About 45% of the world's population is already on social media. In fact, the average American has about 7.1 different social media accounts. Meanwhile, 11 new people start using social media every second.
If you're not advertising your business on social media, you're falling behind! Your competitors are probably already online, chatting with your would-be customers.
Instead of falling behind the curve, get ahead of your competitors! Learn how to advertise effectively by doing these seven common social media advertising mistakes. By avoiding these mistakes your competitors are likely making, you can boost your brand and generate more business.
Get ahead of the curve with these tips today!
1. Not Starting With a Plan
Many companies rush to start advertising without developing a digital advertising strategy first. Without a strategy, how will you know what's working (and what's not)? How will you track your progress to determine your improvement?
First, take the time to determine your long-term social media advertising goals. Make sure these goals align with your overall business goals.
For example, let's say you want to generate more traffic to your product pages. You can create a SMART goal to increase that product's campaign clickthrough rate by 20% in the first quarter.
Maybe you want to increase Instagram followers by 200% by the end of the first quarter, too.
SMART stands for Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Results-Driven, and Timely. Establishing SMART goals will help you track your social media advertising strategy's progress.
Don't forget to determine your key performance indicators (KPIs). These can include clicks, impressions, website visits, leads and conversions, or sales.
Try to create a list of goals for each of your social media platforms. Each platform will require its own approach. A broad digital advertising strategy could cause you to fail on one or more platforms.
2. Not Knowing Your Audience
In order to reach your audience, you need to know who they are, first. Many companies make the mistake of using broad messages when speaking to their audience. To really connect with your customers, it helps to know what they care about and what they're looking for from your brand.
Start by auditing your existing accounts. Which platform has the most followers and engagement? Separate your data based on followers, hearts/likes, shares, and other KPIs.
Then, choose the platform that seems to generate the most attention from your target audience. Instead of splitting your attention by working on seven platforms, start with one. Once you've adjusted your digital advertising strategy for that platform, you can move onto the next one.
In order to properly target an audience, it helps to understand their demographics. If you're targeting a broad audience, try separating customers into buyer personas.
You can split these personas up based on:
Age
Gender
Location
Marital status
Household income
Buying behaviors
Interests
Focusing on niche buyer personas will help you create personalized messages for your ads. Personalized messages make it easier for you to connect with your audience.
Try to avoid going too niche or too broad with your audience. Learning how to use effective targeting can make or break your advertising campaigns.
3. Not Tailoring Your Ads
Remember, each social media platform requires its own approach. Many factors differ between platforms, including your audience.
For example, you might want to use a fun, playful message on Instagram while switching to a more professional tone on LinkedIn.
Before developing your ads, make sure to understand each social media platform's requirements, too. Many platforms have different ad dimensions and file sizes you'll need to adhere to. Otherwise, you could end up creating an ad that won't work on multiple platforms.
Tailoring your ads for each platform can help you save time and generate more results.
4. Not Staying True to Branding
As you start creating your social media advertising campaigns, make sure you understand your brand.
A distinct brand color can improve brand recognition by up to 80%. Meanwhile, consistent brand presentation across platforms can increase revenue by up to 23%.
Make sure your branding remains consistent between your ads, organic content, and website. Otherwise, consumers might fail to recognize you. By maintaining brand consistency, you can build brand awareness and recognition.
As a result, you'll stand apart from your competitors, too!
5. Not Getting Creative
Companies also make the mistake of using basic photos and videos in their advertising.
First, try to avoid using stock photography. Consumers are quickly learning how to recognize stock photos. Using stock can make your brand look inauthentic.
Next, try to diversify your ads. Instead of plain photos and videos, consider using animations and carousel ads.
If a platform offers a new ad format, test it out!
Video content can hold a consumer's attention five times more often than a still image. Since the average user only spends 1.3 seconds on each post before moving on, you have to know how to grab their attention. If you can't captivate them with creative elements in that first second, you've already lost your customer.
6. Not Adding a Call-to-Action
What action do you expect consumers to complete after reading your ad? When advertising on Facebook or Instagram, a strong call-to-action (CTA) is key. Otherwise, consumers will simply keep scrolling through their feed.
What action do you want them to complete? For example, you might want website visitors to subscribe to your email list. If you're advertising with Instagram, you might want to show off a new product.
In that case, encourage consumers to "Buy Now" or "Learn More."
Add a sense of urgency to your CTA as well to speed up the process.
7. Not Testing, Tracking, and Optimizing
As you continue advertising on social media, make sure to review your progress. Make sure you're tracking conversions and reviewing your KPIs. Setting up the coding on your site incorrectly could cause inaccuracies in the data.
Use A/B testing to determine which tactics work best for generating results. Then, optimize your campaigns to generate more leads and sales!
Stay Social: 7 Social Media Advertising Mistakes to Avoid for Success
Ready to get social? By avoiding these social media advertising mistakes, you can reach your customers and get them engaged! Dodge these mistakes and get ahead of your competitors today.
Eager to start advertising and boosting sales? Request a demo from our team today!