The value of social media for small businesses is immeasurable. The average social media user spends 2.5 hours per day clicking through sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. For this reason, it is vital that small businesses take advantage of one of the most effective ways to reach potential consumers.

Social media has the ability to create a channel of communication between a brand and the target consumer and in doing so it can nurture customer relationships – optimised ad campaign strategies can support this.

Here we share five top tips when it comes to social media advertising for small businesses to help promote the brand, product or service through advertising:

Start with a plan for you social media advertising 

Plan your advertising strategy thoroughly – consider all the methods of maximising engagement

 

Every good business strategy starts with a plan, and the same goes for social media advertising. An outlined social media advertisement strategy executed correctly will lay the foundation for you to create a professional and successful campaign across platforms. Starting with a plan will ensure that your business has a clear goal in mind and sets out what you want to achieve online – and will make you more likely to reach this goal. In doing this, it is also much easier to recognise how you can achieve a clear return on investment.

Decide which social media advertising platforms are right for your business

Your target audience will indicate which social media site to focus on

 

To ensure your business is using social media in a beneficial way, it is crucial to do some research into your target audience. This will give you an indication on how your audience spends their time online and will help you to understand which platforms you should focus your ad campaign on. You may be tempted to bypass platforms like Facebook, due to the current popularity of Tik Tok and Instagram, however data shows that almost 25% of Facebook’s users are between the ages of 18 and 24 – so if this is your target audience, ensure you include Facebook in your plans. Similarly, social media may not seem as though it is of great importance if your target audience is older, however Facebook and Pinterest are very popular amongst the older consumer. 65+ year olds are Facebook’s fastest growing audience segment. For this reason, it is essential to know your audience so that you can decide on the right platform for your social media marketing strategy.

Observe what is trending before launching an advertising campaign 

Keep an eye on all things relevant for your brand

 

This is not to say you should jump on every trend that goes viral. However, a good way to promote your brand on social media is to always be watchful and on the look out for upcoming emerging trends. This will give you a good understanding of what people are looking for on social channels and a creative response is always a fantastic way to jump on the bandwagon and gain high engagement for your advertising campaign. If a particular trend or online conversation matches well with your brand or your messaging, you can subsequently create content to capitalise on the trend and incorporate this into your social media advertising plans.

Engage with your audience through your social content

Build a relationship with your target consumer

 

Consumer engagement is not a one-way street. When consumers engage with your social media content, it’s paramount that your business engages back as a way of building trust and creating a more personal relationship with the customer. The best way to expand your business through social channels is to connect with your audience in an authentic way, and by doing this, consumers will like and possibly share your content – which ultimately leads to greater brand awareness amongst key audience demographics. Developing relationships with customers and establishing a loyal community will help lead to reliable, reoccurring sales and consistent engagement. Ensure this is considered within your advertising strategy and that the content will resonate well with your audience.

Be consistent but focus on quality over quantity for your social media advertising 

Quality over quantity is key for social media advertising

 

It is crucial to stay consistent with social media advertising to ensure your brand remains front and centre for consumers. It is likely that your followers are also following hundreds or thousands of other accounts, so staying consistent and regularly appearing in their feed through advertising with quality content will keep your brand relevant. Having said this, it is hopeless launching several ad campaigns if the quality of each one is not up to scratch. This can have a detrimental effect on your online following, reduce social engagement and turn away loyal followers.

Every individual ad needs to offer value to the consumer, as constant sales tactics will mean customers get bored and have little reason to engage with your brand. Instead, create engaging copy and imagery that avoids a ‘salesy’ tone and instead builds relationships with your followers through your advertising to give them a genuine reason to want to engage with you.

At Prohibition, we work with a range of brands across all sectors to create engaging social media marketing strategies that allow brands to stay up to date with the latest trends and updates. Get in contact today to find out how we could help you: hello@prohibitionpr.co.uk

For more interesting articles from us check out these posts:

  1. Is paid social media worth it?
  2. The importance of diversity in social media advertising 
  3. How effective is video on social media? 

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