By Susan Waggoner, Digital Marketing and Advertising Specialist
Over the past ten years, the popularity of social media has increased significantly, with over 2.28 billion users reported in 2016 – and that number is only expected to grow. With the opportunity to reach this many people, why would you not advertise on social channels? If the sheer number of users is not enough of an incentive, we’ve provided five reasons why you and your business should take advantage of this opportunity.
- Targeting. Target, target, target. When you advertise on social media, you can seek out users by demographics, age, location, interest, job title, years of experience, and more. These options allow you to reach your brand’s target audience, including users who don’t already like or follow your page.
- More bang for your buck. The reach on organic posts is quickly declining, so to ensure your content is seen, you have to pay. Luckily, the price of doing this is relatively cheap. You can reach over 1,000 individuals for less than three dollars. Plus, if you’re willing to spend a little bit of money, and your competitor is not, you will own this space, resulting in more customers and sales.
- Measurable results and insights. Whether it’s a new follower, page like, website visit, or purchase on an e-commerce site, you can instantly see the results from your ads. Just make sure you take the time to set up tracking! Plus, you can see insights into who viewed or took action on your ad. For example, it may show that 70 percent of the engagement came from women ages 35 to 50.
- Engaging content. The opportunities are endless. Unlike print advertising, advertising on social media and other digital outlets provides an opportunity to share more engaging content. Instead of using a static image, you can use a video or GIF to engage your audience. You can also include a URL to send individuals to your website, landing page, or event sign-up.
- Brand Awareness. Your social media ad may show up on your target audience’s Newsfeed or profile, even if they don’t like or follow your page. Having your brand’s name frequently appear provides excellent brand awareness that could turn into a conversion. As a bonus, many times this doesn’t even cost you a penny. When you set up your ad, you get to choose how you are charged – cost-per-click, cost-per-impression, cost-per-view, etc. So, if you choose CPC, and some of your audience sees your ad, but does not click, you are not charged.
This article originally appeared on The Greater Memphis Chamber SBC Big Ideas blog.