Social media ads are an important part of online marketing in today’s digital world. We’ve all seen them popping up in our Facebook feed or when scrolling through LinkedIn. And, what do you know – many of them are products or subjects that we’re interested in! This is because they are targeted. We’d like to share with you our 5 Tips for Successful Social Media Ads.
Did you know that social media ads are one of the most targeted and cost-effective ways to advertise, with a serious return on investment when done correctly?
We’ve put together 5 tips for successful social media ads to help you get a slice of the action.
For this blog we will use Facebook advertising; other social media platforms will have similar options and set-ups.
Select your target audience.
The options for selecting a target audience are many so it’s well worth spending time on this important step as this is where the best return on investment can be found. You can target by location, gender, age, interests etc. You can also create a look-alike audience; a great way of reaching new people who may be interested in your product or service.
For example; if you sell home furnishings, selecting people who like interior design, House & Home magazines, stores like Ikea or Laura Ashley etc., will help you to reach the right people. If your business is localised, selecting your town or county will further narrow down your audience to be more specific.
The more targeted your audience the more successful social media ads will be.
Invest in a professional design.
As we all know social media feeds can sometimes feel flooded with sponsored ads. By using a professional designer for your ad you will be sure to stand out in the crowded feed. Here at Barry Design we are all about the image that will ‘WOW’ those who see your ad in their feed.
The graphics and words used are a huge deciding factor as to whether your ad is clicked on or not. Studies have found that image is responsible for 75-90% of an ads performance. Now you see why you need a creative designer like us!
For successful social media ads yours need to be attention-grabbing and colourful.
It’s also really important that your image is optimised to the correct size for every screen. If a crucial part of your image is cropped because of poor sizing it will kill your ad.
The power of words.
You have nailed the image, now it needs the support of powerful wording. Your ad needs to portray the value of your product or service in an appealing way with a strong call-to-action prompting viewers to take the next step.
Facebook does have rules on text-to-image ratio which you can check on their Image Text Check Tool. Get the buzz words in the image and use the text box to expand your message.
Design your ad for mobiles.
You see it everywhere, people scrolling on their mobile phones. When it comes to social media 80% of time spent online is through mobile devices. Plus, according to Adroll, mobile ads have a 9.1 higher click-through rate than web ads.
Choose your ad type.
Facebook has many different ad types; be sure to choose the one that best suits your business and advertising objective.
A link-click ad will drive traffic to your website and encourages page likes.
Lead ads can be used to increase your mailing lists. You can promote a free give-away or competition when they sign-up, all done with-in the Facebook page.
Boosted post is a post that is doing well for you boosted to reach a wider audience. This can have a substantial reach for a small cost and no extra design work.
Carousel ads are ideal for retail and e-commerce businesses as you can promote up to 10 products in the one ad.
Canvas ads are designed for mobile. This type of ad opens up your products and services in more depth allowing the user to tilt and enlarge images with their fingertips.
Now that you’re all fired up about how successful social media ads can be for your business let’s get started with a show-stopping image!
Talk to the talented design team here at Barry Design today!
