The short answer is – absolutely! Social media advertising is a rapidly growing tool which businesses use to increase brand awareness, attract new customers, and grow their customer base.
According to Statista, more and more people are seeing social media ads, with impressions increasing by 20% year on year. Also, 49% of internet users say they are likely to purchase from brands they see advertised on social media. So, if your business is still yet to delve into the world of social media, you are missing out on a huge opportunity.
But why are they so successful? Let’s find out…
3 Reasons Why Social Media Ads Work:
- You can easily target your specific audience
- Your target audience is there
- Social media offers insights into ad performance
1. You Can Easily Target Your Specific Audience
Social media advertising platforms allow you to utilise a person’s social media data, to put your ads in front of the right audience.
Some of the demographics, interests and behaviours that can be targeted across social media platforms include:
- Previous online activity – This one is super interesting as social media platforms use tracking codes such as Facebook Pixel to target users based on their previous browsing history, e.g. targets users that visited your website in the past.
- Location – Targeting based on where the user lives or where they’ve been in the past
- Demographics – Targeting based on things such as gender, age, sex and household income.
- Interests – Targeting based on the users behaviours and interests, such as music and sports.
Additionally, when setting up a new social media campaign, almost all platforms will ask you for an ad goal; be it video views, sales, website clicks or post engagement. The platform will then use previous user behaviour data to put your ads in front of the people that are most likely to perform your chosen objective.
2. Your Target Audience Is There
Social media is where the people are, i.e. where your customers are. According to a 2016 survey conducted by the Pew Research Centre, 56 percent of online adults use a relatively diverse array of social networks.
Here’s a rough insight into the different demographics on the various social platforms:
The largest demographic on Facebook is men (56%) and between the ages of 25-34 (26.3%). With 2.7 billion monthly active users, it makes sense for any business to advertise there in some way, shape or form.
Similarly to Facebook, Instagram’s largest age demographic is 25-34 years (33%), but sees a higher usage from women (57%).
LinkedIn is a platform of professionals, with 46-55 year olds as the largest age group.
So, which platform is most effective?
The effectiveness of a social media platform will depend on your target audience, product or service and budget.
Here at ThisIsUs.Digital, we understand each platform attracts a different demographic, and it can be difficult to know which one is right for you and your business. Our paid social media services can help you decide which platforms are best suited to reach your target audience and how to utilise them so you can get the most from your investment.
3. Social Media Offers An Insight Into Ad Performance
Social media ads use analytic tools which allow you to gain a real insight into how your ads are performing in line with your targets and customers. In addition to those analytic features, social media platforms allow you to track how well an ad is performing due to the number of likes, shares and comments it gets.
Of all the ways to advertise online, social media is arguably the most complex with the number of variables there is to negotiate. It is also the most dynamic with new platforms and ad formats entering the market regularly. At ThisIsUs.Digital, we pride ourselves with keeping up to date with each one, making our experience and skill set relevant to today’s market.
To understand where to start, or how you can improve your current social media campaigns, book a free consultation or request a free audit here. For more tips and tricks from our experts, head over to our digital marketing blog page.
Written by Kate, for ThisIsUs.Digital.
