It’s no surprise that big and small businesses alike are always looking for new ways to reach their target market. And with social networks being so popular these days, it’s no wonder that advertising on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter has become increasingly popular. But before you dive into social media ads headfirst, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons of social media advertising. Here are 10 things to keep in mind:
Pro: Reaching and Getting to Know the Target Audience
Studies show that data-driven research is the key to successful organic social media marketing. With the right research, you can find out where your potential customers hang out and what types of content they like to post, share, and consume on social platforms. In this way, you can gather the information you need to further improve your marketing strategy and to ensure your advertising budget is spent wisely.
Here are just some of the data that you can gather from social media users:
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Demographics
Data like age, gender, and location are the most common demographics that you need to know for your target audience. This data may also include education, employment, and income level.
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Psychographics
This category includes data such as your target customers’ lifestyle, hobbies, interests, activities, personality, and values. Believe it or not, the psychograph of internet users can be your link to tapping into the emotional motivations of buyers.
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Geographics
Social media sites can cue you in to locations that are very advantageous for businesses. Through geographic research, you can further narrow your reach to specific locations that will be best to advertise your products or services. For instance, if you offer house cleaning services only to your local area, it would be logical to narrow your social media campaigns locally rather than nationally.
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Behavioral
Data like purchase history and website browsing history are included in behavioral targeting.
These data sets make up the ideal buyer persona of your new customers. If you need further help determining who your target audience is and how to reach them, it would be best to ask for help from social media marketing expert, like Shelten, LLC (click here for a free consultation!).
Pro: Paid Advertisements Have Quick Results
With paid ads, you can immediately expand your reach and build awareness for a product or service. For example, you might choose to use paid social media campaigns such as Instagram or Facebook Ads to launch new products or services, or even to show off discounts or sales. Paid promotions often generate more traffic than organic social media posts because each platform limits the amount of people who see organic posts, but ads are guaranteed to be seen. When your ad is easily being seen in your target audience’s newsfeed, it makes it super easy for people to take action right away.
Pro: You Can Easily Lead Users to Landing Pages
Social media is an integral part for brands to get their name out there to large audiences. It’s not just about promoting website content anymore, but rather getting high-intent leads interested in what you have going on at your business. Additionally, posting content that is relevant to them can also you more exposure.
Social media channels are the best ways to let your customer base move on to your landing page. They are also a great place to engage with your audiences.
Pro: Performance Evaluation
Social media networks also provide you with data about how your posts are performing. You can see how many people interacted with your posts, commented, liked, and shared. In this way, you would know which content is popular and which content you might need to further assess.
Pro: Joining Social Media is Free!
Just by starting a free online presence, you’re establishing your brand, even while you’re waiting for your audience to grow. Of course, social ads are not free, but they are still relatively cheaper than traditional marketing.
These five pros of social media marketing are just the tip of the iceberg. While there are still plenty more benefits to investing in social media ads, we want to make sure you’re aware of some of the cons, too.
Related: Social Media Advertising vs Traditional Advertising
Con: Heavy Task
Of course, most business owners have a LOT to do! If you can relate to this, you may not have a lot of time to spend on creating & implementing online marketing strategies for your business page or social media accounts. Managing social media pages can be a heavy task for busy entrepreneurs. This is why digital marketing agencies are a worthy investment for social media management.
Shelten, LLC is a brand awareness company that can help you with managing your social media accounts. We’re experts in effective marketing campaigns that can take your social media presence to the next level. Get in touch with us for a free consultation!
Con: Open to Negative Feedback
If you’re doing business, it’s unavoidable to experience negative comments from time to time, especially from existing customers. But a negative review is not the end of the world! You can turn this around by ensuring that you respond to the review as soon as you see it and handle the issue as soon as possible. If you have a well-thought-out plan for customer service and resolution, you can be sure that this will lead to longterm customer satisfaction.
Your online reputation is important because it can open your business to brand loyalty from both existing and potential clients.
Con: Results Could Take a Long Time
You may not see instant success with your first week of posting content, but it is completely possible to build momentum over time. Growing a presence on social media is a process that takes patience and hard work. Unfortunately, it doesn’t come easy for everyone right out the gate, either! But if you have an innovative social media strategy up your sleeve or lean on some outside help to take care of things, you can be sure that the results will eventually come!
Related: 15+ Brilliant Brand Awareness Advertising Examples
Con: Being Open to Hackers
It’s important to be careful about what information you post online. Your social media profiles and personal data can easily get hacked, which could then compromise sensitive data like your bank account, or other valuable assets like your reputation. Nowadays, you can incorporate two-factor authentication for your business’ social media profiles to help avoid hackers.
Con: Limited Platforms
Marketing can be tricky. It’s important to make sure the right people see your message, but what if social media sites crash? If those platforms disappeared overnight, you wouldn’t be able to reach all of those potential customers anymore!
The workaround here is to utilize other forms of marketing as well, such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), or email marketing.
The cons of social media marketing are a necessary lookout for any business. But the good news is that these cons are manageable and can even be advantageous. Also, managing these cons can be a great way for you to review your processes and make the necessary changes to protect your business.
Related: The Top 3 Advantages of Facebook Ads for Advertising Your Business
Conclusion
Social media advertising is a powerful tool, but it’s not always the right fit for every business. It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of social media advertising before you decide whether or not it’s right for your company.
If you decide that social media advertising is a good fit for your business, our team can help you get started. We have tons of tips and tricks to help you create successful social media ad campaigns that reach your target audience and drive results, and we can even take over your social media entirely!
Are you ready to take your social media marketing to the next level?
Click here to book a free consultation!
