Facing the Truth about Social Media and Advertising.

I remember when social media was (or should I say felt?) completely free. Even for businesses that wanted to join in on the action, it was the unpaid medium of the future! 

Speaking of future, a lot has changed since 2004.. And, it's funny because I still have clients that don't want to spend money on social media marketing. I'm here to say that it is time. You can no longer afford to NOT spend money on social media. This is my advice: 

PAY TO PLAY

Just because things have changed, doesn't mean that social media is no longer the way to go... it just means that you must "pay to play." And trust me, you want to be in this ballgame. Social media companies today have targetable mass audiences that you can easily reach if you make the investment to do so. 

EXPERIMENT

If you've never done any type of social media advertising before, how do you know what works for your target audience? You may have an idea - and that's great! Start there. Social media platforms have built-in analytics that show you the likes, comments, shares, favorites, mentions, retweets, etc. so that you can see how well your ad is performing in real time. Find out which ads work best and then put more money into either, those ads or ads with similar qualities. It's all about tweaking until you find the best mix of placement, content and copy for your specific target audience. 

STAY TRUE TO YOU

Just because you're experimenting with content, doesn't mean that you should completely diverge from what your company or brand is all about. Videos and memes of kittens are great, but what do they say about your company? Stick to relevant, valuable content that is close to your company's heart. This forces you to get creative, and that's a good thing! If you stay true to you, you'll find that the interaction you receive is quality interaction from people that support your business. That's the kind of engagement you're looking for in a social media marketing campaign. 

DO THE MATH

Know what your marketing goals are before you start your ad campaigns so that you can really calculate your return on investment. Social media has the potential to help you in so many areas of the sales funnel, but which ones are you focusing on? Being able to measure the impact of your ads will reassure you that you're putting your money in the right place. 

It's really not that scary, I promise. Good luck! 

Stephanie Amy

Feel free to contact me for help here: www.stephsandyconsulting.com, or follow me on Twitter for more social media tips: @stephsandy