Understanding Paid Social Media in 2018

Posting. Tweeting. Sharing. Creating. Whatever you like to call it, social media is how most of us connect with each other and the brands we love. This year, there are 3.196 billion people on the planet using social media. This number is up 13 percent from 2017. On average, individuals are spending fifteen more minutes a day browsing social media than watching TV, creating an even greater opportunity for connections in 2018.

However, with recent platform changes prioritizing “meaningful” content (Facebook Zero, anyone?) and organic reach dropping like a stone, marketers are showing more interest in paid social media capabilities. So, how do you kick off a successful, engaging paid strategy? Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Let’s Get To Know Each Other

Want to create meaningful content that resonates with your target audience? Well, then you better know who they are. Whether you’re boosting a high performing post or executing a long term traffic campaign, getting your content in front of the right people at the right time is half the battle.

Luckily, getting to know your audience doesn’t always have to be like an awkward first date. From Facebook Business Manager’s Audience Insights tool to retargeting industry specific content on LinkedIn, the big guns of the social media world are constantly evolving their capabilities to help you zero-in in your audience.

Whether you’re boosting a high performing post or executing a long term traffic campaign, getting your content in front of the right people at the right time is half the battle.Click To Tweet

Get “Boost” To It

It’s no secret that social media has become a pay-to-play environment. This begs the question: How does this affect your organic strategy? While social channels are constantly updating how organic content is served to followers, it still plays a critical role in your social media strategy. Organic content helps build and maintain trust and brand recognition with your existing audience as well as deeper, more meaningful engagement through comments and shares.

Luckily, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram all offer opportunities to help give this content a little extra push. That’s right. I’m talking about boosting! Putting even $25 behind your top performing post gives your content an opportunity to expand its reach beyond your followers’ newsfeeds and maximize potential engagement.

Let’s Get Critical

Alright. This one seems obvious, but it’s arguably the most important. The most powerful question you can ask yourself when developing a social media strategy is “Why?” Asking the tough questions can help delve deeper into the strategy behind your campaign plan and whether it truly aligns with your larger goals.

Why is this an engagement campaign rather than a website traffic campaign? Why are we targeting Gen Z rather than millennials? Why are we sharing business focused content on Facebook when we have stronger engagement on LinkedIn? Taking a critical look at your paid media strategy helps spend your paid budget wisely and ensure your paid strategy supports and amplifies larger communication efforts.

Be The Change

The definition of insanity is doing the same task over and over again and expecting different results. Unsurprisingly, this is also the case for paid social media. If you’re seeing fewer impressions, minimal engagement and lackluster link clicks, it might be time to re-evaluate your paid strategy.

Social media advertising is constantly changing. Factor in evolving audience tastes and interests, even the best paid plans can go awry at the flip of a switch. The key to success is flexibility. An effective social media strategy should be able to adapt to changing channels and come out stronger in the end.

Approaching your strategy with the right tools and mindset will help brands cut through clutter and ensure content is reaching the right audiences. Still have questions about setting up your paid social media strategy? Let’s get in touch. We’re here to help.

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