Despite the efforts of old school advertisers doing things the old way, social media and digital advertising are here to stay. The basic rules of advertising have not changed, but the way we present content and advertising have changed due to the invention of social media and digital advertising. Social media is all around us, and this can be good for most advertisers. Even though Facebook ads are annoying to users, they are having a big impact on profitability and are very effective in getting the word out about people, products and services.
Oxford Universityconducted a study last July that revealed 40% of small-to-medium businesses said they expected social media to drive revenue growth over the next three years. This is according to "How should businesses market themselves on social media in 2014." Social media is everywhere whether you are a fan of it or not. Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ all dominate the social media market and literally have billons of users. Which social media platform is your favorite? So far, Facebook and Twitter are the top contenders, with Pinterest and Google+ following their lead. Google+ had a rocky start, but it is still widely used today.
I recently sat down with Ryan Pitylak, the CEO of Unique Influence, a digital advertising consulting company focused on driving direct response for web-based firms. Ryan has been involved in the digital advertising world for 15 years. According to Pitylak, "Social advertising and the way it is changing advertising is pretty profound. The old advertising ways are somewhat untargeted. Social media marketing and digital advertising can really target a specific person, business, or brand. Social advertising is changing the landscape of advertising. You can generate great results and better awareness".
There are some basic tools for social media marketing success. Many great tips are discussed in "Social Media Marketing 5 Fundamental Tips For Success." Here is a look at some of them:
Identify your audience. Experts suggest using social monitoring applications like Facebook Custom Audience. Nanigans is another great option. Nanigan's advertising platform measures, predicts, and optimizes ad spending for lifetime ROI, according to its Facebook page. The platform works for both desktop and mobile technology.
Give some value. The goal of giving value is to keep the customer or social media user coming back for more. It is best to distract the user from the fact that they are your marketing muse, but distract them in a way that provides content through that distraction. Some examples of distractions are presenting useful content, entertainment, savings opportunities, and other areas of value pertaining to the particular product or person.
Timing. The other cool thing about social media is that you can schedule the time you want your target audience to see your ads. Once you define your audience you can choose the time that would best target your audience. For example, busy Mom's may be more reachable during the day while their kids are in school, while busy CEO's may be more reachable during the evening hours or late at night.
Tracking success. Social media guru's suggest keeping track of social media success with analytics. Analytics are smart tools that let marketing professionals know where they are in achieving goals. These analytics cost less than half of the costs of regular marketing efforts.
Social media is now deeply rooted in the advertising and marketing world. It has taken traditional advertising methods, turned them upside down, and replaced them with new and innovative ideas which allow advertisers and marketers greater flexibility in how they target potential customers. Social media marketing and advertising also allows for the display of people, products, and services in our increasing mobile, technological, and digital age.
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