25 Nov Exploring Your Advertising Options for Social Media Channels
You already use Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for your brand….so why not advertise your product on these social media sites as well? Taking a page (pun intended) from print advertising, social media outlets have started integrating advertising right into the content their customers see every day. Each outlet or app has a different take on advertisement integrations, so we’ll take you through three of the best-performing channels for our industry: Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
As the newest social network on the scene, Instagram has integrated ads into the scrolling feed – they appear just like regular posts from your customer’s friends and family. You can choose between photo, video, and “carousel” ads (carousel ads show multiple pictures by swiping).
Pros: Your ads appear in your customer’s feed based on a set of criteria you establish. You can target the best client for your brand and control every aspect of the ad’s aesthetic.
Cons: You must have a Business Manager account and therefore, a Facebook account for this to work. Additionally, the Business Manager required to manage your ads currently only works in the Google Chrome browser.
Now you can turn your most popular pins into ads with just a few clicks. Pinterest allows you to set a daily budget that fits your needs. You can focus on your customers’ engagement with your Pinterest account or drive traffic to your website.
Pros: Promoted pins show up in your target customer’s feed. You can decide who sees these pins and tailor your audience for your product. Pinterest will also give you stats on which pins drew attention and which did not. You can also sign up for buyable pins if you are a Shopify user as well (click here to read our more in-depth blog post on this topic).
Cons: There is currently a waitlist for buyable pins. This bottleneck has caused a serious backup of buyable pins, so if you’re looking to sell directly on Pinterest immediately, then this might not be a good option for you.
There are plenty of ways to advertise on Facebook, including promoted posts, calls to action, and ads. All of these options now also work in tandem with Instagram as well. In addition to the traditional likes campaigns aimed at boosting your overall fan base, now you have the ability to highlight areas where your brand could use more attention like building up your newsletter list or boosting a post around holiday gift buying season.
Pros: With the various different ways you have to advertise on Facebook, you’re more likely find something that works for you and your brand. You can set your budget as well and target your audience based on criteria you choose.
Cons: Facebook makes their rules for ads rather hazy. For example, your ad graphic cannot have more than 20% text, but it’s sometimes difficult to figure out what counts and what doesn’t. Make sure to upload your image to the Facebook ad grid tool to see if it makes the cut before uploading to your ad.
Want to learn more about how to make social media advertising work for you?
Contact Leanne to get started!
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