Gathering data before creating ads is just as important as setting up and perfecting the ads themselves.<\/p>\n
There are two primary data sets I recommend gathering to create an overall strategy:<\/p>\n
- \n
- Understand the landscape of social media advertising.<\/li>\n
- Understand your audience and how they relate to each social platform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Once you understand the social media landscape and identify your ideal audience, you can create a social ads strategy with realistic goals that complement your SEO and other digital marketing efforts.<\/p>\n
First: Understand The Landscape Of Social Advertising<\/h2>\n
Your target audience will not necessarily fall perfectly in line with the number of total social users. Still, some social networks have so many more active users that it may help sway you to include them in your strategy.<\/p>\n
For example, if you know your target audience is on TikTok, start there.<\/p>\n
Then, when it\u2019s time to expand and test, you may want to consider Facebook because of the sheer number of users (and maybe you\u2019ll learn something about a \u201cnew\u201d target audience, after all).<\/p>\n
Below is an insightful chart<\/a> from Search Engine Journal that lists the top 10 social advertising platforms and their monthly active users worldwide:<\/p>\n
![\"Top](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/paid-social-media-a-guide-to-social-advertising-success-via-sejournal-jasonjzotara.png\")
Image from Search Engine Journal, August 2022<\/em><\/span><\/div>\nAnd here is another helpful chart from Accion Opportunity Fund<\/a> that breaks down a few of the basics of the top social networks we\u2019re seeing today.<\/p>\n
Next: How To Get Started Crafting A Social Advertising Campaign<\/h2>\n
As discussed above, when getting ready to start social advertising, you don\u2019t necessarily just want to choose Facebook, for example, because it has the most users.<\/p>\n
On that same note, you don\u2019t just want to assume your audience isn\u2019t on Facebook because you think your target audience is younger.<\/p>\n
The good news for advertisers is that each platform provides detailed audience insights that you can use to match your ideal audience without spending much money blindly testing. (More on this later.)<\/p>\n
There are three major points, each with subsections, that matter when it comes to a paid strategy.<\/p>\n
Audience Personas: Establishing Your Audience Demographics, Interests, And Behaviors<\/h3>\n
Audience personas give you an understanding of your ideal audience, including demographics, interests, and behaviors.<\/p>\n
This step is always the first step for us, and there are a few different ways we gather this data:<\/p>\n
Dig Into The Analytics<\/strong><\/p>\n
Google Analytics<\/a>, to be exact.<\/p>\n
The Audience section within Google Analytics is a great starting point since it has valuable insights that can guide your social advertising strategy.<\/p>\n
It will show you who is currently interacting with your website, but more importantly, who is contributing to the conversions\/transactions.<\/p>\n
This data includes age, gender, location, and more.<\/p>\n
For example, if you see that the age group of 18\u201324 is converting at a higher rate than 45\u201354, you may want to optimize your campaign for the younger age group.<\/p>\n
Go To Where You Think Your Audience Is, And Interact<\/strong><\/p>\n
Believe it or not, some of our clients come to us with an idea for a social advertising campaign, but they aren\u2019t actively engaging with their audience on that social network!<\/p>\n
For example, with the rise of TikTok<\/a>, it can take a while to build a presence.<\/p>\n
So we always recommend building up your social media account first and getting out there to see what people are talking about \u2013 you may be surprised at what you learn.<\/p>\n
Research Your Competitors<\/strong><\/p>\n
Observe where your competitors are active on social media and how they market their products or services.<\/p>\n
This is an easy way to ensure you aren\u2019t missing any opportunities and is usually a good starting point when beginning to craft a social advertising strategy.<\/p>\n