Research shows that one of the top goals for marketers is to increase brand awareness, which is why more brands are achieving this with a paid social media presence.  

That’s because social media has become the go to place for consumers to research and purchase products.

The options available to businesses today mean that your campaigns are more likely to net a higher return on investment.

There are many variables that go into any social media ad campaign and the process can be overwhelming.

This guide will show you how social media advertising works, breaking down what you need for a winning campaign.

Why run paid social media ads?

Arguably the largest benefit of organic social media is that it’s FREE. However, there are some principal reasons why paid social ads have grown so much in popularity over recent years.

For many brands, organic reach is declining

Organic reach certainly isn’t dead; however social media algorithms can be changeable. Many studies confirm that organic reach is certainly on the decline.

There are no guarantees regarding who sees your unpaid posts. Some of your content may receive a lot of engagement, where as other posts may appear to be completely hidden.

Social ads ensure that you’re getting impressions. If you want more potential customers to see your business’ content, ads are the way to go.

Social ads allow your business to be seen by specific audiences

Facebook’s ad platform allows you to precisely select who your ads are served to.

Want to present your ads to parents of children in the Auckland area, that are interested in gardening and pets? Or a newly engaged couple that love to travel?  This is the way to go!

A strong contrast to presenting a one-size-fits-all traditional ad.

Ads make it easier to scale your organic presence

Growing your social presence organically can be a painstaking, long-term process.  The good news is that ads can speed that process up.

Know your audience

Another important factor when it comes to social ads is bidding. Based on your bidding and budgeting, Facebook is more likely to serve your ads to the most relevant users. Likewise, you can also set your ad budgeting to a daily or lifetime limit.

How does social media advertising differ from organic content?

A social ad might look exactly like an unpaid post, the most notable difference being the subtle Sponsored label.

Paid posts should tick the following boxes:

• Centred around a specific product, service or promotion
• Include a call-to-action (shop now)
• Lead to the landing page related to promotion

Potential goals for social media ad campaigns

While often the goal from an ad campaign is to ‘make money,’ social media advertising isn’t only about dollars and cents - Social Media goals differ from business to business.

• You may be more concerned about impressions and traffic rather than purchases.
• Social media ads allow you to optimise your campaigns.

Direct sales

If you’re solely focused on selling products and services, you have plenty of options for doing so via social ads.

From time-sensitive offers to introducing new collections to past customers, there are options galore!

Increasing brand awareness

Whether your goal is to introduce new people to your business or people who are already familiar with you, social ads are a prime way to get in front of existing or potential customers.

Don’t assume that your first campaign is going to knock it out of the park.

At Sprout, we understand that fine tuning your budget, scheduling and ad creatives is all par of the course.