Since 1997, social media has been a powerful tool in reaching new audiences and forming connections. In fact, social media is now the #1 channel used by marketers. Within the last year, companies have begun rethinking their marketing efforts and focusing on social listening, allowing prospects and customers to voice their opinions on how they feel about a brand.
Social Media Success Takes Strategy
It’s easy to get lost amongst the tweets, likes, and posts and lose sight of where you are most profitable. An active presence on the most popular platforms is crucial, but recognizing which channel results in the best return on investment (ROI) is also just as important. This information will help determine where to spend your money best and which channels fit lead generation.
From HubSpot’s 2021 State of Marketing report, although Instagram is the most popular platform marketers use, the highest ROI comes from Facebook. Facebook offers a variety of advertising formats:
- Video
- Photo
- Messenger
- Slideshow
- Carousel
- Lead Form Ads
Facebook gives customers a platform to interact with other customers and discuss their experiences with a brand. The social media giant also allows a company to stay current with how its brand is perceived.
Facebook Still Dominates Social Media
With roughly 2.8 billion monthly active users as of 2021, Facebook’s reach is undeniably powerful. In fact, the social platform offers advertising opportunities to more than 200 million businesses making it a valuable tool for marketers worldwide.
Facebook’s segmentation abilities are a real benefit of using its advertising tools. Users share a lot of personal information about themselves online such as their interests, hobbies, beliefs, and more. Merchants can use the data to narrow down an audience most likely to shop their products to create targeted ad campaigns.
Marketers should also take advantage of Facebook Lead Ads. Facebook Lead Ads allow users to remain on Facebook while completing and submitting a lead form wherever they came across your ad. Whether in the News Feed, an article, messenger, or Stories, users are not redirected to an external landing page. The ads offer a seamless user experience, therefore, helping increase conversions.
Instagram Is Not Far Behind Facebook for ROI
With over one billion Instagram users, it’s no surprise Instagram is the second most effective social media channel to provide a high ROI. The platform allows marketers to increase their reach, engagement, and sales through shoppable ads, Stories, branded content, Reels, and more.
According to Instagram, 90% of its users follow a business, and 50% find themselves more interested in a brand after seeing ads for it on Instagram.
Instagram Story ads, compromised of video and photo content, are designed to blend between user stories and are ideal for targeting a variety of marketing objectives, from boosting sales to increasing brand awareness.
Influencers Can Provide a Boost
Influencer marketing continues to rise. It’s common to think of Instagram when it comes to influencers, but technically all social media platforms have figures with loyal followers. Allowing an influencer with a large following to represent your brand helps tap into an even larger market of potential customers and drives up ROI.
Business Professionals Are On LinkedIn
LinkedIn subscribes over 750 million professionals, making it another effective channel for ROI and lead generation. The platform offers marketers a variety of tools, including Sponsored Content, Sponsored Messaging, Text or Video ads, and more.
LinkedIn is great for establishing yourself as a knowledgeable professional, running targeted B2B marketing, and attracting new clients.
Quality content is vital to success on LinkedIn. Users browse for information that will help them increase their knowledge. Therefore, ads displayed on LinkedIn must add value and direction that resonates with your audience.
Speak to the Right Audience
When it comes to maximizing ROI, it’s essential to understand your audience before creating any social media campaign. Research is key when it comes to your time, money, and resources. You don’t want to miss out on any profitable connections.
The best social media campaigns are based on valuable impressions, reminding your audience that you have solutions to their problems.
Talk to Peabody about how you can utilize social media channels to maximize your ROI.
