Social networks offer plenty of opportunities for reaching more people. Their advertising solutions are targeted and easy-to-use, but which ones make sense for your company?
Here are three factors to keep in mind:
1) While any or all of the platforms might make sense for your business, think about where your target audience is. Which of these social networks are they currently using? What’s their mindset while using each of these sites?
2) Consider the best format for your message—whether it’s an ad, a post or tweet, or a video. How much space do you need? What will best communicate your message?
3) Determine your call to action or what you want your audience to do when they see your ad. Is your goal to increase traffic to your site, gain followers, capture leads or share information?
IF you’re ready to jump into social advertising, we’ve compiled a quick guide to the advertising options on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to get your creative juices flowing:
LinkedIn’s advertising platform allows members to create and place targeted ads on prominent pages of the site. Ads include a headline, description, image, and company website URL, and they can be targeted based on job title, job function, industry, geography, age, gender, company name, company size, or LinkedIn Group. By setting a maximum daily budget (from $10 to $1000) and a bid (how much you’re willing to pay for clicks or impressions), marketers have the ability to control costs.
Facebook advertising begins with building a business Page and gaining followers. The next step is to create ads to encourage engagement with your company Page or direct traffic to your website. Ads can be targeted to your current followers or to other Facebook members based on location, gender, age, likes and interests, relationship status, workplace and education. Advertisers set a daily or “lifetime” budget.
Another option for increased visibility is Promoted Posts. By paying a fee, Facebook members can promote posts, which are then labeled as “sponsored.” Only Pages with 100 likes have the opportunity to promote posts. Though all posts are viewable by your Page’s followers, promoted posts appear higher in your audience’s news feeds, making it an option to consider when you have a special offer, exclusive event, or important update to share.
Twitter offers a number of paid advertising options, including Promoted Accounts, Tweets, and Trends. A Promoted Account is featured in search results and in the Who to Follow section, and it can be targeted to the country level or DMA level within the U.S. This advertising opportunity makes sense for companies who want to build their presence and followers. Promoted Trends encourage conversation around a specific brand or product and are listed among other current trending topics. If you’re looking to create buzz around a new launch or event, Promoted Trends is an option to consider.
Promoted Tweets appear in search results or timelines of your followers or users who are like your followers. These tweets appear at or near the top of user’s timelines and are priced by Cost-per-Engagement, so advertisers only pay when someone retweets, replies to, clicks, or favorites your Promoted Tweet. An interesting option is mobile targeting, which allows advertisers to target users on specific platforms including iOS, android, and Blackberry.
YouTube advertising is linked to Google Adwords for video. Start by making videos that capture your brand story, customer testimonials, or helpful how-tos. Posting the video is free, but to promote it to the right audience, tap into Google Adwords for video. You select a target audience based on topic, keywords, or demographics and only pay when one of those users chooses to watch your video. If you’re looking to showcase a group of videos and want to encourage further engagement, creating a YouTube channel for your brand—and linking it to your company’s other social networks—is a great option.
Which social advertising opportunities make sense for your company?
Photo Credit: Neeraj Kumar
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