A Guide to Researching & Creating an Effective Social Campaign

Overview

Paid social media advertising has become an increasingly important part of digital marketing strategies for businesses of all sizes. With the ability to reach highly targeted audiences on popular social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn paid social media campaigns can help drive traffic, generate leads, and increase sales.

However, creating an effective paid social media campaign can be challenging. With so many different platforms, targeting options, and ad formats to choose from, it can be difficult to know where to start. In this article, we’ll provide a step-by-step guide to help you research and create an effective paid social media campaign.

Step 1: Conduct Research

The first step in creating an effective paid social media campaign is to conduct research. This includes researching your competitors, your target audience, and the different social media platforms available to you.

Competitor Research: Start by researching your competitors’ paid social media campaigns. Look at the platforms they’re using, the ad formats they’re using, and the messaging they’re using in their ads. This will give you an idea of what’s working in your industry and help you identify opportunities to differentiate yourself.

Here are some things to look for when researching your competitors:

Competitor Advert Benchmarking

• Which social media platforms they are using: Different social media platforms work better for different industries and target audiences. Look at which platforms your competitors are using and consider whether those platforms are right for your business. 
• What types of ads they are running: Look at the types of ads your competitors are running and take note of what is working for them. Are they using video ads, carousel ads, or sponsored posts? How are they using visuals and copy to capture attention and engage their audience?
• What their messaging is: Look at the messaging your competitors are using in their ads and across their social media profiles. What is their value proposition? What are their key selling points? How are they positioning themselves in the market?
• What their engagement levels are: Look at how engaged your competitors’ audiences are with their social media profiles and ads. How many followers do they have? How many likes, comments, and shares are their posts and ads generating?

By conducting thorough competitor research, you can gain valuable insights into what is working in your industry and how you can differentiate your brand and offerings.

Audience Research: Next, research your target audience. This includes identifying their demographics, interests, and behaviors. You can use social media analytics tools such as SimilarWeb, Ahrefs, and SEMRush, to gather this information or conduct surveys and focus groups to get more in-depth insights.

Platform Research: Finally, research the different social media platforms available to you. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it’s important to understand which platforms are best suited for your business and your marketing objectives.

Step 2: Define Your Objectives

Once you’ve conducted your research, it’s time to define your objectives. What do you want to achieve with your paid social media campaign? Your objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

By defining your objectives upfront, you can ensure that your campaign is focused and aligned with your business goals. Your objectives will depend on your business goals and can include things like increasing website traffic, generating leads, or increasing sales.

Step 3: Define Your Target Audience

Once you’ve defined your objectives, it’s important to identify your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your ads? What are their interests, behaviours, and demographics? Different social media platforms offer different targeting options, so it’s important to choose the platform and targeting options that are best suited for your target audience. Your target audience should be based on the research you conducted in step 1.

By targeting your audience effectively, you can ensure that your ads are shown to the people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service.

Step 4: Choose Your Social Media Platforms

With your objectives and target audience in mind, it’s time to choose the social media platforms you will use for your paid social media campaign. The platforms you choose will depend on your objectives and target audience, as well as the type of ad creative you plan to use.

Step 5: Develop Your Ad Creative

With your target audience defined, it’s time to develop your creatives. This includes creating your ad copy, selecting your images or videos, and choosing your ad format.

When developing your ad creative, it’s important to keep your objectives and target audience in mind. Your ad should be designed to capture your audience’s attention, communicate your message clearly, and drive them to take action.

Here are some tips for creating effective ad creative:

• Use eye-catching visuals: Your ad visuals should be attention-grabbing and visually appealing. Use high-quality images or videos that showcase your product or service in the best possible light.
• Keep your messaging simple and concise: Your ad copy should be clear, concise, and to the point. Focus on your key selling points and make sure your messaging is aligned with your objectives.
• Use strong calls to action: Your calls to action (CTAs) should be clear and compelling. Use action-oriented language and make it easy for your audience to take the next step.
• Use clear and concise messaging: Your ad copy should communicate your message clearly and concisely.
• Test different ad formats: Different ad formats can work better for different types of campaigns and audiences. Test different formats like video ads, carousel ads, and sponsored posts to see what works best for your campaign.

Step 6: Set Your Budget and Bidding Strategy

With your ad creative developed, it’s time to set your budget and bidding strategy. Your budget will depend on your objectives, target audience, and the social media platforms you’re using. It’s important to allocate your budget strategically to ensure that you are getting the most bang for your buck.

Your bidding strategy will depend on the platform you are using and the type of ad you are running. Different bidding strategies include:

• Cost per click (CPC): You pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
• Cost per impression (CPM): You pay each time your ad is shown to a user.
• Cost per engagement (CPE): You pay each time someone engages with your ad, such as by liking, commenting, or sharing.

Each bidding strategy has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to choose the one that is best suited for your campaign objectives.

It’s important to monitor your ad performance regularly and adjust your bidding strategy as needed to ensure that you are getting the best possible results for your budget.

Step 7: Install Your Retargeting Tools

Each social media platform has its own retargeting or tracking tool and tags, so make sure to research your chosen platform and industry standards to establish the best infrastructure.

Although implementing a pixel may seem daunting, there are plenty of YouTube videos and blogs available to guide you through the process. It’s crucial to set these up before running any ads, but if you’ve already launched social ads without setting up your retargeting infrastructure, don’t worry – the best time to do it is now!

Retargeting is critical because when a potential customer clicks on your ad and lands on your webpage with an active Facebook tracking pixel, the pixel matches them to their Facebook account. This allows you to retarget these individuals with an ad the next time they’re on Facebook. Additionally, with “Lookalike Audiences”, Facebook can extrapolate from this group of interested individuals to find other people with similar qualities and interests who might also be interested in your product or service.

Retargeting campaigns are an effective use of social media ads, as customers often feel like a specific brand or ad is following them across the internet. This is the power of retargeting in action.

Step 8: Launch Your Campaign

With everything in place, it’s time to launch your paid social media campaign. Depending on the platform you’re using, you may need to create a new campaign or add your ad to an existing campaign.

Make sure to monitor your campaign closely once it’s launched. Keep an eye on your ad performance, adjust your targeting and bidding strategies as needed, and make changes to your ad creative if you’re not seeing the results you want.

Step 9: Analyse Your Results

Finally, it’s important to analyse your results once your campaign is complete. Use analytics tools to track your performance and compare it to your objectives. This will give you valuable insights into what worked and what didn’t, and help you refine your paid social media strategy for future campaigns.

Here are some key metrics to track when analysing your results:

• Impressions: The number of times your ad was shown.
• Click-through rate (CTR): The percentage of people who clicked on your ad after seeing it.
• Cost per click (CPC): The average cost of each click on your ad.
• Conversion rate: The percentage of people who took the desired action after clicking on your ad.
• Return on investment (ROI): The revenue generated from your campaign divided by the cost of your campaign.

By analysing your results, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions about your paid social media strategy.

Bonus Tips for Effective Paid Social Media Campaigns

Here are some additional tips to help you create even more effective paid social media campaigns:

Use retargeting: Retargeting is a powerful technique that allows you to show ads to people who have already interacted with your brand in some way. By showing ads to people who are already familiar with your brand, you can increase the chances of conversion and generate more revenue.

Test different ad formats: Don’t be afraid to experiment with different ad formats, such as video ads, carousel ads, or sponsored posts. Different formats work better for different audiences and objectives, so it’s important to test and see what works best for your brand.

Use custom audiences: Custom audiences allow you to create highly targeted ad campaigns based on specific audience segments. For example, you can create a custom audience of people who have already purchased from your website and show them ads for complementary products or services.

Optimise for mobile: With more and more people accessing social media on their mobile devices, it’s important to optimise your ads for mobile viewing. Make sure your ad creative is visually appealing and easy to read on a small screen.

Keep your messaging consistent: Make sure your ad creative is consistent with your brand messaging across all your marketing channels. This will help build brand recognition and trust with your target audience.

Monitor your ad frequency: Ad frequency refers to the number of times your ad is shown to the same person. Overexposure can lead to ad fatigue and decreased engagement, so it’s important to monitor your ad frequency and adjust your targeting or ad creative if needed.

Paid social media advertising can be a valuable tool for businesses of all sizes and industries. By following these steps and best practices, you can create a successful paid social media campaign that drives real results for your business.