When you decide to do online marketing, there’re several marketing strategies that you can consider. However, of all the means, social media appears as the only strategy that gives you consistency from its adoption day.
With social media advertising, adverts get served to potential customers through the social media platforms. These social networks make use of the users’ information to serve them with the most relevant information. If the target customers align with a platform’s user demographics, it’s possible to have increased conversion rates. It also results in sales that have the lowest price of the acquisition.
Benefits of Social Media Advertising
There’re different reasons why social media advertising is the best option for a marketer to pick in the market. Some of its benefits include;
- Many of the channels call for a significant period to give an ROI. An excellent example is content marketing which will work to its best after it yields SEO traction and backlinks.
- Some channels will provide quick results, but not on a daily basis. Take an example of the influencer marketing which earns investors rapid ROI through fewer efforts but high costs. However, these results are not consistent and will decrease with every time you make a post.
- Other channels take a lot of time to be regular on ROI. An excellent example is the AdWords which give investors consistent results. However, it takes time to earn a particular placement and master its use.
The above three are not the case with social media advertising as it gives you consistent results right from the first day.
Today, investors try to invest in the modern ecommerce sites. However, to make immediate and consistent customers is not a simple task. It’s challenging to achieve net positive earnings from the initial sales, email marketing, customer retention, and referrals. However, with every single marginal customer, they can pay off the investment.
And this explains the reasons why global social and spending increased by twice the amount from $16billion to $31billion between the year 2014 to the year 2016.
Therefore, in this article, we look at how social media advertising will help you generate consistent sales for your site. We look at six of the best social media platforms you can consider selecting, the necessary tips and tactics you can buy in your campaign. We also teach how you can manage different multi-channel advertising at ease.
Some of the Different social media platforms you can use to serve adverts include:
- For social networking, they include Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.
- Microblogging: Twitter and Tumblr
- Photo sharing: Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat.
- Video Sharing: YouTube, Facebook Live, Vimeo and Periscope.
The Six Best Social Media Networks for Ecommerce Advertising
Several social media networks get generated every week. Some of them will never gain any traction. Therefore, we recommend that you start working with the already established platforms. The following are among the best channels with proven advertising strategies that will help you generate ROI faster. These include:; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Snapchat.
Some of the benefits associated with social media channels advertising include;
- Growth in your fanbase and sales
- The platforms use customer-generated information for advertising,
- It posts a better target on new and returning customers, and therefore less money is wasted,
- The channels also use the A/B test in determining the winners.
One thing that makes social media advertising amazing is the fact that there is no limit in the ability to scale. Here, you don’t wait for people to search on your adverts based on the target keywords, read a blog, or run a promotion of yours. You can easily reach your target audience.
There’re three questions you need to consider when selecting the best social media platform for your campaigning. They include:
- Where your potential audience gets concentrated. Is it in groups or usage?
- Where are your potential customers easily accessible? Is it in ad targeting or preferred media
- Where your customers do mostly engage with the ads
To have success on social media platforms requires that you practice some things. You need to give an attractive offer on a winning media to target customers who find it compelling and in a place where they’ll see the product. It’s also essential that you consider adding a platform in which users will actively engage with the paid ads.
We now look at the six platforms that are worth your funds and time.
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Facebook Advertising
Facebook is the most popular social media platform in the world with over 2billion users on a monthly basis. It’s the only platform that allows users to reach almost every potential customer.
Where Facebook Advertising Shine
Undoubtedly Facebook is the best social media platform for advertising. The cost of generating a lead in here is from $1. Among the commonly used models in running Facebook ads are doing it directly towards a high-converting landing page. The model offers a variety of free bundle products or lead magnet. Some typical examples of social media advertising campaigns include;
- Ebooks,
- Giveaways and Free shipping,
- Sitewide discounts and product coupons,
- Whitepapers and limited-time offers.
You can nature the above campaigns using the target autoresponder, which introduces the leads to your products and brand. Among the best examples is Expression Fiber Arts who offer free products, predictable coupons and discounts, and download-ables to all her audience. As a result, it earns her more than $1million in the past two years. The ecommerce brands do also use the bundled products to help gain direct conversions.
With Facebook, there is advanced targeting more than what you can get in any other platform. You can base your target on location, interest, job descriptions among other valued criteria.
How to Price Facebook Advertising
The pricing depends on some factors which include the type of audience you target as well as the budget you plan for your ads. The rule states that the more cash you spend, the more appropriate Facebook algorithm becomes, and as a result increasing the ad performance with time. A study of 2016 by the AdEspresso indicates that the cost per click was approximately 28 cents while the price of 1, 000 impressions approximated $7.19. The study also showed the 65+ age population had the lowest CPC. On a gender basis, females had 4 cents better performance more excellent than the male gender.
Setting Up Facebook Advertising Campaigns
Three primary parts are a must to include when setting Facebook advertising campaigns. These include;
- Creating your advert
- Building up the targeting,
- Developing a retargeting.
For the first two steps, click on this link http://neilpatel.com/what-is-facebook-advertising/, and for the third step, the following link will be of paramount importance https://conversionsciences.com/blog/facebook-ads-simplified-tofu/.
Advanced Tactics for Facebook Advertising
- A unique Ad for Different Audiences: All the original and retargeting adverts should be individualized and tailored within the desires of each audience.
- Use the ads to promote brand awareness: The prospect ads should educate the audience about your products. The retargeting ads will afterward seal the deal with all interested viewers.
- Use of emojis: The purpose of emojis has been on the rise even for products that have a strong base in the market. They appear attractive and effective in driving high CTR. You should, however, include an A/B test.
- Always do testing: Ad fatigue is a common challenge on Facebook advertising. As a result, we advise that you try using new ads every two weeks.
- The Lookalike audiences: These types of audience works better for a multiple of advertisers. Therefore, you should avoid additional targeting over the lookalikes. With further targeting, you risk to shrink the potential reach on your target audiences and therefore miss on the valuable buyers.
Better results in Five Minutes
For the BigCommerce audiences that use ecommerce insights, they can easily export lists of their AOV or LTV customer cohorts. Later, they can use these lists to search for the Lookalikes on Facebook.
Examples of Facebook ads in Action
A good example is Spearmint LOVE, which is a baby clothing brand from Amazon. The brand’s founder’s husband John Lott used spreadsheets, tacking, and conversion pixels on their Facebook page. In the end, his efforts paid in a better way. Spearmint LOVE has been a success after adopting Facebook advertising.
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Instagram Advertising
Instagram is currently hosting 500millon users each month with 58% audience engagement rates in social media than Facebook. It’s also 2000% more of Twitter.
In which Fields Does Instagram Works Best?
The platform finds bases in images and videos, and therefore works best for sellers who incorporate visual media in their campaigns. It also works best for sellers’ that target people at the age of 18 to 29 years with most of its users being females. You can link the images to the landing pages of the product to create a direct engagement between the customers and the products.
How to Price Instagram Advertising
The cost per 1000 impressions tends to be lower than the value with Facebook. However, it got proved that Instagram has more engagement than posts on Facebook. An excellent example of an Instagram campaign: Victoria Secret garnered 2,078 likes on Facebook and 283,030 likes on Instagram.
Setting Up an Instagram Advertising Campaign
Instagram advertising is part of Facebook and therefore adopts a similar setup. Consider following this link to learn more about its setting, https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/instagram-ads-checklist.
Advanced Tactics with Instagram Advertising
- Pay attention to Custom Audiences: custom audiences are those generated through email lists, pixel tracking or a followers list. A list of users you engaged with in the past will give improved performance.
- Lookalike Audiences: After expanding on the custom audiences, it’s time you consider the lookalike customers. The Instagram algorithm is good at finding the similar audiences that give a positive response to your ads.
- We also advise that you consider real people’s custom images as stock photos will not work on Instagram.
- Your offers should be compelling to the target audience for a chance to take impulse buying to the next level
- The hashtags: In other platforms, the hashtags are a sign of jokes which is not the case on Instagram. They create a perfect way to connect with the target audience.
Examples of Instagram Ads in Action
An excellent example here is the Spearmint LOVE campaign. It was after advertising on Instagram that the company experienced consistent growth. During the Thanksgiving campaign, the business used Facebook pixels in setting up a custom audience. The list was manually built but can now automatically update after every 60 days based on members who visited the site. The dynamic ads were then used to encourage more people to visit the website and take sales. As a result, Spearmint indicated a 33.8x ROI with a 47% decrease in price per purchase.
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Twitter Advertising
Twitter has over 328 million active users per month and therefore considered among the most popular social media advertising platforms. It rotates on breaking news providing unparallel access to mainstreams influencers and niche.
In which areas does Twitter Adverts Shine?
Twitter is different from Instagram and Facebook in that it’s a network that allows organic engagement. Here, no payment is necessary to reach the target audience. Such enhances on twitter value even when running paid ads. Twitter users do online shopping on an average of 6.9-times on a monthly basis. For the nonusers, it’s approximately 4.3-times, while 60% of the users use SMB to make purchases which is an advantage for small stores. Twitter gets used by Ecommerce stores to create brand awareness and encourage direct conversions. Among the most common models is the Twitter Website Cards.
Pricing Twitter Advertising
On Twitter, 1000 impressions costs between $9 and $11which is a rough cost of 25% to 35% each. All the optimized campaigns result into a similar level of engagement. Over the last 2-years, Twitter ad cost has been on a steady rise. However, the platform gets considered to serve on “underutilization” status for advertising purposes.
Setting Up Twitter Advertising Campaign
With twitter advertising, you can consider creating any of the following types of campaigns.
- Promoted tweets,
- Website cards
- Promoted trends and
- Promoted accounts
Click on this, https://blog.kissmetrics.com/twitter-advertising/, for a step by step guide on how to set up a Twitter Advertising Campaign.
Advanced Tactics for Twitter Advertising
- Make use of compelling images that will give attraction to the viewer, draws attention and practically fits your brand
- Stay targeted with your products or the lead magnet you want to promote. Compared to other channels, Twitter requires more of approach technique than other platforms.
- Focus on Brevity: On the landing pages, offer copy and other similar pages, Twitter concentrates on brevity.
- Direct user-ad engagement: Twitter works best for direct customer brand connection which is an advantage you should consider.
- The “shop now CTA” is also great for directing leads to an ecommerce site. Make sure that it takes them to the particular product page, discount among other lead magnet offers.
Twitter Advertising in Action
An excellent example of Twitter advertising in action is Rock Tape, a business that retails on equipment and athletic tape. They used this platform towards increasing engagement with their campaigns. As a result, they drive users to their shops and therefore increase their sales.
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Pinterest Advertising
Pinterest is a visual advertising platform the same as the Instagram and Facebook. The difference is that it’s more targeted towards women. It has over 175 million users per month and always active.
Which fields does it shine?
Some of the reasons why we consider Pinterest among the most reliable platforms include;
- High engagements,
- Images get built around the custom product base,
- International users use it for purchasing creative products.
Pinterest is a highly targeted search engine that Ecommerce retailers love to use in promoting their brands and products. To accomplish the process, pick a high performing pin, and then improve it by engagement and visits to your site. You then locate the promoted pins in a relevant place across Pinterest’s board. Here, they are visible to all users and to keywords that associate with your product.
Pricing Pinterest Advertising
To advertise with Pinterest is not a simple task and the service available for big brands only. Today, the cost 1000 impressions go at an average of $5.30 while the CPC costs at $1.52.
Setting up a Pinterest Advertising Campaign
Pinterest advertising only involves promoted pins. Consider the following link for a detailed step by step guide to set up your own promoted pins. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/use-pinterest-promoted-pins/
Advanced Tactics for Pinterest Advertising
- With Pinterest, users are looking for items that are unique, and therefore, you need to come with pure creativity or practice attention-grabbing.
- You also need to concentrate on the trends on the currently active products and searches.
- Engaging with your followers is also of great importance here. You can consider repinning your fans and using these curated repins in expanding your audience.
- Include detailed descriptions incorporating the keywords and hashtags
- You also need to remain intentional with where you’re linking your pins.
Pinterest Advertising in Action
Native Union is among the best example of brands that use Pinterest adverts. Through Pinterest, the brand earned a wholesale placement in the “brick-and-mortars like the paper source.”
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LinkedIn Advertising
Primarily, LinkedIn finds the basis in B2B markets. It has over 227 million active users a month and evenly distributed among both genders. Most of its users aged between 30-64 years.
Where does it shine?
Most of the users here earn an average of $50,000 per year. It makes up most of the quality leads. The platform works best for the B2B markets as well as social media marketing campaigns. Among the companies that find great success in this platform include secondary education, high-end B2B services, and products and recruiters.
Prices with LinkedIn
The average cost per click on LinkedIn goes for $2-$7. The price can hike up to $11 or $12.
LinkedIn ads come in three categories namely;
- Sponsored content
- Text adverts and
- Sponsored InMail.
Use this https://business.linkedin.com/marketing-solutions/how-to-advertise-on-linkedin, link for a step by step Guide to set-up the campaigns.
Advanced Tactics for LinkedIn Advertising
- First is to track advert performance, and discarding all ads that have a return of below 0.10% CTR or click-through rate.
- Use short and pithier ad copy than those used in Facebook advertising.
- Use the power of targeting audience based on company name and size, age, seniority, skills, and education made useful for B2B purposes.
- Pay attention to solving professional challenges and problems that users are facing.
- Reach for LinkedIn groups using your ad campaigns since much of its power lies in groups.
LinkedIn Advertising in Action
An excellent example of LinkedIn in function is Baume &Mercier which has been a successful watchmaker company based in Europe. After using the InMail campaign, they were able to reach young audiences from across Italy, France, the UK, and Spain. The investment had over 50% response, and their CRM database increased its members by 1,200 individuals.
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Snapchat Advertising
Snapchat is among the newest social media advertising channels with over 301 million active users per month.
Where does Snapchat shine?
Snap chat reaches 41% of all people aged 18-34 years in the US. And this is what makes the platform shine in these sectors.
Pricing Snapchat Advertising
There are different Snapchat’s advertising agencies you can consider using which are more expensive in comparison to other social media platforms. These include;
- Snap Ads
Snap ads are very mobile, including interactive video ads that are the 5x higher swipe-up rate in comparison to click-through rate. The ads cost from $1, 000 to $3, 000 on a monthly bases.
- Sponsored Lenses
Snapchat includes video lenses that are full of fun and engaging in both individual and group levels. Brands can generate and offer custom lenses which users can play. Per day, the lenses cost between $450,000 and $700, 000. An excellent example of sponsored lenses in action is Taco bell video which had over a Million views.
- Snapchat Discover
Snapchat discover is another option that will place a brand’s story on users app feeds at an average cost of $50, 000 a day.
- Sponsored Local Geofilters
Geofilters include overlays where users can incorporate their stories. Among the companies that have used this platform include Wallaroo Media who reports having 23, 000 views on such type of ads on a little cost of $7.
Setting up a Snapchat Advertising Campaign
For a step-by-step process on how to set up a Snapchat advertising campaign, consider following this link. https://adespresso.com/academy/blog/ultimate-guide-marketing-snapchat/#new
Ways to Manage Social Advertising Campaigns
After noticing the high six best social media advertising platforms, it’s time you understand how to manage these sites. The three fundamental ways include;
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Running the Ads Campaigns Manually
The primary way to handle your campaign ads with an aim to reduce the running cost is to run it yourself. Here, you require no special requirements.
Pros
- All your finances get devoted to testing different ads meaning that all dollars go to the actual advertising.
- It also makes sure you develop ads based on your expertise and therefore easy to make any necessary changes in the future.
Cons
- It can result in time wastage if you are a business owner or manager which will create a deficit into the business.
- There’s no guarantee that it will work which can be more expensive than hiring services from the outside.
Where does it work?
The methodology works best for those running short of cash. It also will be good for those ready and have the necessary skills for the project.
- Use the Automated Software
There is unique software that you can use to aid in the process of managing running ad campaigns. These tools are fantastic for the in-house teams, soloprenuers, and agencies.
Pros
- Software such as Adespresso makes it easy to optimize Facebook campaigns and analyzing results easily rather than doing it via Facebook Ads manager.
- They also help users to automate the advertising process and therefore keep the tabs on without doing much.
- The tools also help you limit the time spent on mastering the channels.
Cons
- Using software tools comes with an additional cost which is an expense you have to cover.
- There’s also no proof that there will be another result into your business
- It’s is troublesome to notices chances of the software underperforming.
Who can use the Strategy?
The methodology is useful for managers that have no time to master the manual processes or have no funds to hire professional expertise.
- Hiring a Managed Service
The method is expensive but the most successful and therefore the most recommendable strategy.
Pros
- There’s a higher possibility of success and give good results.
- It also allows you to concentrate on running the business and therefore minimizes possible deficits.
- It also encourages consistent sales and increased the number of new members.
Cons
- The only disadvantage with this strategy is when you hire low-quality agencies as you will lose your money leading to a loss.
Who does it fit?
The strategy fits all businesses that have enough resources to initiate campaigns that increase sales and are profitable. It’s also ideal for those who want immediate results.
Conclusion
Social media advertising is the only best channel for ecommerce marketing. It’s good for scalable, consistent sales, quality leads and new customer from one day to the other.