Social media advertising isn’t a brand new concept, but it’s becoming a gold standard in modern marketing. Instead of thinking in terms of keywords, marketers are now thinking in terms of audiences. Facebook and LinkedIn ads are coming before Google AdWords. These shifts will change the way we view social media PPC, but in the meantime, it’s important to separate fact from fiction.
Let’s sort through a few of the most common misconceptions regarding social media advertising so that you have a better idea of what you’re working with.
Misconception: Social channels require that you have an organic presence on their platform to use their ads.
Social PPC is a great marketing tool whether you have a presence on that particular channel or not. Just because you are not active on Facebook or LinkedIn, for instance, does not mean that you can’t run a successful PPC campaign with plenty of impressions, clicks and leads. But, being active does have its benefits. You’ll have more ad opportunities and gain all the benefits to social media in general.
Misconception: Promoted updates should be run one at a time.
As you try out social media advertising, you may only want to run one promoted update or tweet at a time. It can seem to be a smart move at first, especially since you may be new to social media PPC and have a limited budget. But, don’t let quantity stop you in this department. Three, four or even five sponsored updates or tweets can be run at a time with much success. You’ll be gaining new followers, boosting engagement and click-through rate and generating quality leads from multiple channels.
Misconception: Facebook is best for reaching targeted audiences.
There is a lot of chatter about targeted marketing, and it certainly has its benefits. However, platforms like Facebook won’t let you get by on groups that are too tightly themed. You still need to market to a certain number of people to get the engagement and CTR you’re looking for. By using the Lookalike and Custom Audiences tools, you can test which ads are most effective for your niche.
Misconception: Twitter is a pay-per-click ad platform.
Don’t worry if you thought that Twitter was a pay-per-click platform. Many people do. But it’s actually an engagement platform, meaning that engagement actions come from things like clicks on hashtags, links and images as well as retweets, follows and @ replies. These costs can add up fast, so it’s important to know what you will be paying for. Still, Twitter is a great marketing channel and provides clients with some of the most leads.
Social media advertising is an effective way to generate leads and increase sales. By measuring ad success and understanding the perks to each channel, you can be successful in your social media PPC strategy.
