6 Most Effective Types of Social Media Advertising in 2019

by Fazreen Razeek, Guest Contributor

​Social media advertising is a must for brands looking to reach a new, targeted audience fast. Yes! There are tons of marketing strategies available, but social media advertising has been proven effective in driving constant sales from the word go.

With over 3 billion active users, it’s no longer a question of whether you should advertise on social media but how your business should advertise on social media.

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There are numerous social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, among others, that businesses can use for marketing their brands. It should be noted that different social media platforms have different types of advertising.

However, the real challenge comes in understanding what makes an efficient social media advertisement strategy, how to start, how much to spend and how each network operates. This is a lot even for most top brands with years of experience in social media. Below is a list of the most effective types of social media advertising for this year and beyond.

Facebook Advertising
Facebook is the king when it comes to social ads. Besides being a universal social media network, it is one of the most used across all demographics. With over 2 billion active users from across the world, Facebook is the hub for almost half of the universal population which offers advertisers an excellent chance to influence practically anyone and everyone.

With e-commerce, Facebook is excellent at generating leads. The most popular advertising strategy used is to run a Facebook ad directly into a high-converting landing page, using a bundle product or lead magnets to drive speedy conversations or a perceived value. Facebook enables marketers to carry out more refined targeting, based on location, interests, behaviors, among others, compared to other social networks. However, your Facebook ads should be tailor-made for each audience target.

Instagram Advertising
Although Facebook’s staggering user statistics make it the undeniable king of social media, Instagram is the king of engagement. With over 1 billion active users and a whopping 58% engagement rate in comparison to other social media platforms, Instagram is what you need if you are looking for advertising with the most engagement.

Typically, Instagram advertising works best for brands that are visually appealing or can incorporate visuals into their marketing campaigns. Instagram provides a platform for brands to share a variety of content, including images and videos—meaning that people can remember your brand easily compared to if they read or heard about it. One of the best features about running Instagram ads is the fact that they can be directly linked to a product page or landing page which allows consumers to engage with your products instantly.

It should be noted that Instagram’s user base lies strongly towards the 18-29 age range and even more towards a female audience. Therefore, if these characteristics align with the segment audience or buyer personas you are interested in, then chances are Instagram will be an excellent choice for you.

Twitter Advertising
With over 300 million monthly active users, Twitter allows for unmatched access for users to engage with in both mainstream influencers & niche. Although advertising on Twitter is frequently outshined by other popular marketing social networks such as Facebook and Instagram, the truth is, Twitter is still a hub which offers unparalleled brand exposure. For starters, Twitter brands can always reach followers through organic engagement which boosts the platform’s value even further when brands run paid ads that allows them to reach more of their target audiences beyond their followers.

However, advertising on Twitter entails a more focussed approach as compared to other social channels. The key is to use content that appeals to your audience’s attention and fits with your brand identity. Engaging Twitter ad campaigns and high-quality content encourages your viewers to share and contribute to the campaign.

Pinterest Advertising
Pinterest is entirely distinctive from other social media platforms. Like Instagram, Pinterest is a visual platform. But unlike Instagram, its strongly skewed towards women. This platform is exclusively designed to help users find and purchase products. With over 250 million users, the platform is extraordinarily active, not mentioning that 81% of the user base is women.

In addition to e-commerce, retailers highly regard Pinterest because of its targeted search engine, high engagement, and ads that promote their products and brands. On the other hand, according to Pinterest, 78% of users find the content of brands on the platform very valuable, which shapes their purchasing decisions.

Pinterest advertising is not only about promoted pins but the ability of your ads to direct users to your website where they can find more product details and even make direct purchases. But to get noticed, you should provide unique visual content that compels users to take a second look.

LinkedIn Advertising
If your focus is primarily on the B2B market, LinkedIn is your best choice. With over 290 million active users between the ages of 30-64 years, LinkedIn has become a reliable and promising platform to generate leads and converting them into prospective customers.

Unlike other social media platforms good at B2B advertising, LinkedIn is outstandingly appropriate for running marketing campaigns and B2B ads. Generally, B2B companies, recruiters, and service businesses thrive on LinkedIn because of its cost-effectiveness and the  ability to target based on skills, gender, age, job title, size, industry, company name, etc., which can be extremely valuable for B2B purposes.

Snapchat Advertising
Snapchat is unquestionably one of the fastest growing social media platforms. With over 300 million monthly users, Snapchat is a feasible advertising platform with a variety of features such as AR filters, sponsored filters, and lenses that allow prospective customers to interact with your brand actively.

The value of Snapchat as an advertising platform lies in the fact that daily, the platform can reach over 41% of users between the ages of 18-34 years in the US only.

The social media networks mentioned above have millions of users which makes them extremely valuable when it comes to effectively advertising your business and creating awareness for your brand.

Author bio:

Fazreen Razeek from Grafdom has served the digital industry for over 5 years. He collaborates and works alongside agencies, event organizers, and suppliers to develop and execute their marketing strategies. He is extremely passionate about education technology and also writes for various local and international publications. A graduate with High Distinction from the Edith Cowan University, Perth, Australia, Fazreen holds a Bachelor’s Degree with a double major in Marketing & Management.

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