If you’re reading this article, it means you’ve decided to take the plunge and step into the world of social media advertising. By all means, it’s one of the best choices you’ll ever make for your business.
After all, the number of active social media users is nearly 5 billion. And, on average, 2 hours and 24 minutes are spent surfing them daily.
But as a beginner, you might not have enough knowledge regarding social media advertising, and that’s completely fine. We all start somewhere, right?
Fortunately, you could not have started your journey at a better place. Because in this blog post, we’ve laid out all the information you need regarding social media marketing.
So, without further ado, let’s dig in:
Social Media Advertising in 2023 – What It Means
To define social media marketing in the simplest words, it means using various social media channels to promote your product or service. Some of the most commonly used platforms include:
- TikTok
- YouTube
A compelling reason to use social media advertising is because it can help you reach your target audience and increase brand awareness. And your business doesn’t have to check certain boxes to be eligible for these advantages.
Whether you’ve recently established your startup or you’re a proud owner of a multi-billion-dollar company, social media marketing doesn’t discriminate, so to speak.
The Beginner’s Guide to Social Media Ads
Paid and organic ads are two important elements of social media marketing. While there’s a lot to learn about both, for now, we’ll keep it simple:
When a brand pays for a sponsored post, like a video or display ad, it’s called paid social media advertising. The target audience of paid social media posts is the consumers more likely to purchase your product or service. In the majority of cases, you’ll see ‘Sponsored’ written under such posts.
On the other hand, if a brand shares a photo, meme, or video, it’s called an organic post. An organic post is for those already following you and you wish to engage with them. You don’t have to spend money on creating an organic post, although its reach and visibility are limited as compared to paid posts.
Social Media Advertising Tips for Beginners
After reading the basics of social media marketing, a lot of things would’ve started making sense. But merely possessing the knowledge is not enough; you must know how to implement it effectively, as we’ve explained in the form of these tips:
1. Research Your Target Audience
The best social media marketing strategy revolves around the target audience. So, before even determining the platform, you must clearly understand the people for whom you’re doing all this.
- Who are they?
- Which platform are they using the most?
- What kind of content do they want to see?
It’s imperative that you spend time answering these questions by checking your social media account’s Analytics section.
2. Identify Your Preferred Platform
After researching your target audience, you’d have a clear idea of which platform they spend most of their time on. Armed with that data, it’s time to determine the best social media platform.
For instance, men aged 25-34 use Facebook the most. Similarly, 52.2% of Instagram’s audience is male. TikTok, on the other hand, is the preferred platform for females – 57%.
Although you can target multiple platforms, initially, it’s best to stick to just one and work your way to others later on.
3. Craft Relevant Content
An integral part of your social media marketing strategy should be to craft relevant content. Because the more your followers find it relatable, the higher the chances of them commenting on, liking, and sharing your posts.
In our experience, we’ve found that a mix of content works the best, from interesting facts about your products or service to motivational quotes.
These days, memes are particularly famous for engaging audiences and making them laugh.
4. Post Consistently
You could’ve created the most well-thought-out social media marketing strategy, if you don’t know how to time it, your efforts might as well be futile.
Post too much, and your followers will say, “TMI.” Post too little, and everyone will start wondering whether your account is even active.
So, what’s the recommended frequency?
- 1-2 times a day (Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn)
- 2-3 times a day (Twitter)
- 3-5 times a week (TikTok)
- Once a week (YouTube)
5. Engage with Your Audience
In the pursuit of acquiring new followers, don’t forget your old ones. If they’re leaving comments or asking questions, and you’re not responding, you’re missing out on a big opportunity.
Timely responses are an effective way of positively influencing customers, especially considering it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to reply.
Therefore, make it a habit to read the comments under your posts. It’s a guaranteed way to establish a healthy brand reputation.
6. Stay Abreast of the Industry Trends
The digital world is ever-changing. Every other day, there’s a new social media advertising trend taking the internet by storm. It’s your responsibility to keep up with the latest industry developments.
For instance, the past few weeks have seen a significant rise in ‘Barbenheimer’ memes.
However, it’s important to mention that not every trend will be worth exploring. Some are just fads, and you shouldn’t waste your time on them.
7. Remain Patient
Before bidding farewell, we have one crucial tip to share. And that’s not to lose yourself in the rat race of social media.
You’ll find many accounts with more followers than you, but that should be the least of your concerns. Getting your follower list to grow can take weeks, months, or even years.
During that time, work on nurturing a healthy relationship with your followers. Because we all know that quality > quantity.
To Sum It Up
Social media ad strategies can open doors for your business that you didn’t even know were there. However, as is the case with everything, you need to give your following list time to increase.
If you look for shortcuts, like buying followers, you risk suspending your account, among other repercussions. We advise this to everyone who comes to Design Genious seeking our social media marketing services.
Speaking of, should you need help fine-tuning your social media presence, we’re here for you. Utilizing our years of experience and skills, we’ll optimize your social media profiles for maximum visibility and reach.
