7 Ways to Make the Most of Your Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising can be a great way to get your product or service in front of millions of people without paying a dime upfront. However, it’s important to know how best to go about it, especially if you want to make the most of your money and see results fast. Here are seven ways to get the most out of your social media advertising campaign, from the platform that you choose to the content you publish and everything in between.

1) Plan your content calendar in advance

When you’re advertising on social media, your content strategy should go hand-in-hand with your overall marketing strategy. To avoid wasting valuable time and money, plan out your calendar in advance by looking at social media trends for your business sector. You can also use free online tools like Hootsuite and Gremln to schedule posts in advance and keep track of your key messages.

2) Create more than one campaign

The key to succeeding on social media is by understanding that it’s not one size fits all. There are dozens of ways you can advertise on social networks—from sponsored ads and promoted tweets, to buying an ad inside a native-style post. One-size-fits-all campaigns won’t always lead to success, so if you plan on investing in social media ads, consider creating more than one campaign and measuring your results.

3) Post at peak times on Facebook and Instagram

For example, about half of Facebook’s daily active users access it between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., so that’s when you should be posting, too. Also, note whether your followers are more active on Instagram during business hours or after-hours, and post at different times depending on who you’re trying to reach.

For example

if you have an office job and want younger customers but most of your Instagram followers are older than 50, focus on afternoon posts instead of morning ones. Here’s a tip: Post when other people in your industry or niche are posting—when everyone is posting at once (or during a quiet time), you’ll get better results because more users will see it in their newsfeeds.

4) Set realistic goals

A big problem for small businesses is determining how much time and money should be spent on social media ads. It’s possible to waste an incredible amount of time with a little payoff if you don’t set realistic goals. First, determine your advertising objectives: Are you trying to acquire new customers, promote brand awareness, or drive traffic? Next, make sure your goals are specific and measurable. If you have a clear idea of what you want from your campaign, it will be easier to identify success (or failure).

5) Boost the right posts

You’ve created a killer post, or series of posts, on Instagram. Now you need to boost it so that all your friends and followers can see it! As with all social networks, Instagram advertising is expensive, but you can save some cash by promoting your old posts and targeting specific users. Look through your analytics and pick out a few posts that are doing particularly well—then schedule some advertising for them.

6) Advertise with relevant hashtags

While hashtags are one of Instagram’s most effective advertising features, using relevant hashtags is just as important. Before you begin advertising on Instagram, start researching your audience and find relevant hashtags they might be using. 

For example,

if you own a dog grooming business in New York City, you might want to advertise during April when #dogsneedinggrooming was trending in New York.

7) Use Remarketing Lists for Retargeting

Remarketing lists for retargeting are an easy way to target your existing visitors and customers on social media. By using remarketing lists for Facebook ads, you can showcase your products or services directly to people who have already visited your website. This is a fantastic way to catch customers’ attention when they’re still interested in what you have to offer.

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