Michael BrooksIt might be frustrating, but paid social media promotion is the future. Although social platforms like ello are attempting to break the mold an not sell your information or make it available to advertisers and marketers, platforms like Twitter and Facebook have already caved, providing insights on each and every one of us. Scary, perhaps, however in this day and age we are well aware of the choice we’ve made and the repercussions that go along with our subscriptions to these networks. In quite a few cases, we’ve found something extremely helpful online through these targeted ads despite our dislike for them.
Your company needs social promotion if you want stronger brand awareness. If you need a quick primer on paid options for Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter ads, continue reading and let us know what you’ve found most effective in optimizing your spend!
Facebook Options
What: Facebook gives you the option of targeting millions of users through paid options across all demographics. Some options include:
- Marketplace ads/Paid advertisements (run on the sides of user’s Facebook feeds)
- Page post ads (ads placed in a user’s news feeds, however they aren’t liked as much)
- Promoted posts (boosted posts that reach more than the 16-30% of your total audience)
- Sponsored Stories/‘Friends of Friends’ outreach; friends of friends will see your posts
Why: Because Facebook now limits your reach as a business through adjusting EdgeRank, the platform is mostly ‘pay-to-play’ now (meaning you need to spend money to stay effective). Using Facebook’s massive network and robust tools (especially Custom Audiences), however, you can target specific regions, genders, groups of people and much more while keeping spend moderate.
How Much: Facebook has very broad pricing when it comes to these various campaigns. Dynamics can change quickly depending on who you want to target and for how long. Regarding ads, PPC seems to be quite decent for their Marketplace Ads (some for mere cents per clink; even as low as $ 0.01). Because of the trend of plugins like AdBlock, we recommend utilizing PPC.
LinkedIn Options
What: LinkedIn is known for its B2B marketing services; clients that focus on B2C probably won’t see much successes in paid advertising. They offer simple ads that can redirect to any URL or social media page.
Why: LinkedIn has a huge business database full of users who own their own businesses who are looking to improve those in which they work. Web design, branding and other services we provide would do well on here with the right tag line and ad (human image on the ad, talk about the free audit, then give a deadline to drive action).
How Much: Probably the most expensive option at around $ 1-2 a click, even up to $ 5-7 for certain niches (uncommon, but very possible). Should be looking at $ 2 a click on average. If you’re looking to hire new talent, posting jobs can cost you upwards of $ 300 a job, less if you buy some in bulk.
Twitter Options
What: There are quite a few options on Twitter for promoted content. The pricing for all of them is relatively similar, and is much more affordable than LinkedIn.
- Twitter provides ads that are shown throughout the website depending on your keywords and audience. Everything is based on a bid platform, meaning you set an amount against other advertisers for an ‘action’, and the one that pays the most wins. In most cases you won’t have to bid very much to stay competitive.
- Promoted trends are located in the sidebar and are easily noted as being promoted. They’re good for getting a conversation started or bringing in new leads through a hashtag or new topic.
- Promoted tweets can target genders, regions, devices, and more. They are at the top of a page and are triggered depending on the user searching for content. You are only charged when someone engages with the tweet, so you get instant value for your money.
- Promoted accounts allow you to be found in a users follow suggestions. You are only charged when a user follows you as a result of the promotion.
- Promoted trends are located in the sidebar and are easily noted as being promoted. They’re good for getting a conversation started or bringing in new leads through a hashtag or new topic.
Why: Twitter has a much more active audience than any other social network, and their users contribute and engage more with brands more often, too. Promoted content can help anyone grow their following with users that actually care about their cause and not just filler followers.
How Much: Usually in the cents range for PPC. Options depends on keyword and reach, but it’s said to be very affordable.
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