The Ultimate Guide to Social Media Advertising in 2023

Some inexperienced marketers think they can jump onto any social media channel, post ads, and expect sales to pour in. But the thing is, advertising on social media entails carefully thought-out steps and planning. Going viral is a tall order, not to mention costly! This is the only guide you need for social media advertising in 2023.

Key takeaways:

• Social Media Marketing Statistics in 2023
• What is Social Media Advertising
• Types of Social Media Ads/Placements
• 6 Steps to Effective Social Media Advertising

Social Media Marketing Statistics in 2023

Social media is undoubtedly one of the Omni-channels where advertisers get opportunities to expand their target audience reach. With half of the world’s population on social media, it’s unsurprising why brands jump on the bandwagon. Here are the most popular social media platforms which most US adults frequently use:

• Facebook – 69 percent
• Instagram – 40 percent
• YouTube – 81 percent
• LinkedIn – 28 percent
• Pinterest – 31 percent

Here are some crucial social media marketing stats in 2023:

• 28 percent of users found new products from social media ads
• 27 percent of social media users donate to charity monthly 
• 49 percent of users say they will likely purchase products advertised on social media
• Social media ad impressions increase by 20 percent yearly
• LinkedIn is the top organic and paid content marketing channel for B2B advertisers
• Snapchat is seven times more effective than TV ads for Gen Z audiences
• 80 percent of traffic to eCommerce sites came from Facebook in 2019
• Twitter users view ads on the platform by 26 percent more 

What is Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising is under the digital marketing umbrella, where advertisers pay to boost their posts. Marketers carefully specify and use social media marketing settings to show relevant posts to interested users. This makes paid advertising more effective since different social media channels let advertisers narrow down the audience through demographics and psychographics. 

Advertisers can run effective social media ads by leveraging aggregated data from other assets like newsletters and websites. However, advertisers can also take advantage of organic traffic on social media, which means naturally ranking posts through SEO. Using keywords, hashtags, alt texts, videos, links, and graphics are a few factors that will make your post go viral.

Types of Social Media Ads/Placements

Advertisers rely on different channels, depending on where their target users are frequently. No social media channel is created equal, which means one strategy might not work in another channel. But one thing is for sure, though, using different advertising placements or formats to capture attention is imperative.

Here are the most common types of social media ad placements and examples for each:

Image Ads

Image ads are the most popular form of social media placement. You typically see image ads on your news feed, sidebars, or as banners. Most advertisers invest in image ads on social media platforms that are image-centric, such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest. 

Video Ads

Another powerful social media format that can highly gain traction is video ads. Videos are easier to digest and are great for some social media channels like YouTube or Facebook. Here’s an example of Apple’s YouTube ad for the new MacBook Air. Video ads like this also appear as in-stream, bumper, in-feed, masthead, and outstream ads.

Stories Ads

Stories ads appear between users’ stories on channels like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. These are excellent for promoting time-sensitive ads that need quick and higher visibility. 

Carousel Ads

You can showcase multiple videos or images in one ad through carousel ads on Facebook or Instagram. These ads help show images of a product’s different angles or feature behind-the-scenes snippets.

Collection Ads

Collection ads are excellent for user experience as they don’t have to leave the social media channel to buy products. These ads feature a cover image, or video, coupled with other smaller product images with your pricing and product features. 

Messenger Ads

If you have to engage with your users directly, you can turn to messenger ads for efficiency. These ads appear between users’ conversations in the chat tab. Some examples are LinkedIn’s Sponsored InMail or Facebook’s Messenger ads. 

6 Steps to Effective Social Media Advertising

Insert social media Google analytics

Before creating the graphics and videos of your social media ads, it’s essential to follow these steps for effective social media advertising.

1. Set social media marketing goals

Identifying your goals helps craft the most persuasive copy, videos, and graphics. Choose from these top social media advertising goals:

• Brand awareness
• Website traffic
• Extensive reach
• Consideration
• Customer engagement
• More downloads
• More clicks
• More conversions
• Lead generation

2. Gather and leverage user data

Knowing how your users engage with your posts and which posts they are compelled to engage in is vital. A tool like Hootsuite monitors your brand’s clicks, reach, and engagement. Using social media marketing tools like analytics will also enable you to know which posts sit well with your target audience. The important thing is leveraging these data to create more relatable and highly-convertible social media ads.

3. Determine how and when your audience is online

Identify how your audience spends their time online. Are they viewing more stories than clicking on videos? Are they logging in during lunchtime or after work hours? It’s essential to post frequently, but it’s better to post smartly. Knowing when and where to post on various channels will give you optimum results. 

4. Curate your content

Putting content out there isn’t enough. With users’ declining attention spans, you need compelling and convincing content. All your other efforts are futile if you’re posting poor content, so make sure it’s valuable and relevant. 

5. Optimize your social media profile

One way to attract social media users once they land on your profile is to welcome them with eye-catching graphics and persuasive copy. Also, you want to rank first on search results by using keywords and hashtags. Optimizing your social media profile by filling out all information that describes your brand makes you credible.

6. Engage with users

The final step in effective social media advertising is engaging with users. People want natural and friendly connections. And brands sometimes build this barrier between them and their target audience by not engaging and relying too much on sales pitches. Reply to comments and acknowledge feedback about your brand. This approach humanizes your brand and puts a face to that logo. 

Conclusion

You can get more leads and conversions from social media advertising if you follow these details and steps. Sit down with your team and gather the necessary information, grab valuable tools, and understand your audience before rolling out the marketing budget. Take advantage of social media platforms’ popularity and expect your revenue to multiply quickly.