{"id":5567,"date":"2016-08-02T01:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-08-02T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.risingtidesociety.com\/?p=5567"},"modified":"2022-10-23T01:37:25","modified_gmt":"2022-10-23T08:37:25","slug":"advertising-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hbb.dev.reliablepenguin.com\/blog\/advertising-on-social-media","title":{"rendered":"Getting Started: How To Advertise on Social Media"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Learning how to advertise on social media is a great way to reach new audiences, land more clients, and increase your ROI. If you’re hesitant about spending money, find out how to get started easily.<\/em><\/p>\r\n

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\"Advertising-for-social-media-header_389393c3dc\"<\/figure>\r\n

\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nWith all the different social media platforms at our fingertips, it\u2019s a wonder we have time to use any of them! As an Independent business owner, you might be hesitant about learning how to advertise on social media. We often hear the same questions: \u201cHow do I know which social media channel to use,?\u201d \u201cHow do I make sure I\u2019m not wasting my money?\u201d\r\n

\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nUnfortunately, organic social typically just isn\u2019t enough these days. We\u2019re constantly fighting complicated algorithms that hide business posts and prioritize content for followers who\u2019ve already engaged. None of it helps when you\u2019re trying to broaden your reach.\r\n

\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nAs business owners, we\u2019re fighting an uphill battle to get in front of more people on social media\u2026 unless we\u2019re willing to pay for it via ads and sponsored posts. With the data you already have – whether it\u2019s from speaking to your clients or using organic social media, you can create a solid advertising strategy and continue improving on it to spend on the right platforms at the right time. This way, you can count on a return on investment!\r\n

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Get the Guide: How to Grow Your Business on Social Media<\/h2>\r\n

Take your social media efforts to the next level by learning how to create consistent content (without burning out!), develop strategies to reach your goals, and convert more followers.<\/p>\r\n\r\nDownload for Free<\/a><\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n

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Why use advertising on social media?<\/h2>\r\n

\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nOrganic reach is practically a thing of the past.\u00a0 While it\u2019s still possible to reach new audiences on each platform, tech companies have made it harder to figure out the algorithm. No, this doesn\u2019t mean you should swap your organic strategy with a paid strategy. Organic reach is still valuable for engaging with your current followers and providing a good introduction for potential clients who view your profiles.\r\n

\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nYet, these days it\u2019s important to learn how to advertise on social media so you can expand<\/em> the effort you\u2019ve already put into the organic side of your digital marketing. You can use different types of ads to reach most of the goals in a typical sales funnel. Social media ads can broaden your brand awareness with greater reach, they can prompt more action on sponsored posts, and they can even capture users\u2019 information for lead generation from social media<\/a>.\r\n

\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nA variety of factors will impact your ads, but every test is an opportunity to learn something new and adjust. When you think of advertising as something that you should continually optimize\u2013not just a switch to turn on\u2013it can give you better results in the long run.\r\n

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5 signs you’re ready for social media advertising<\/h2>\r\n

\n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nIf you\u2019re ready to dip your toes in social media advertising, consider these five scenarios\u2013\u00a0these are typically great starting points for advertising newbies. Even if these don\u2019t apply to you, we recommend taking the plunge if it\u2019s something you\u2019re considering.\r\n

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  1. You moved to a new city and don\u2019t know too many people in your new town<\/strong> – Start building your network with The RisingTide, and set up social media ads to get in front of your new audience.<\/li>\r\n \t
  2. You\u2019ve lived in the same place for years but are having a hard time getting in front of people who want to hire you <\/strong>– Advertising can help you build brand awareness with the audiences you want to target<\/li>\r\n \t
  3. You\u2019re not getting enough referrals to get your business to where you want it to be – <\/strong>Word of mouth is always a strong source for leads, but it\u2019s never great to limit yourself. Advertising can bring in more leads, especially from different markets that you might have not served yet<\/li>\r\n \t
  4. You\u2019ve invested a lot of money in a lot of different things, hoping they would bring you more business and they haven\u2019t panned out how you\u2019d hoped – <\/strong>\u00a0You might be hesitant to spend even more money on social media marketing, but it\u2019s a great way to see more ROI quicker<\/li>\r\n \t
  5. You\u2019re frustrated and ready to try some new (and proven!) strategies<\/strong> – Ad campaigns are highly versatile and let you start as small or as big as you like, giving you a simple way to test and optimize<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

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    How to choose the right platform<\/h2>\r\n

    \n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nThe most important question you can ask yourself is: Where is my target audience hanging out? If your audience simply isn\u2019t using a platform, it\u2019s not a good fit for you to advertise on.\r\n

    \n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nAsk yourself the following: Which one can you be consistent with? Which one is your strongest; where do you already have the biggest following? Which one do you enjoy using most?\r\n

    \n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nIf you already have an organic Instagram strategy <\/a>or consistently post on other platforms, take a look at the analytics you already have. Where do you have the most monthly active users in terms of engagement? The most effective social media ads will leverage the information you already have.\r\n

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    How to maximize your efforts and (and investments!) with social media advertising<\/h2>\r\n

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    1. Have an end goal in mind\u2013<\/strong> Do you want an inquiry? Email address? Traffic to a blog post? Map your advertising campaigns to each part of your sales funnel so you know what you\u2019re trying to achieve.<\/li>\r\n \t
    2. Have a plan\u2013<\/strong> Even though your work is AMAZING, it usually isn\u2019t enough for someone to see it and instantly want to hand you money. Create a plan and clear calls to action that lead new visitors to that end goal.<\/li>\r\n \t
    3. Speak to your ideal clients\u2013<\/strong> Don\u2019t fall into the trap of being general. Your ideal clients have busy and cluttered social media feeds. And in busy spaces, general = boring. Use the targeting tools available to you to make sure your ads are being seen by the right people and use specific language to speak to them!<\/li>\r\n \t
    4. Start small\u2013<\/strong> Don\u2019t put hundreds of dollars in before you know what\u2019s working. Start small. You can always increase your budget later!<\/li>\r\n \t
    5. Test, test, and test some more\u2013<\/strong> Some of the best marketers we\u2019ve ever worked with and learned from spend up to 30% of their marketing budget on testing what is working before they start scaling their ads. Test images, copy, and different audiences to find what is working best, then you can be sure you\u2019re getting the most bang for your buck!<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n

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      Types of social media ads to use<\/h2>\r\n

      \n\n\n\n<\/p>\r\nSimilar to the platforms, the types of ad formats you choose should align with your goals and target audiences. Try some of the following examples below and see what works for your business:\r\n

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