The astronomical rise of social media has seen a radical change in how businesses market their wares. From understanding how to measure your content marketing effectiveness to keeping up to date with the latest trends, marketing teams are constantly in learning mode. Among the ways to reach your target audience, paid social media marketing remains one of the more profitable.
Pay-to-play campaigns now constitute a large portion of some companies’ marketing budgets. As social media platforms have grown, so the fee they charge for each click has skyrocketed. But brands will still fork out, as paid social media generates results much faster than organic social media campaigns.
But how do you ensure that your investment gets the desired results? Let’s delve into some top tactics for getting your money’s worth out of paid social media marketing.
1. Know your audience and your goals
To begin with, you need to clearly define who you want to target with your campaign. Create a detailed picture of the people you want to reach. Carefully consider every aspect of your ideal customer. What’s their age? Or their income? What do they like and dislike? Consider where they consume content and what kind of content they love.
This will help you to decide which social media platform you want to focus your efforts on, and if you’re managing different websites, whether certain platforms are more suitable for some than others. It will also aid you in crafting effective ads that will resonate with potential new customers.
After you’ve done this, you want to outline your objective for the campaign. This may be a boost in sales, but an increase in website traffic or enhanced brand awareness are also great goals for paid social media marketing.
2. Set a realistic budget
When you’re paying per click, the cost of social media marketing can balloon very quickly. It’s important to set a limit you’re willing to spend at the beginning, bearing in mind you can always increase this if needs be.
What this budget will look like depends on the size and kind of business you’re marketing. Let your overall goals and financial resources guide your decision, but as a general rule, start with a conservative budget and take it from there.
It’s possible to put a cap on how much you wish to pay, so when that limit is reached, the campaign will end. This will give you the opportunity to take stock, assess the effectiveness of the paid content, and make a decision as to whether continuing represents a lucrative decision for your company.
3. Pick your platform
Social media platforms come in all different shapes and sizes and they won’t all be as effective for every business, or every campaign.
However, if you’ve worked out the kind of audience you want to target, making this decision will be easier. For example, If you were advertising a product like the Platform.sh modern development solution, you might look to target development professionals on LinkedIn. However, if you were looking to increase website traffic for your trendy cosmetics brand, you might focus on urban women on Instagram.
Carefully research which platform will work best for your campaign. Facebook has a broad demographic of users and a big reach. TikTok has a significantly younger audience, with slightly more women than men. LinkedIn’s user base is professionals mainly aged 30 and up, but it is also great for B2B connections. Your brand and customer identity should help you find the right home for your investment.
To streamline your social media marketing efforts, consider using social media automation tools. These can help you schedule and manage your paid content across multiple platforms efficiently, saving you time that could be spent on other areas.
4. Make it engaging
Every brand wants to become unforgettable with engaging social content, but the reality is most users scroll through (and barely notice) hundreds of posts and adverts a day. Finding ways to stand out is an ever-evolving challenge, as people become wise to overused tricks and tired trends.
Make your paid ads visually striking. This is your best bet to make your target audience stop and look. Use high-quality images or media that serve a purpose in getting your message across. Make sure your graphics are coherent with your brand, so even if you don’t get a click, you’ve enhanced your brand visibility.
Finally, make the headline and copy punchy and succinct—within those few words, you need to persuade them into action.
5. Zone in on your target
There’s a lot to get to grips with when advertising your product on social media, from best influencer marketing practices to making sure your ad is seen by the right people.
Every social media platform has advanced targeting options and this is where you can really hone in on the ideal customer you have created. Take full advantage of these to make sure your paid ads find their way to your target audience.
For example, if you were promoting a plant-based food product, you could target people who had shown an interest in a vegan lifestyle, animal rights, climate change, or healthy food options. Make your targeting options as specific and detailed as possible, it’s one of the best ways to ensure a high ROI.
6. Test, test, and test again
Testing is a surefire way to ensure something is working the way you want it to. Say if you were looking to assess the quality of your software, you might look to Global App Testing QA to help you. But if you want to examine the effectiveness of your paid social media advertising, then it is imperative to do A/B testing.
This means running two different versions of paid content and then analysing which had the greatest impact.
There are many different elements you can test, such as headlines or visuals, but it’s best practice to vary only one at a time. This gives you the greatest visibility over what people are responding to. Remember, this should be an ongoing process, as an ad that gives great results one month may fall flat in the next.
Go get your money’s worth
There’s no doubt that paid social media marketing is a big investment for any company to make, but the rewards can be truly great. It’s one of the best ways to advertise your product to your dream customers, boost brand awareness, and drive more traffic to your website.
Use the tips we’ve listed here to build an impactful, highly-targeted campaign that will deliver results. Remember to keep tight control of your budget and continue to reevaluate the effectiveness of your campaign and your spending regularly. With a careful and strategic approach, every penny you spend will be worth it.
