Paid social refers to advertising on social media platforms. It’s when a business pays the likes of Facebook/Meta, LinkedIn, YouTube and Instagram to advertise their goods and services.
Unlike more traditional forms of advertising (think newspapers and magazines), paid social can very specifically target certain demographics. For example, a children’s party planning business in Birmingham, can pay to have its content shown to mothers of children living within a certain radius of that area. It’s possible to target people who have visited a client’s pages before, or audiences who follow a similar brand.
Paid social is experiencing significant growth as an industry to match the constant rise in how people use social media in general.
Statistics show social media advertising spend was on course to reach almost £8.5bn in the UK in 2022.
Its impact as an effective marketing tool – and at fairly entry level prices – is easy to demonstrate, as more people now buy services, book tables, order products etc, through their social media platforms.
Another appeal of advertising campaigns on social media is the ability to extensively monitor them for impact and outcomes.
Campaigns that are well researched and executed have a high chance of achieving a decent return on investment, and if something isn’t working, it’s easy to see why and make adaptations as needed.
There are many different options too, paid social content can take the form of Facebook carousels, TikTok videos, gifs, memes, reels, words and more. The opportunities for creativity are endless.
We support our clients in creating high-impact, strategic paid social campaigns. The starting point is always to understand the specific objectives of a campaign and design adverts accordingly.
We will take time to understand both the marketing objectives and the business goals, and research the audience so the most appropriate social media platforms are targeted.
Our campaigns will always balance budgets against expected results. We can manage the entire campaign from strategy to practical execution, including design of all creative elements.
Successful campaigns also require ongoing management, including A/B testing and optimising or refining as needed.
The main focus will always be on delivering results and that all-important return on investment.
Summary
Paid social can be a very powerful marketing tool in generating leads and driving conversions, with a relatively low barrier to entry. It works hand-in-hand with organic social, which is more about growing reputation and nurturing followers.
When starting out with social media ad campaigns, using data from an organically grown audience, and boosting high-performing organic posts, can be a great place to start.
Paid social is an essential tool in the marketing mix and can be integrated with automation and complementary marketing activity.
Get in touch now for a strategic paid social campaign that delivers results.