Around 93% of Internet users have profiles on social media. According to Statista, social media like Instagram and Facebook are the most popular social media these days. In particular, Facebook, as a leading platform, is reported to have 3.8 billion monthly users (as of October 2023).
For advertisers, such numbers clearly indicate that now they have a chance to implement display ad strategies with outstanding reach. Unlike any other form of advertising, social networks allow advertisers to narrow down their audience to channel ad campaigns only to the right audience who are most likely to make a purchase.
Make a brand recognizable or ensure hundreds of sales per day – that’s all possible, but only in one case — you know the key features of advertising on social media and understand how to set campaigns correctly. Let’s delve into this subject deeper.
A lot of brands use targeted advertising on social networks, which many people claim they never click on, but in reality, people do click on them, which is why Google and Facebook are firmly perching among top display ad networks in 2023.
Statistics show that by the end of 2023, advertising on social media will generate over $207.10 billion in ad spending. With this, the annual growth rate (CAGR 2023-2027) of 4.53% will significantly boost the market, demonstrating how quickly this advertising sector grows.
Such numbers are not surprising. With properly configured advertising on social media, businesses can simultaneously pursue several goals:
Many advertisers want to reach their audience through social media, but many lack the time to manage a corporate page on Facebook or engage in influencer marketing; that’s why they opt for automated ad placement through advertising platforms.
These advertising platforms are not only bound to placing ads on social media, but they also typically allow launching search and contextual advertising campaigns, as well as advertising on websites, in apps, on connected TV (CTV), and even on digital out-of-home billboards (DOOH).
Advertising placed on social media can take various forms, including:
Some ad platforms, such as Google, offer almost all these advertising options, while others focus on specific niches, such as advertising in mobile apps or those options that specialize only in sponsored content.
The biggest benefit of placing ads via ad platforms is that they ensure narrow targeting and automate the whole process of ad placement. This way, advertisers don’t have to search for the right ad placement manually. Instead, the platform will automatically find the right placements in real-time according to the digital characteristics of the viewers.
The most common types of pricing models that you will find on advertising platforms include:
In reality, these are just the tip of the iceberg, as major advertising platforms, including Google and Facebook, offer a wider range of ways to buy ad placements. Now, let’s review some of the most popular platforms.
Google is the most popular search engine and an excellent way to reach the majority of Internet users worldwide. Given its widespread use, there’s a high probability that individuals in your target audience use Google, making it a great platform regardless of the industry you are advertising in.
Additionally, Google’s Display Network dominates the industry with media PPC advertising on sites like YouTube, Blogger, and other highly visited websites globally.
Benefits of Google advertising:
This combination of features makes Google a powerful and versatile platform for advertisers looking to connect with audiences on a global scale.
While Google ads are mostly search-centric, Facebook Ads places its focus on targeting and social media advertising. This means that users don’t necessarily need to actively search for something to see your ads. Instead, you can place your advertising in the feeds of two major social media platforms: Facebook and Instagram.
Moreover, you can display your ads on Facebook Messenger and the Facebook Audience Network — a platform for ad placement that extends Facebook’s targeting to third-party apps and websites.
The emphasis here is primarily on advertising within mobile apps. Therefore, if your business revolves around mobile apps, this advertising network can be a good option for you.
Benefits of Facebook advertising:
As with Facebook, you can also target your advertising to specific demographic groups on this social ad platform. In this case, the users of this network will be mostly represented by professionals, such as marketers, senior executives, and entrepreneurs. With this, ads on LinkedIn can take various forms, from sponsored in-feed posts to text ads, dynamic ads, and advertising in the LinkedIn Audience Network.
Benefits of LinkedIn advertising:
Apart from platforms directed solely to social media (like Facebook or LinkedIn), there are a lot of independent ad tech platforms that function based on programmatic buying. These platforms also automate and channel your ad campaigns to the right users.
Generally, if you are new to self-serve advertising, it is advised to choose platforms like Google or Facebook. At the same time, programmatic platforms can offer a wider pool of inventory and campaign fine-tuning options. However, for this reason, you should have at least a minimum of hands-on experience to effectively run self-serve campaigns. Let’s review some of those.
SmartyAds belongs to the top display ad networks and is attributed to the key programmatic market players in 2023 with its demand-side platform solution. SmartyAds has an entire ecosystem of ad platforms, some of which are designed for starting your own ad platforms and capitalizing on them. When we talk about DSP, advertisers can use it to run different display ad strategies across various channels and ad formats (including in-feed widgets).
Benefits of SmartyAds advertising:
MediaNet is another independent programmatic platform that operates based on a CPM model like SmartyAds. Advertisers who want to launch cookieless ads can also find contextual advertising options here. MediaNet tries to ensure the widest reach and coverage thanks to the partnership network that fuels its platform with different kinds of traffic (including DMPs and DSPs).
Benefits of MediaNet advertising:
Before launching an advertising campaign, it’s crucial to thoroughly study the features and capabilities of each social media platform. Find out what advertising formats are offered, which target audience is active on the platform, what content is most effective, and so on.
Then, it is also important to compare those with the capabilities of the top display ad networks you are reviewing for yourself. This will allow you to optimally choose a strategy and tools to achieve your goals.
With this, you should also remember that a big share of success will be determined by the commercial or the creative that your designers compose. That’s why it is important to follow such practices as:
Social media platforms gather vast amounts of information about users, which can be valuable for launching highly relevant and personalized ad campaigns.
One of the most crucial factors affecting the effectiveness of social media advertising is choosing an advertising platform that provides access to your target audience. If you plan to run campaigns exclusively on social media, ad platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn offer functionalities suitable for this purpose.
However, if you want more flexibility, consider independent programmatic platforms that also place ads on various resources, including audio, CTV, and DOOH.
Additionally, use testing and optimization strategies to enhance the effectiveness of social media advertising. Don’t hesitate to experiment and analyze results to find the most efficient approaches for your business.
Read Also:
Abdul Aziz Mondol is a professional blogger who is having a colossal interest in writing blogs and other jones of calligraphies. In terms of his professional commitments, he loves to share content related to business, finance, technology, and the gaming niche.
