In a world where we have been forced to adapt to a ‘new normal’, business products or services have changed their marketing strategy. Some (if not most) businesses have been smart enough to shift their marketing budgets to social media ad campaigns and have been introduced to new targeting options.
From a paid media perspective, I will explain all the social media channels that businesses can leverage to ensure that marketing budget is optimum.
Before we breakdown all the social media advertising options, it is crucial that businesses understand their objectives in order to ensure best results.
Objectives
Why do businesses need to set digital marketing objectives?
Without proper goals, a campaign cannot be measured successfully.
For example, without social media objectives, a business is working to generate more likes and engagement – but does that necessarily translate to success? Is there any return on investment (ROI)?
Likewise, if the goal is to convert more leads – then one won’t focus on creating content that generates likes and comments but content tailored at acquiring leads with a compelling CTA.
Businesses should test social selling strategies, work to drive more social media traffic to websites and landing pages, and try to drive more followers to sign up to lists.
In a nutshell, objectives give businesses a clear direction; and what’s more, they guide businesses in developing strategies that achieve goals.
Social Media Platforms
These are South Africa’s most used platforms that I would recommend that businesses familiarise themselves with:
Facebook Ads
Facebook ads are simple and sophisticated. Create and run campaigns using simple self-service tools, and track their performance with easy-to-read reports. Two billion people use Facebook every month – so no matter what kind of audience is to be reached, they’ll be found there.
Instagram Ads
People use Instagram to be inspired and discover things they care about, which includes content from brands and businesses.
Twitter Ads
Twitter Ads objective-based campaigns are designed to help businesses achieve results that drive action and add value. Create campaigns tailored for a variety of business goals, from driving website traffic to increasing brand awareness.
LinkedIn Ads
LinkedIn enables businesses to specify industry, company size, and job title of the individuals they want to target. Also, LinkedIn is an ideal way to run account-based marketing, because businesses can target individuals who work at specific companies.
Measurement and Reporting
Businesses can use these platform’s reporting tools to measure the success of campaigns. I personally also recommend using tools like Google Analytics to measure results across networks from a single dashboard. A social media report is a great way to track results and look for great content to promote with social ads.
