Social media has taken over the internet. There’s a good chance that if your business is not online you are missing thousands of dollars. Social media advertising offers a fast and effective way to quickly reach your target audience and turn them into customers. In this article, we will explore the different ways you can leverage social media advertising for your small business.

Social media advertising for your small businesses

Small businesses usually don’t have a lot of money, which is why it’s important to maximize every advertising dollar. Social media advertising is an efficient way to market because you have complete control of how your message is delivered. If you purchase a billboard, you have no control over who sees it.

Also, you can not track the ROI easily. Who knows if they showed up from a billboard? Social media advertising for small businesses allows you to view analytics data with direct feedback and make quick adjustments

Choosing the Right Social Media Platforms

Choosing the right campaign can make or break your advertising efforts. Instagram is extremely popular so businesses are eager to advertise there. The reality is Instagram might not be the best fit for your business. There are several factors to consider when choosing the right social media platform for your small business.

Demographics for advertising your small business on social media

In an article by Khoros they shared the users by age across each of the top social media networks. Based on their graph above you can see your industry matters for what platform will work best. It doesn’t make sense to put a lot of effort into TikTok if you’re selling mortgages for homes because they are probably not looking to buy a house.

At the same time, I don’t believe that means you need to abandon those social networks completely. Always test! It’s good to have a presence on as many networks as possible. Consider only investing the majority of your time on networks that give you the highest ROI.

Short-Form VS Long For Content

According to Bridgecare ABA the average attention span of humans is 8.25 seconds. Our attention spans are shorter than a goldfish at this point. Knowing this certain networks will serve various industries better than others. If you have a very detailed product, you could use short clips to entice users to watch longer videos on YouTube.

This ensures that you are capturing people who are interested enough to watch a longer video. Long-form videos still work! If you need more time to explain your services, YouTube will be good for you and you can cut the long-form content to shorter pieces and post across all the other platforms.

One more thing to consider is if you are building a personal brand. If you are going to build a personal brand you want to be seen everywhere. This means podcasts, blogs, Instagram posts, TikTok, tweets, or anywhere people can see you.

Setting Clear Goals and Objectives

Earl Nightingale in The Strangest Secret gave a simple scenario that illustrates the power of goals. Here’s the example he gave. Let’s take a ship, give it no captain, no crew, no destination, and send it out of port. I think you’ll agree it will end up a crashed ship if it ever even makes it out of the port.

However, if you give that ship a crew, captain, and destination 99.9% of the time it will get to where it needs to go. The same is true with your business. People who set goals are 10 times more likely to succeed than those who don’t. This is according to a study by Dominican University. The study also found that people who set specific and challenging goals are more likely to achieve them than those who set easy goals

To get the most out of your social media advertising, you must establish clear goals. Use the SMART criteria (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) to ensure your objectives are well-defined and achievable.

In our Ultimate Business Blueprint, we go over this in detail. I have included a link to a Google Doc that can help you organize your goals better. You can use this for other areas of your life as well. Click here to get the document. Set goals for your social media advertising to give your business direction.

Creating Engaging Content

You know you need to create engaging content, but the question is how do you accomplish this? I’m going to attempt to help you use a system for creating content that will change the way you think about social media.

The Content Map

There are 5 basic types of content that you can create for social media. Use these as a guideline when mapping your content

• Motivational: Content that inspires the audience. Motivational content could be something that was accomplished by your business, a result you got for a client that’s inspirational, or live advice that improves your client’s life.
• Entertainment: Any post that entertains the client. This type of post could be dramatic, funny, or thought-provoking. Memes are usually entertaining and can often be repurposed for your business or niche. Entertainment posts have no limit it’s all down to your creativity.
• Promotional: Any content that promotes your business, product, or service. We recommend about 20% of content should be pure promotional with the rest using the other areas. Remember even if you are not directly promoting you should be inserting calls to action on all your content.
• Instructional: The instructional post teaches the audience how to do something step by step. If show your audience a new skill or give them access to new strategies these are considered instructional posts.
• Educational: Any post that helps a client gain deeper insight into a topic. You might think this is the same as an instructional post. Here’s the difference, educational posts usually don’t directly teach a skill. For example, the history of digital marketing vs How to generate a post with AI step by step.

VRIN Score

Now that you have a strategy of what to post, you need a way to measure content quality. I recommend using the VRIN score backed up by analytics to see what’s working. Here’s a breakdown of the VRIN score.

• Valuable: Is your post valuable and useful to your target audience? Just because you know something is valuable doesn’t mean anything if your target audience doesn’t perceive it that way. Use analytics to see engagement to measure how valuable your content is to your customers.
• Rarity: How rare is the content you are posting? If you have access to a lifestyle that others don’t, then your content will immediately have more value. Working to create rare content makes your content hard to pass over.
• Inimitable: If your competitors could easily reproduce the content, then it’s not going to make much impact. Producing highly creative, or content that requires high expertise falls into this category. You might have a unique personality or communication style which is also a powerful tool for your content.
• Non-Substitable: How easy are you to replace in the market? People often ride trends. Most of the time there is someone who’s doing the content already. People may watch the content but the originator often has the most longevity. This is because their creativity can’t be substituted by the people who are just looking for trends.

One example of this is a video we did for one of our clients. In the nightlife industry in Houston, many people don’t produce videos like the one below.

As a bonus, I want to give you a tool we use for story posts. This breaks down the different things you can record throughout the day to make your stories more engaging.

Use these tools to make your content more engaging and build a social media following that loves everything you create.

Targeting the Right Audience

You would be surprised how many businesses don’t have a target audience. In our Ultimate Guide To Small Business Advertising, we go in-depth on how to select your target market. It’s important to clearly define the demographic and psychographic factors of your customers. The better data you have on your customers the better you will be at marketing to them.

Budgeting and Ad Spend

If you want an in-depth overview of how to budget for your business, then check out our Ultimate Guide To Small Business Advertising as it goes into detail on how to allocate budgets effectively. There’s one thing you need to consider when budgeting for social media. Who is your audience?

If you have an older audience for your product or service, then you might find more success on platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook. If you have a clothing brand you might perform better on Instagram. That’s not to say you shouldn’t have a presence on all platforms. However, you should focus more money on platforms where you will get the highest ROI.

A/B Testing and Optimization

At the time of writing this Meta business suite allows you to test different posts against each other to see which performs better. This usually only applies to ads but you can now do it on regular posts. A\B testing is important because you get an accurate gauge of what content is working.

Always test different types of posts, copy, visual elements, and messaging to see what performs the best. As you refine your social media strategy you will find that your audience responds better to certain types of posts.

Monitoring and Analytics

The management theorist Pete Drucker said, “What’s measured gets improved”. Often quoted as What’s measured gets managed. The point is simple, if you don’t have any data there is no way to know how to improve. Engagement, shares, likes, reposts, and comments are simple metrics that can let you know how well you’re doing on platforms like Instagram.

Dig a little deeper and most of these platforms have business tools that let you see how much reach you gained and how many accounts you’ve reached. By creating KPIs and measuring your content’s effectiveness you can constantly improve your visibility while lowering the cost

Leveraging Influencer Marketing

There’s a reason companies are willing to pay some influencers $1,000,000 for a single post. Influencer marketing works. You might not have a million dollars to put towards a single post, but you can find local influencers are smaller influencers that can promote your brand. This is important on social media because people trust people more than corporations most of the time. Get influencers to promote your business and build brand trust.

Ad Compliance and Regulations

Don’t get banned. If you’re a political figure promoting a message that is near to your heart then you might not care about getting banned. However, for most businesses that are not covering controversial material this could cut you off from a vast pool of potential clients.

You should read the content guidelines for each platform so you understand what type of content you can produce on that platform. For example, YouTube has stricter guidelines than a company like Rumble where there is more free speech. However, YouTube has a vastly larger viewership so keep that in mind when creating content. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Read and Understand Platform Policies:
   • Familiarize yourself with the specific advertising policies of the platform you’re using (e.g., Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads). These policies can change, so it’s essential to stay updated.
2. Follow Legal and Regulatory Requirements:
   • Comply with local, regional, and national advertising laws and regulations, including those related to consumer protection, data privacy, and industry-specific guidelines.
3. Transparent and Truthful Advertising:
   • Ensure your ads are honest, clear, and provide accurate information about your products or services. Avoid making false claims, exaggerations, or misleading statements.
4. Respect Copyright and Trademark Laws:
   • Do not use copyrighted materials or trademarks without permission. Be aware of intellectual property rights and respect them in your ads.
5. Use Age and Audience Targeting Appropriately:
   • Advertise products or services suitable for the intended audience. For instance, age-restricted products should not be targeted at underage individuals.
6. Avoid Discrimination and Offensive Content:
   • Refrain from creating ads that discriminate or promote hate speech, violence, or offensive content. Be mindful of cultural sensitivities and diverse audiences.
7. Provide Adequate Disclosure:
   • If your ad includes affiliate links or sponsored content, clearly disclose this information. Transparency is essential to build trust with your audience.
8. Use Accurate Landing Pages:
   • Ensure that the content on your landing pages aligns with the ad’s messaging and doesn’t deceive or confuse users.
9. Manage Sensitive Content:
   • If you are promoting content that might be considered sensitive or controversial, review the platform’s guidelines for such content and follow them accordingly.
10. Avoid Unwanted Pop-ups and Interstitials:
    • Intrusive ads, such as pop-ups or interstitials that disrupt the user experience, may violate platform policies.
11. Respect Data Privacy:
    • If you collect user data, be sure to comply with data protection laws, such as GDPR in Europe. Provide clear privacy policies and obtain user consent when necessary.
12. Monitor User Engagement:
    • Keep an eye on user engagement with your ads. Respond promptly to user complaints or feedback and make necessary adjustments to remain compliant.
13. Stay Informed:
    • Regularly check for updates to advertising policies and guidelines on the platform you use. These can change frequently, so staying informed is crucial.
14. Keep Records:
    • Maintain records of your advertising campaigns, ad creatives, and related documents in case you need to demonstrate compliance or resolve disputes.
15. Seek Legal Advice:
    • If you have concerns about the compliance of your ads, consider consulting with legal experts or compliance professionals familiar with online advertising regulations.

Customer Engagement and Feedback

It is also important to respond to people who reach out to you online. Some people will be negative and you can choose to ignore them or even block them. However, you should reward people who actively engage with your content. Engaging with your audience will create a sense of community that will lead to fans who will help push content for you without being asked.

1. Respond to every content until you are no longer able to.
2. Answer questions from your clients and customers. Consider making videos for FAQ’s
3. Be active in your community and attend conferences and speaking engagements.
4. Schedule streams and events that allow people to get to know your business
5. Comment on content in your niche
6. Get involved in groups that are related to your industry.

Paid vs. Organic Social Media Advertising for Small Businesses

Honestly, it’s not one or the other. You should do both. In the business classic, Built To Last, they talked about how businesses of the fall into either or thinking. They advise that you should focus on AND thinking. This means how can we do this and that? In this situation that means you would think about how to create organic marketing AND paid marketing

Organic Marketing

Any marketing that you don’t pay for directly on an AD platform is considered organic. This doesn’t mean you’re not paying to get this content produced. Organic simply means you’re not paying for more reach. Organic is powerful and most people don’t think producing content is worth the time and money.

You can measure the ROI on organic content easily. First, there is an intangible value to being well know in an industry. If you produce the most content, you can become a industry celebrity. So you won’t have to do much selling when everyone knows who you are. Think about it, Nike doesn’t have to sell you on a shoe, or Michael Jordan doesn’t have to sell you on Jordans. You buy because of who it is.

Second, you can measure ROI similar to an AD campaign. Let’s say you run an ad and receive 10,000 impressions and 8000 views of at least 3 seconds. Now, provided you have conversion tracking you’ will see a conversion rate.

8000 Views -> 10 Conversion (For Example) -> 1.25% conversion for 8000 views.

Now imagine putting out content that goes viral on Instagram of TikTok and receiving 15,000 views that you are not paying for directly. Although not as targeted as paid advertising if you are building your channel correctly it should be a target auidence. That same amount could produce a similar amount of conversions and you’re not paying a cent. Howver, don’t stop advertising altogether because it comes with its own advantages.

Paid Marketing

Paid marketing is the fastest way to produce a new customers. Now organic marketing is great but when you need to find new customers fast you want to be running paid ads. Social media advertising is great for small businesses because it allows us to target our customers directly.

For example, Google ads allow us to target as specific as a single Zip code. You can create a customer persona for a demographic and target their interest and even search data. The lessons here is don’t abandon one for the other. Paid is fast but organic builds depth with your audience.

Social Media Advertising for Small Businesses Mistakes to Avoid

Avoid common pitfalls in social media advertising that can drain your budget and damage your brand. Learn from the mistakes of others and steer clear of these traps. So, here is a quick list of things to avoid when social media advertising for your small business.

1. Not having a plan. Before you start posting on social media, it’s important to have a plan. This includes defining your goals, identifying your target audience, and creating a content calendar.
2. Being too self-promotional. No one wants to follow a brand that only posts about itself. Make sure to mix in a variety of content, including educational, entertaining, and informative posts.
3. Not engaging with your audience. Social media is a two-way street. Respond to comments and questions, and participate in conversations.
4. Overposting. It’s better to post high-quality content less often than to post low-quality content more often.
5. Using irrelevant hashtags. Hashtags are a great way to get your content seen by more people, but make sure you’re using relevant ones. Don’t just stuff your posts with popular hashtags that have nothing to do with your content.
6. Buying followers. Buying followers is a waste of money and time. It’s better to build an engaged audience organically.
7. Posting offensive content. Be mindful of what you post on social media. Avoid posting anything that is offensive, hateful, or discriminatory.
8. Not monitoring your accounts. It’s important to monitor your social media accounts regularly for negative comments or spam.
9. Ignoring negative feedback. Don’t ignore negative feedback from your followers. Take the time to address their concerns and try to resolve the issue.
10. Not using social media analytics. Social media analytics can help you track your progress and see what’s working and what’s not. Use this information to improve your social media strategy.

Conclusion

In conclusion, social media advertising is a powerful tool for small businesses to reach a broader audience and grow their customer base. By choosing the right platforms, setting clear goals, creating engaging content, and adhering to best practices, you can successfully navigate the world of social media advertising.

Get started today and watch your business thrive in the digital realm.

FAQs

Q1: How do I choose the right social media platforms for my small business?

• A1: Start by understanding where your target audience is most active and then consider the advantages of each platform. It’s crucial to align your business goals with the platform’s strengths.

Q2: What is the importance of influencer marketing for social media advertising a small businesses?

• A2: Influencer marketing can provide authentic endorsements and broad exposure, helping small businesses gain credibility and reach new customers.

Q3: What are some common mistakes in social media advertising that I should avoid?

• A3: Common mistakes include not setting clear goals, neglecting audience targeting, and failing to engage with customers. This article highlights these and more to help you avoid them.

Q4: How can I measure the ROI of my social media advertising campaigns?

• A4: You can measure ROI by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and revenue generated from your ads. It’s crucial to set up proper tracking systems.

Q5: Is it possible to succeed in social media advertising on a limited budget?

• A5: Yes, it’s possible to succeed with a limited budget by allocating your resources wisely, focusing on your target audience, and continuously optimizing your campaigns for better results.