We’ll spare you the coronavirus-related, “current climate” intro, and assume that you’re here because of a need to streamline your business financially, but that you don’t want to put a complete hold on your marketing.
One of the more cost-effective marketing channels is social media. In this article, we’ll share a few tips on how to get more results from your ads with a smaller budget.
1. Define what “more” means for you
First of all, you need to define what more results look like for you. With social media ads, you choose a format based on your objective, whether that’s website traffic, lead gen forms, reach or engagements. You might get more “results” if you opt for an engagement optimised ad, but if it’s traffic to your site you desperately need, then be sure to look further than a side-by-side comparison of the numbers.
2. Review what platforms you’re using
The platforms you use should always be dictated by where your audience are, and the content of the particular ad you’re putting out. Having said this, if you’re on a tightly restricted budget, it makes sense to look at which sites typically cost more. While LinkedIn has a B2B focus that’s hard to find elsewhere, it is usually more expensive than running Facebook ads. Remember, even if you’re targeting a B2B audience, those people still have social lives too, and the numbers suggest that more often than not, they’re on Facebook.
3. Spread the same budget over a longer time period
This is something we recommend regardless of your current financial situation. Unless there are time constraints to the content you’re promoting, we’ve found that spreading a £50 budget over three weeks for example, tends to yield better results than if you spent the same amount in a week. One theory is that social platforms such as Facebook become more selective with who your ad is shown to.
4. Review the data
Don’t wait until your ad is finished to review its performance. Take a look a few days in and see what demographics are responding best to it. If you’re finding that 75% of your actions are coming from your female audience, adapt your gender targeting. You can also use the findings to create more effective ads next time round.
5. Put the hard work in on your end too
Paying for ads on social media isn’t an automatic guarantee of results. You should still follow best practice to make sure you’re getting as much from your content as possible. Great imagery, concise copy and calls to action can all help to encourage people to like, share, or click through to your site. If you’ve boosted a Facebook post, be sure to invite those who like it to like your page.
