Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), Pay Per Click (PPC), and Social Media Marketing (SMM) are the three pillars of digital advertising and marketing.

This blog focuses on the pros, cons and tips and tricks of running social media PPC campaigns. Similar to search PPC, social PPC can serve as a tool to increase conversions and generate brand awareness.

Social ads are at the forefront of digital advertising, as platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram enable advertisers to target specific audiences based on their network, topics and accounts they follow to name a few.

What is Social PPC?

Social PPC is an accessible way for companies of all sizes to acquire a new customer base and to appeal to existing customers.

The most significant difference between paid search and paid social campaigns is the fact that on social media, users are not actively looking to make a purchase. As searching for products or services is not the primary purpose of social media, users are more likely to be impulse buyers.

Paid social is more like display advertising and it has several differences to paid search.

In comparison to search PPC, social PPC can be more targeted, as you must define the target user profile you would like your advertisement to appear for. The ads can also be composed not only of imagery and ad text, but also of hashtags.

Additionally, due to the nature of social platforms, social PPC is more likely to increase user engagement than paid search.

This can be achieved through different techniques such as check-ins, likes, follows, shares, re-tweets, re-pins, etc. However, it is essential to remember that all social media platforms have their targeting, remarketing, and other advertising options.

Why would you implement it?

Sometimes paid ads work better on social media rather than on other advertising channels such as search engines or traditional media. For example, a good time to invest in social PPC ads is when you are trying to increase app install count, use remarketing, or spread the word about an upcoming sale or new release.

Social PPC ads are often used when brands are hosting competitions, which have straightforward entry requirements for users, such as following the brand’s page or sharing a post. However some platforms, such as Facebook, do not allow asking people for likes and shares to enter a competition.

Keeping the brand in users’ consciousness is the underlying strategy, as it proves useful when consumers pick between different options before buying.

Paid social tends to be cheaper than paid search, as the user is further away in the purchasing funnel, and the primary goal is to build brand awareness.

You should consider social media PPC campaigns if:

  • Your product is something that would attract attention and people would like to share.
  • Your business allows you to connect with your existing and potential customers.
  • Your primary goal for this campaign isn’t conversion increasing but generating brand awareness.
  • Depending on your ad goal, you can measure social ad campaign success by:
  • Actions such as follows, likes, shares, re-pins.
  • Return on ad spend.
  • Engagement with the landing page, such as new visitors, form fills, downloads.

Social PPC is also a lot more time consuming, as content requires updating and the social media algorithms can make it challenging to keep your ad visible to users. The level of automation is not the same.

Key to a successful social PPC strategy

When starting with a paid social media advertising strategy for the first time, start small. You may want to test out two campaigns at first if you are a small company, or three to five if your brand is already more established.

This approach will help spread the word about your product or service, as well as provide useful and insightful data once results are compared.

The key to success is:

  • Choosing the right audience.
  • Identifying target keywords and accounts to target.
  • Determining marketing problems to solve and/or goals to achieve with social PPC.
  • Crafting a PPC strategy.
  • Segmenting audiences by target companies, job levels, interests, etc. depending on platform specifics.
  • Paying attention to budgets.
  • Paying close attention to the imagery and social hashtags you use.
  • Testing campaigns and imagery.

If you are writing an ad copy for a client’s social PPC campaign, make sure to research and familiarise yourself with their brand, and tone of voice they use in communication with their audience.

Look at the demographics and ask the client to describe their brand to you in their own words.

An excellent way to gain a vision of how the brand and its products are perceived by the market is looking at forums, reviews, and comment sections. Use phrases that consumers use, as it’s their attention you are trying to attract.

Don’t forget to include a call to action and keep it short and sweet – the chances are that people are scrolling through their social media feeds and will only have a few seconds to view your post. A good CTA can be a problem solving one, such as “Need a new mattress? Follow us and get 10% off.”

For an in-depth overview of each social media platform, its paid advertising policies, and opportunities, read our blog next week or contact us here!