very difficult to get your content noticed because of the constant changes to social media algorithms and search engine rankings. Without spending any money, the chances of something going viral are slim.
The most effective way to generate traffic and sales from the outset is to invest in paid social advertising. Although organic (unpaid) methods such as earned and owned media also have some marketing value, they are less reliable than paid social ads. As of 2021,Three quarters of Gen Zers and almost half of millennials say that social media ads have an influence on their purchasing decisions. Social media ad spend in the US reached $40.3 billion in 2020.
It is essential that business owners, regardless of the size of their business, use social media to advertise. This will help them to distinguish themselves from their competitors, increase the number of views their content receives, and boost sales.
What is Social Media Advertising?
Social media advertising is advertising that is served to users on social media platforms.
Advertisements on social media platforms are more effective when they are based on the users’ interactions on that specific platform. If the people who you are trying to sell to are the same people who use a particular social media platform, then advertising on that platform can be very effective and reasonably priced.
9 Types of social media platforms and formats you should know
Social audio platforms and formats
Examples: Clubhouse, Twitter Spaces, Spotify
Used for: Listening to live conversations on specific topics.
New social audio platforms like Clubhouse and Twitter Spaces have thrived during COVID-19 lockdowns while people have been at home with more time to join live conversations.
The main advantage of audio social media platforms and formats is that you are likely to get more attention and engagement from listeners who have chosen to listen.
If you have lively and engaging conversations, you can build your image as a leader in your area of expertise and introduce your business or products to people who are already interested in topics related to your niche. These people are valuable audiences because they are interested in what you have to say.
Video social media platforms and formats
Examples: YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Stories and Reels, Facebook Watch
Used for: Watching videos in short and long formats.
There are many benefits to using video social media platforms for businesses. They are good for capturing attention, driving brand awareness, and showing products in a way that still photos can’t.
The main purpose of any video you publish should be to entertain, educate, or inspire your viewers. Videos that are solely made to sell a product will not keep viewers engaged.
Disappearing content formats
Examples: Snapchat, Instagram Stories, Facebook Stories, LinkedIn Stories
You can use Snapchat to chat with friends privately, or share public stories that last for 24 hours.
There are many ways that ephemeral formats can be used in business. For example, they are well suited for posting timely content, such as announcements, limited edition items, or live events.
Since Snapchat content only lasts for 24 hours, it feels more genuine and less polished than other Stories. This means that businesses can appear more relatable and personable.
Discussion forums
Examples: Reddit, Quora
These sites are useful for asking questions, networking, and forming communities around topics that people are interested in.
Your business can use social media to be genuinely helpful to customers by answering questions related to your industry. Your primary goal for participating in discussion forums should not be to share information about your brand and products. Bonus points may be awarded if you do share such information, but it should not be your focus.
It’s not looked kindly upon to self-promote in answers on Reddit. When you are posting as a business, it is important to answer the original question and only add links to your products if they are genuinely helpful. Make sure you check the subreddit’s rules before posting anything, especially if you’re thinking of including a link to your own business.
After seeing how popular the /r/XboxOne subreddit was, Microsoft began hosting AMA sessions with game developers in order to engage with Redditors.
Shoppable social media platforms and features
Examples: Pinterest Product Pins, Facebook Shops, Instagram Shops, TikTok, Shopify, Douyin, Taobao
Brands can use social media platforms to sell products directly to customers. Customers can use social media to research products and purchase them from brands.
You can use built-in mobile-friendly features to allow your audience to purchase from you without having to leave a social media app.
Each app has a feature that allows you to connect your product catalog directly to your profile.
Even if your followers do not preference social media when making purchasing decisions or have extended buyer journeys, features like being able to tag products, add extra product information, and increase website traffic are available.
Some great ways to use shopping social media platforms:
- Limited edition drops, e.g., announcing an exclusive product launch on social media and linking or tagging the product via your product catalog
- Social selling
- E-commerce (many social media platforms have e-commerce integrations, such as Shopify, which you can access directly from your Hootsuite dashboard)
- Retargeting, e.g., creating custom audiencesbased on who has engaged with your Facebook/Instagram Shops
Social media live streams
Examples: Twitch, YouTube, Instagram Live Rooms, Facebook Live, TikTok
Used for: Broadcasting live video to many viewers. There is a wide range of live video streams that people can watch. These can range from someone streaming themselves and what they are doing on their screen, to professionally organized panels with multiple speakers.
As livestreaming became more popular during the pandemic, businesses began to see how they could use it to their advantage.
You won’t need a global pandemic to get viewers to watch your live streams. The following are some ways to make streams that will cause viewers to tune in: interviewing well-known guests, doing exclusive product reveals, and hosting AMA sessions with business executives.
Programs that allow a user to broadcast live over the internet also provide the chance for the audience to communicate with the person leading the stream in real-time. Therefore, it is crucial to keep an eye on and respond to any comments that come in during the broadcast.
Business social media platforms
Examples: LinkedIn, Twitter
Networking is all about connecting with other professionals in your industry or potential clients. It’s a great way to learn more about what’s going on in your industry, get referrals, and find new opportunities.
There are many potential uses for social media platforms in businesses, such as recruiting and hiring talent, building B2B relationships, and connecting with professionals in your niche.
If your brand is looking to connect with new audiences, LinkedIn is an ideal platform. LinkedIn is a popular site for networking and conducting business, so you’re likely to reach your target audience there.
A tip for success: If you want to be involved in relevant online conversations in your industry, create a Hootsuite account and set up a column based on keywords associated with your industry, including its hashtag.
Closed/private community social media platforms
Examples: Discourse, Slack, Facebook Groups
This type of site is used for creating communities, and may require new members to go through a registration process or other screening measures.
If your business is looking for ways to connect with members of your community, consider using private groups. These groups can help members bond over shared challenges, answer each other’s questions, and feel a sense of professional belonging.
As admin of the group, your business has the right to set restrictions on self-promotion. In order to join many groups on Facebook, members are required to answer a few screening questions. However, you can also use these fields to ask members if they would like to opt-in to your email marketing list.
Inspirational social media platforms
Examples: Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram, blogs
Pinterest is a website where you can look for information and inspiration on topics like cooking, travel, decorating, and shopping.
Your business can use visuals to inspire your target audience with content that is tailored to their preferences. You can also weave in your own products where relevant. You can use various tools to group your content and create themes that match your audience’s interests, such as collections, playlists, tags, and guides.
When creating content for social media platforms, it is important to consider what keywords and hashtags your audience is likely to search for, as well as including images. This will help your content to be better optimized for search engines.
5 Steps to Build a Creative Social Media Advertising Strategy
Determine what to sell.
If you produce or sell more than one product, or don’t have an obvious bestseller, continue reading. If you sell more than one product and don’t have an obvious bestseller, you should continue reading.
You will need to identify which of your products are most valuable and should be focused on in your advertising if your business has a lot of products.
After you figure out how much each of your products is worth, you can see which ones are making a lot of money but are not being promoted enough, and change your advertising strategy accordingly. An advertisement for a bestselling product is more likely to result in conversions and sales than an advertisement for an average-selling product.
Research your audience.
At the end of the day, people aren’t just buying the physical product, but what that product can do for them. In fact, Common Thread Collective identifies three levels of product problems:
- Physical: The product itself.
- Functional: What the product does for the customer.
- Identity: How the product makes the customer feel.
Before you can sell something to your audience, you need to understand who they are and what they want. Even though it may not be obvious, it is still important to know what your product does and what your customers want.
A few tips that may help you answer these questions are as follows:
First, read reviews! Customer reviews are a valuable way to understand what your customers want and how they feel about your product. Whether the reviews are positive or negative, they can give you important insights into your customer base. These reviews can come from your online store, blogs, YouTube videos, Reddit posts or anywhere else on the internet.
This advice is telling you to read something carefully because it will reveal whether you are doing well or if you need to change.
Use Google Trends to understand how customers are thinking about different products and/or topics.
If you type in a word or phrase, the “related queries” section will show you which areas have the most searches for that term, as well as related topics and queries. This gives you ideas for ways your business could be successful.
Finally, look for related hashtags on your brand’s social media accounts. This could be a great opportunity to find organic searches for your products.
Use a creative platform.
The invention of social media has allowed for many new opportunities in digital advertising, but you must be aware that each social platform has its own restrictions. Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook — all of them.
Although you may be limited in what you can do, you can still be creative. There are many ways to advertise using social media, but you need to keep in mind that social media platforms are very different from other platforms such as television and magazines.
You have less time to grab the audience’s attention.
In a world where people are constantly scrolling and watching short videos, it’s not surprising that Facebook users only spend an average of 1.7 seconds with a piece of mobile content.
Since people’s attention spans are getting shorter, marketers have less time to capture their attention before they move on to something else.
Your product should be the star of the show.
The main goal of product photography and ads should be to sell the product, so it should be the main focal point. Don’t focus on the models, actors, or fluff in ads, but on the product itself.
Create ads for mobile.
Given that nearly all Facebook users access the app through a mobile device, it is essential that your ads are not only created to fit a 16-by-9 TV or desktop screen – they need to be adapted for mobile use as well.
This means that the branding should be legible, the text should be large and clear, the graphics should be eye-catching, and interactivity should be used whenever possible.
Create a digital marketing campaign.
Since you are aware of your product, target market, and platform, it is time to start taking concrete steps.
Define your goals.
Having a specific goal in mind will help you make better decisions throughout the process.
Identify your target audience.
This cannot be stressed enough, you need to know who you’re talking to and what they want to hear. If you want to be successful in advertising, you need to have a good understanding of your target audience and what they are looking for. By knowing this information, you can adjust your marketing strategy to better suit their needs.
Create customer personas.
This is a continuation of the previous step, but here you will go into more detail. A persona is a detailed description of your target customer, which includes their demographics, age, location, occupation, income, and other details that may influence the way they make purchase decisions.
Determine your budget.
It is important to assess your budget to determine what your limitations are and how you should be allocating your resources.
Improve your performance.
ROAS can tell you if your ads are working, but not why they aren’t if they aren’t.
The purpose of social media advertising is to increase website traffic and sales.
