If you're running a business, you probably know that having a Facebook and Instagram page, Twitter account, and Yelp listing are all great ways to market your business. But what about paid social media advertising? Sure, it can cost some money, but it's an important part of a proactive social media marketing strategy. Here are some reasons why you should consider adding paid social media advertising to your marketing mix:
Get back in control
Paid social media advertising gives you a chance to take control of your marketing efforts. If you've got an event, promotion, or new product launch coming up, you can push out targeted ads to potential new customers during a specific time frame. You get to choose the messaging and graphics you want your audience to see and define your objective. You can even add a call to action to encourage potential customers to check out your website or RSVP to your event.
Target like a pro
Advertising can be effective, but only if you're reaching the right people. That's where paid social media advertising comes in handy. You can target a specific geographic location, demographic, and psychographic profile. You can drill down and share ads with the people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service. You can even target people based on their likes and dislikes, and exclude those who have already seen or frequently engaged with your content. The options are almost endless!
Get recognized
Paid social media advertising not only helps spread awareness of your promotion or event, but it also builds brand recognition. When someone engages with your ad, they often tag friends in the comments, alerting them about your business and sharing the promotion with their social media contacts. Paid ads push content out to a much larger audience than organic content, which can result in a domino effect when customers engage. When consumers share your brand with others, your visibility and reach can grow beyond the initial paid ad, enabling your customer base to expand.
Track your success
Social media advertising platforms are becoming increasingly advanced, giving you tools to better understand who is engaging with your ads and measure your results. Once you've determined your target audience, created the visual assets for your ad, and hit "publish," the only way to measure success is through tracking. You can review the messaging and visuals that perform best, see how engaged your audience is with your ad, and whether they clicked to learn more or took action. You can also learn how many times your ad appeared, which allows you to fine-tune future advertising campaigns based on previous ones.
So there you have it! Establishing and maintaining social media profiles with well-written and visually appealing content is important, but adding a carefully planned social media advertising strategy can take your marketing efforts to the next level. Plus, compared to other advertising media, paid social media advertising is a small investment that can pay off big-time by increasing your reach to your target audience and driving the right customers to your website or through your doors to make a purchase.