A social media ad strategy is a necessary piece of marketing and sales development for any organization nowadays.

Social media and digital marketing have revolutionized the way we do business by connecting users around the clock and across the globe. Platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and even TikTok are now a staple in the daily lives of many. With 4.2 billion of the world’s population now active on social media it is a force to be reckoned with and here to stay for years to come. 

If social media is not part of your current marketing strategy OR it is and you just aren’t seeing the ROI with it, then there is no time like the present to assess those strategies and really dig into everything from offer, branding, sales strategy and so on.

At LinkedSelling, we understand that sometimes getting started is the hardest part and a little nudge in the right direction is all that’s needed. We’ve put together a quick list of 10 social media ad strategy tips to help you gain some perspective and stay focused in this fast-growing, warp speed ahead marketing channel.

Create a Social Media Strategy that is Right for Your Business

No matter what business or industry you are in, it’s imperative that you set realistic goals and establish a social media ad strategy. Establish a clear idea of who you hope to reach, what you plan to promote and how you plan to execute. Social media is often referenced as the top of the funnel but it’s more like a vacuum. Social media can be that powerful, but it’s up to you to harness that power and continue the flow. 

The goal of any social media ad strategy is to reach prospects, generate leads and convert them into lifelong customers. Your social media ad strategy can help you do that and more. Just make sure your plan has key measurements in place to track your progress and ensure that you are achieving your goals. Any good plan has to be assessed, reassessed and tweaked as needed.

Understand the Platform Mix

Social media has become a complex animal with an overwhelming number of choices all appealing to different audiences and demographics. 

So, how do you know which is the right platform to choose?  

There are many moving parts and pieces, and you want to make sure you reach everyone, everywhere. 

Facebook continues to be the leader of volume with 2.74 billion monthly active users, but you can’t discount the rest. 

LinkedIn has been proven to be the leader in quality. With over 560 million active users of which 61 million are in senior-level, decision-making positions, LinkedIn has proven to be an effective and a winning platform for B2B campaigns.”

Here are a few examples of videos & reports we use in our social media ad strategies to educate our prospects:

>>> Multichannel Outbound Demo <<<

>>> B2B Client Acquisition Report <<<

>>> B2B Paid Social Media Executive Brief <<<

To learn more about what kind of content makes for a great report or ebook for your specific target market, click here to see our process.

Study the Competition’s Social Media Ad Strategy

What do you think an NFL team does when they go up against an oppoenent?

"STUDY THE TAPE!"

Most teams spend countless hours studying game film of their opponent so they know what works and what to defend against.

Know what the competition is doing and make sure you’re doing everything better.

Social media makes it easier to be aware and stay one step ahead, but just staying ahead is not enough. Look for ideas and inspiration everywhere and look beyond the competition to other businesses that are not in your industry. Assess what’s working for them and figure out how to incorporate it into your overall social media marketing strategy.

Grow Your Audience

There has never been a faster way to gain customers and market share. You can quickly increase your audience through incentives, referrals or special promotions. Offering something of value whether it be a free download, newsletter or blog is a great way to start the conversation and begin that relationship. 

Even if your core demo is not on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, you can easily offer a sign-up incentive to capture that market and spread the word. The social media word spreads like wildfire so if you play your cards right you can use it to your advantage and expand your audience quickly and cost-effectively or take a slower-approach and create a strategy that captures prime prospects and your best, quality leads. 

Cost is certainly a factor when using social media ads to grow your audience. Facebook costs are typically lower than LinkedIn costs. When trying to decide it’s a matter of quantity vs. quality of leads, and definitely a consideration that needs to be factored into your social media ad planning and strategy.

You need to know what works best for you by knowing your Lifetime Value of a Client - which we detail the importance here: Client Acquisition Costs vs Client Lifetime Value: The Importance of LTV In Your Sales Cycle

Don't take a “one-and-done” approach

It never should be.

It takes time, effort and focus.

Social media connects people who love to share their stories and experiences. It creates a forum that sparks interest and gets the conversation started. Creating a group and building a community allows you to ask for opinions and feedback. It allows you to create a special link to existing customers and attract new ones and connect them to each other and directly to your business.

The best part is that your social media connections can do all of this for you behind the scenes, 24/7 a day. 

However, you should never treat your social media strategy (especially when it is your main form of lead generation) like most people treat their gym memberships and only go when it’s convenient or necessary.

Or take the approach - I've done enough for now I'll pick it back up when I need to.

You can read more about why that’s important here: Your Lead Generation Machine IS NOT Like a Gym Membership

Stay Ahead of Trends

There is always something trending whether it be a hashtag, a meme, or a movement. Stay up to date with what YOUR PROSPECTS are interested in and create social media campaigns that resonates specifically with them.

The newest fad on TikTok might not be at all relevant to your prospects or their business model, so why execute a strategy that is focused around that. 

Your prospect wants to be informed, educated and most of all... have their pain/problems solved.

Content is King

>>>We talked about this in our recent blog post - How Strategic Content Influences Prospects <<<

Attention spans are limited.

The chance to make an impression of any kind is narrowing, and that is why it’s imperative to mix things up and keep it exciting. Alternate between content like video’s, GIFs, JPGs and simple text. Experiment with color, and vary the voice and the tone from informative, to inspiring to entertaining.

You want to keep things fresh and keep visitors coming back for more. Entice leads and existing customers with special offers, future discounts or upcoming content that gets them excited to check out your social media pages.

But most importantly, content that resonates with them at that moment!

Think Before You Post

Yes, you want to keep customers engaged, but you want to be thoughtful and thought provoking. Don’t just post to post or run countless ads.

Each post and each social media ad should be carefully and strategically thought out so it can make the most impact. It’s important to remember quality over quantity.

Always be mindful and careful because one bad post can get a lot of bad publicity and negative attention.

Explore Automation Tools

Social media allows you to promote your business when you don’t have a full-service marketing agency at the ready.

The creation of automation tools has simplified the process and can reach leads quickly through any platform. Automation tools can take one post and expand its reach across platforms to help centralize messaging and extend reach quickly and easily.  

Tools that automate analytics allow you to see how effective your social media marketing efforts are and identify what’s working and what’s not. Apps can schedule social media ads and posts in advance and offer a set it and forget it approach that does the work for you.

The Proof is in the Results

You can spend hours each day posting, running ads, and keeping things current and interesting, but if you don’t track results then it is all for nothing.

If content is king, then data is the queen!

Tracking allows you to break down the details and analyze reach, click through rates, conversion rates, open rates, and overall response and campaign success that can help achieve your social media ad strategy goals.

You can read our FAQ Series about ROI here - the reason people and companies invest in anything is for a chance to see a positive ROI in some sense. If the results aren't there, you need to reassess.

Know When to Ask for Help

If it seems overwhelming to you, that’s ok because staying ahead when things are moving at warp speed IS overwhelming.

At LinkedSelling, we help you move forward with confidence and speed and help you save time and money in the process. We’ve worked with hundreds of companies to execute and manage successful social media ad campaigns and can help you get started today.

Book a strategy call with one of our Directors of Client Strategy now, and we can get a conversation started.