In last month’s blog, we looked at the importance of having a social media strategy in place for your Wellington small business. The main component of a social media strategy pertains to the promotion of your offerings and how you wish to spread your message. Here at Tailgunner, we are often asked many questions on social media advertising. So, today we are sharing four of our most frequently asked questions and our insights.
Question 1: What is the most popular social media platform?
The oldest and most wide-reaching social media network is Facebook. Facebook reaches a staggering 2.8 billion monthly active users. Despite Facebook’s remarkable success, we always advise our Wellington small-business clients to use the platform that their customers are using. When it comes to running campaigns, it’s important that you advertise where your target market is active online. Always go where your people are, not what the most popular social media platform.
Question 2: How much does it cost to run ads?
This is the question which is on every small business owner’s lips: How much does it all cost? Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer. Depending on the type of campaign you intend to run, costs can vary dramatically. Some of the factors that can affect ad spend include:
- Audience size
- Audience demographic
- Campaign duration
- Competition
- Time of year
One thing you can control however is overspending. There are budget limits on all social channels that ensure you do not spend more than you propose
Question 3: Who can ad’s target
Facebook and Instagram offer a wide range of targeting options that can help you find the right audience. You can target a long list of metrics such as:
- Age & Gender
- Country & Location
- Education
- Family role
- Job titles
- Hobbies & Interests
- Specific interests (brands, TV programs, celebrities), and more.
Custom Audiences are probably your most high-value target audiences. They allow you to retarget past website visitors and people who have engaged with your content or app. This is highly beneficial in attracting high-quality leads.
Question 4: How do I get started?
To start running ads you will need to set up an advertising account with your desired social media network. For Facebook and Instagram, this is Facebook Ads Manager. On Twitter, you can run ads through Twitter Advertising. LinkedIn has Campaign Manager and Snapchat uses Ads Manager.
Once you’ve chosen your network of choice you will need to activate your account. You can do this by setting your timezone and adding a payment method.
Apart from the administrative tasks, you will need to have a good idea about your strategy and content. You should reflect on the following before creating a campaign
- What is the objective of the campaign
- Who should the campaign be shown to
- What is the main message of the campaign
- How long do you want to run your campaign for
- What content will you have available for the campaign (photos and videos)
We know that small Wellington business owners are usually so busy wearing different hats. From CEO to logistics manager it can all get quite crazy at times. Leave your small business marketing up to the team at Tailgunner. Get in touch today.