Most companies these days are using social media to connect with consumers and market their products and services. Advertising on the biggest social media platforms has become table stakes for brands, as it has been shown to be a highly effective way of reaching prospective customers and tempting them into the marketing funnel, where they can be further nurtured toward conversion.
When utilizing multiple marketing channels, coordinating strategies across channels to ensure both cohesive messaging and a healthy return on investment is key. To make the most of a social media advertising campaign, complementary efforts can boost the reach and overall effectiveness of ads, and the experts of Forbes Agency Council share 15 of these supportive tactics below.
Forbes Agency Council members share ways marketers and advertisers can leverage AI in 2022.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Take An Omnichannel Approach And Diversify Ad Platforms
An effective marketing strategy takes an omnichannel approach, which means you can’t just throw ad spend into social media advertising and expect stellar results. By diversifying the ad platforms used, you will ultimately increase the overall reach of your social campaign and drive better conversion rates. So, take that social campaign messaging and expand it to print, blog posts, Google ads and/or outdoor signage. – Thomas Morganelli, Centipede Digital
2. Run Targeted Video Ads Before Ads Linked To The Sales Page
Before you go straight for the ads linked to the sales page, try creating video content that speaks to the problems of your ideal client. Run targeted video ads to grow your audience and drive traffic from organic social media and email. Then, make a lookalike audience out of this warm traffic to run complementary sales ads that show you have a comprehensive solution. This warms up your audience faster. – Kami Watson Huyse, Zoetica
3. Personalize The Tone And Messaging For Each Channel’s Audience
Personalizing the tone and messaging for the specific audience on each channel is important. Using branded hashtags (especially industry-specific hashtags) also helps boost a campaign’s reach and gets your message in front of your target audience. Engaging with your audience and other industry thought leaders can also enhance the effectiveness of your campaign and strengthen a brand’s public image. – Scott Miraglia, Elevation Marketing
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4. Take The Time To Create Custom Graphics
Creating custom graphics can help your ads stand out from those of your competitors. Social media can become overwhelming, so instead of using typical stock images, take the time to create eye-catching graphics. Viewers will quickly learn more about your services, which provides a more memorable experience. – Hannah Trivette, NUVEW Web Solutions
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5. Boost Engagement And Conversion Rates With Chatbots
Chatbots are a fantastic way to build integrations that can drastically boost your engagement and conversion rates directly into your social media platforms. The best way to throw gasoline on the fire with this approach is through social ad spend. Even better, rather than spend traditionally for an ad placed on Facebook or Instagram, you can put boosting dollars behind this effort and reach a solid audience in a unique way. – Christopher Tompkins, The Go! Agency
6. Run An Analysis Campaign To Ensure Consistent Branding And Messaging
One of the best ways to get the most out of your social media ads is to run an analysis campaign that looks at all of the campaigns out there to make sure that the branding and the messaging is consistent across all platforms. One of the main reasons that this is so valuable is that if you are working on establishing branding, there will always be an issue when it is not consistent. – Jon James, Ignited Results
7. Create Awesome On-Site Content
If the goal of a social media campaign is to get people back to your company website, ensure that you have great on-site content for them to read once they get there. It’s important that the on-site content aligns with what they read on your social media platforms so that it feels cohesive and so that there is a clear call to action. – Kelsey Raymond, Influence & Co.
8. Use Data To Drive Personalized Remarketing
Data-driven, personalized remarketing is a time-tested approach to maximizing results. Similar to how you would approach a one-on-one interaction, it’s essential to understand where your prospects sit in the customer journey and cater to them accordingly. To accelerate conversions, companies can offer click-worthy incentives based on their product or service markups. – Cam Wilkie, func.media
9. Make It Easy For Customers To Enjoy
One of the best parts about social media is the interaction that you get with your customers. When you launch a new campaign, see what your customers are saying about it and make sure to interact with them, especially if they have questions. Also, creating a landing page that is easy to navigate will go a long way toward converting clicks into sales. – Jason Hall, FiveChannels Marketing
10. Build Personalized Landing Pages
Customization is the key to reaching customers and driving conversions. Building personalized landing pages with stellar content is an effective way to enhance a social media campaign’s message and encourage visitors to convert. Depending on your industry and budget, an integrated marketing approach could also complement reach. – Marc Hardgrove, The HOTH
11. Employ Other Methods Besides Pushes To Lead Forms
Incorporating helpful content campaigns to drip-feed assistance to the customer in making their purchase decision, rather than just blasting them everywhere they go, builds trust in your brand. Incorporate polls, games, real-world interactions and, most of all, peer reassurance via reviews or real-world stories of people using your product or service. – Loren Baker, Foundation Digital
12. Let The Promotion Calendar Drive The Content Calendar
The promotion calendar drives the content calendar. It should be micro-focused on day parts, soft-revenue spots, problem markets/fortress markets and traffic patterns. Your content calendar flows from the details. Running around to finish a last-minute TikTok video is not marketing, it’s tasking. Get a strategy, then get social. – Matt Wilson, Eastport Holdings
13. Engage With Customers Who Offer Praise Or Positive Exposure
Do not undervalue the importance of positive reinforcement. Engaging with customers who offer praise or positive exposure for your brand requires little more than a response or acknowledgment of their time, but it will go a long way in terms of boosting reach and establishing a positive brand perception. – Donna Robinson, Collective Measures
14. Create A Competition That Lets Followers Be Seen
Social media runs on vanity, and followers produce free advertising. Let your followers be seen by creating a competition or another way for your audience to share a story or photo. Even B2B companies want their name shared in a post. Offer a chance to be a “spotlight business” for community service or other noteworthy achievement. In turn, the winners will share the post and promote your business. – Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design
15. Separate Your Campaigns Between New Audiences And Remarketing Audiences
We’ve all had the experience of scrolling through our social media feed and seeing an ad featuring that shirt or pair of shoes we were just looking at on another website an hour ago. Being programmatic with your advertising and speaking to the direct interests of your audience is a surefire way to entice customers to convert at higher levels. – Bernard May, National Positions
