Am I Doing This Right? Top 3 Social Advertising Mistakes to Avoid

It’s no secret that social media is quickly becoming a pay to play landscape. With organic reach dropping like a stone and constantly evolving algorithms, it’s no surprise that brands are turning to social media advertising. In fact, social media advertising spend in the U.S. alone is expected to reach $18.4 billion in 2019.

While social media advertising opens new opportunities for brands to reach new audiences, launching a successful campaign can be more challenging than it appears. Here’s what you need to know to avoid common campaign pitfalls.

Objectives Aren’t Subjective

You wouldn’t fry up bacon for a vegetarian. Similarly, you wouldn’t choose a lead generation objective if you’re trying to build brand awareness. One of the most common reasons that campaigns fall flat is that advertisers select the wrong ad objective. It’s an easy factor to overlook, but one that can set a campaign up for failure almost immediately.

One of the most common reasons that campaigns fall flat is that advertisers select the wrong ad objective. Click To Tweet

Social channels optimize campaigns based on the objective selected and determine which ads are most likely to meet these objectives. Setting your campaigns up for success starts with one simple question: why? Why are you about to launch this campaign? To drive website traffic? Increase video views? Aligning your campaign objectives with business goals ensures your paid strategy supports and amplifies larger communication efforts.

Missing the Target

Whether you’re launching a conversion campaign or just trying to get some additional eyeballs on your latest recipe video, getting your content in front of the right people at the right time is half the battle. However, selecting the right audience can be a double-edged sword. Getting too specific with your selections will limit reach and you’ll end up paying more to get in front of fewer people. On the other hand, going too broad can target irrelevant audiences, driving up costs and tanking relevance scores.

Luckily, getting to know an audience that’s just right doesn’t have to involve any small talk. From Facebook Business Manager’s Audience Insights tool to website retargeting on LinkedIn, social channels are constantly evolving their capabilities to help you zero-in in your audience.

Set It and Forget It

So, you’ve launched your campaign. Now what? One of the biggest mistakes advertisers can make is ignoring a campaign after it’s launched. Even the most successful campaigns risk “ad fatigue” when left to their own devices. This happens when campaign frequency becomes too high and target audiences are repeatedly bombarded with the same ads. Campaigns require ongoing management to ensure strong results from start to finish.

How do you keep audiences from sleeping on your ads? It’s easier than you think. A simple fix like swapping out an image or tweaking copy can give an old ad new life. Similarly, refreshing targeting options with lookalike audiences or website retargeting can reinvigorate a lackluster campaign by reaching untapped audiences.

Social media is constantly evolving. Knowing how avoid common pitfalls can keep your social strategy ahead of the curve and come out stronger in the end. Still not sure your paid strategy is up to snuff? Let’s get in touch. We’re here to help.

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