Social media advertising has been an effective vehicle for businesses both paid and organic over the last decade. The onslaught of the corona virus pandemic in 2020 left many small businesses with no other option but to pivot online, as such, social media advertising has evolved into a booming industry which makes “standing out” a real challenge for marketers. While this is a real phenomenon there are myriad of strategies that businesses can employ in order to propel their products and services in the spotlight and fulfill their expected return on investment (RIO).
Here are 4 Winning Social Media Advertising Strategies:
If you know your industry very well you will agree that there are thousands, if not millions of businesses similar to yours in the global business environment. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that you analyze your competitors, as well as the behavior of consumers in order to find out what their needs are and fulfill the ones that are not being met by your competitors, rather than reinventing the wheel and subject yourself to a competition that you cannot win.
Content is king! Hence, knowing the needs of your audience and providing content that appeals to their interest or solves their problem will propel you into the spot light, consistently expand your audience which will convert to loyal customers over time.
In this social media age people are more fascinated by visual content than they do with text. As a result, video content is a highly effective marketing tool used by many successful businesses.
A HubSpot report revealed that 87% of video content marketers agreed that video content gives them a positive RIO and provide consumers with a better understanding of their products and service as social media thrives on video content due to algorithms and audience demands.
Hence, one of the best ways to let your social advertising stand out in the competition is by being creative. Let’s face it, people may be very skeptical about the product or service that you provide but the high level of creativity and innovation that you employed in content creation piqued their interest and sets your business a part. Therefore, it is very important to leverage visual content in order to drive traffic to your social media platform or website, build brand awareness and increase sales which text on its own cannot do.
For some marketers the main aim of social media advertising is to drive traffic to their platforms in order to increase sales. However, your audience has specific interests, providing them with useful tips and advice about your products or services will keep them interacting with your platform. Once your messaging is consistent and aligns with their specific interests, your brand will become a part of your audience’s social conversation. Customers who find your content useful will retweet, share or repost your messages, as well as comments shared by others about your products or services.
These personal interactions will instill a sense of loyalty in your long-standing and prospective customers, allow you to reach your specific target audience, increase brand exposure, provide feedback that will assist you to improve your products or services, establish your value and authority in the industry, and ultimately provide a direct, positive return on your investment (RIO).
Influencer marketing is a social media marketing strategy that employs the services of influencers- individuals who have a dedicated social following and are viewed as experts within their niche to do endorsements, product mentions and content creation. Influencers are no longer exclusive to celebrities and media personalities. The rapid evolution of social media networking sites has birthed hundreds of thousands of influencers who have saturated the social media environment.
Notwithstanding, social media influencers have the power to impact purchase decisions as customers trust their friends and the people they admire more than the companies that sell the products and services they are interested in.
Influencer marketing yields more positive results than traditional advertising such as print, radio and TV because it uses strategies such as word of mouth and social proof which are critical to any social media marketing plan.
In 2021, 80% of marketers reported that influencer marketing is very effective and 86% plan to increase their use of influencer marketing in 2022. Statistics show that Facebook and Instagram are the most effective platforms for influencer marketing.
In order for your social media advertising to be effective in building brand loyalty and maximize sales, consider influencer marketing as part of your social media marketing plan if you are currently not using this strategy.
It is evident that social media marketing is the main tool that businesses use to promote brand awareness, drive traffic to their platforms, or websites, increase sales and stand out in the competition. Given the continuous expansion of the industry, it behooves social media marketers to create marketing strategies that will propel them a head of the competition and give them a positive RIO. Business that invest in the correct and consistent use of these social media marketing strategies are guaranteed to remain relevant and viable in 2022 and beyond.
For more information on how to grow your small business on social media please leave comments below.
Caren Waugh is the CEO of CW Media Consultants, a proven communications and social media strategist, blogger, and print media contributor who helps small businesses to create brand awareness, strengthen customer relations, and shape their online marketing endeavors with winning social media strategies.
