Commercial messaging on social platforms can become “wallpaper” to be ignored – or worse, an annoyance to be avoided – if marketers don’t apply best practices for each channel. Here are the key strengths of advertising on the best-known social media platforms.
Facebook offers the largest pool of active users. It also gives advertisers the most robust ways of segmenting and reaching them. These two factors make Facebook one of the go-to platforms for social media advertising. While organic reach on Facebook has become significantly more difficult in recent years, the wide variety of ad types Facebook offers can generate awareness and click-throughs.
YouTube
YouTube was among the first platforms to integrate video into the ability to post, comment, subscribe and like content from other users. These elements position YouTube firmly in the territory of social media. Even so, YouTube has a user base and interface that makes it competitive with many traditional media channels. Video commercials on YouTube can work to generate both click-throughs and awareness.
Twitter offers low cost-per-click combined with pay-for-performance options and the ability to target an engaged audience alongside relevant subject matter. This makes the platform a good option for certain kinds of promotions. Twitter campaigns may reach a smaller total audience than Facebook, but when deployed with the correct strategy can be powerfully cost-effective.
Pinterest can be a terrific supplement to campaigns in other media. Its browsing-based interface can present visual information in a powerful way and can be particularly effective for supporting e-commerce categories. To most successfully deploy ads on Pinterest, an advertiser must identify the niche most relevant to their product or service and create compelling visual presentations.
Instagram was acquired by Facebook in 2012. Since then, the photo-based platform’s userbase has grown significantly. While a little less flexible in variety of ads than its parent, Instagram still offers the power of Facebook targeting. The platform also boasts some of the highest user-engagement statistics among social platforms. Best of all, its ads are well-integrated into content.
And More …
Other social media may also make sense for your campaign. Platforms like LinkedIn can be effective for B-2-B efforts. Platforms like TikTok can be important for youth-centered efforts. And others, like Reddit, Nextdoor, WhatsApp, all have strengths that can be considered for niche campaigns or adding reach and media weight beyond the typical platforms.
Contact us to learn more about making your use of social more strategic and building your social media ROI.
