Have you ever wondered how businesses advertise on social media? No matter how big or small your business is, social media advertising is an easy and affordable way to grow your customer base and expand your reach. With the majority of consumers browsing social platforms every day, advertising on social media gives you the best chance of reaching the masses.
What Are Your Goals?
One of the biggest benefits of social media ads is the ability to tailor campaigns to meet specific goals. You can create ad campaigns to achieve the following:
Boost Brand Visibility—Get more exposure for your company with ads designed to cultivate views.
Drive Traffic—Do you have an online store or a website you want customers to see? Use ads to navigate users to your web page.
Selling on Social Media—If you prefer to advertise your products through your social media accounts, you can create ads for direct selling.
Downloadable Content—Increase downloads for your apps, eBooks, podcasts and more by directing users to the download pages where those products are hosted.
Generate Leads—Collect contact information (i.e. email addresses) to help you establish connections with prospective customers. Email addresses can be used for sending out newsletters, reports and any other quality content.
Who Are You Trying to Reach?
Now that you have the ‘what,’ it’s time to think about the ‘who.’
Who are you selling to? Who are the people that will be interested in your products? Social media platforms (like Facebook) will often provide ad management tools that you can use to determine which users are interested in your ads. These tools can provide valuable insights for determining how effective your ad campaigns are in connecting with your target audience.
Craft a profile for your target customers by answering these questions:
Where is your target audience located? Where do they live? Are they local or international?
How old is your target customer?
Which genders are you targeting?
How much do they earn per year? Do they budget their expenses?
What level of education are they likely to have?
Do they have families? Are they single or married? Are they a caretaker for their parents?
What are their shopping habits? Do they value great deals or higher quality products? Do they clip coupons?
What are their hobbies/interests? What kind of recreational activities do they prefer?
To craft an effective ad, research the answers to as many of these questions as you can. Then, adjust your advertising approach based on the answers. Test out a few campaigns and make adjustments as you go. This might mean scaling back a promo code offer and investing more ad spend in exposure campaigns. Whatever the case may be, use the insights provided by the management tools to gain a stronger understanding of your target audience’s habits and learn how you can use this information to grow your customer base.
Not sure how to get started? Connect with our team of experts! Social media advertising is one of the many services we offer.
Building a successful brand does not have to be complicated or stressful. Following a few simple rules can help you do more than just maintain your business—it can help drive growth!
Images without a logo is a no-go. All of your marketing materials, including social media posts, ads, signage and documents should have your logo and contact information. An eye-catching ad that goes viral becomes wasted potential if your audience has no idea who you are and how to connect with you. This information does not have to be large or intrusive, but it should be visible. It can be as simple as including your social media handles or your email address.
Choose brand colours and texts carefully. Research indicates that the most popular colour in North America (and worldwide) is blue, followed by red and green.
The colours and font types you choose will represent your brand. They should be enticing to your core audience and indicative of the image you want your brand to convey.
Do your homework. Survey your target demographic about their likes and dislikes and let this information guide you. The more connected you are with your audience, the more you will learn about which fonts and stylistic themes will engage them.
…And always remember…consistency is key!
Choosing your brand’s ‘voice’. The tone of the copy in everything, from your Instagram captions to your sales pitch, should be consistent and representative of your brand. Audiences feel more connected to brands that they can personify.
What kind of personality do you want your brand to have? And, is that personality attractive to your customers?
Once you have found your voice, implement it across all areas. Even your internal communications should maintain your brand’s tone. Any and all interactions with your audience (including how your customer service representatives speak with customers) should reflect your brand’s voice.
Shower your brand with attention.
Logos and taglines are important, but this does not mean you should invest your entire budget in just these areas. So many small businesses are guilty of spending far too much time and money on the visuals, without putting any effort into crucial areas like engagement, consistency and copywriting.
The image you project through your logo and ads should be reflected in every part of your business. Customer facing content like webpages, public profiles and social media accounts should be updated frequently and with a professional appearance.
Get a second opinion (or three). You know everything about your business and what you can offer, but a stranger will not. To know whether your branding does a good job of captivating your core message, run it by a few people before settling on the final product.
Family and friends can offer great insight because they probably already know what your business does and they can give you feedback on whether your branding is effective in communicating your message. You should also reach out to fellow industry professionals with expertise in various areas in your field.
Want some guidance on implementing a great branding strategy? Contact us today! Our knowledgeable experts are always happy to help.
