Social media has taken the world by
storm and has drastically changed the way businesses go about planning their
advertising strategies. With each social media outlet, a door opens for
businesses to directly communicate and advertise to social media users. Social
media advertising on mobile phones is a relatively new trend for different
businesses and came about right after the decline of the banner ad. We have
closed our computers and have turned to our smartphones for social interaction
and entertainment.
We live in a social world where apps on our smartphones are
much more attractive and useful compared to websites. Instead of having banner
ads track your movements across the web, businesses are advertising on social
media outlets to find new clients based on the shared and personal information
of users. Social media allows businesses to spot potential new customers by
targeting individuals based on their self-reported interests, location,
occupation, skills and more. However, social media advertising varies for each
different platform. Let’s take a closer look at each platform and the
advertising opportunities the outlet holds.
Facebook: Facebook allows businesses to perform keyword searches to
examine the self-reported information provided by different users. Businesses
can also create landing pages for advertisements, unique advertisements for
each specific audience and calculate audience insights.
Instagram: With the option of a 30-second video or landscape picture,
Instagram recently introduced their advertising option for businesses.
Businesses can create sponsored advertisements in order to get in touch with
Instagram users.
Twitter: Promotional tweets allow businesses to boost brand
conversation while creating a lasting impression on followers. This type of
tweet opens the doors of communication between the customer and business.
Snapchat: Similar to Twitter, Snapchat has recently started integrating
sponsored advertisements into Snapchat stories. An advertisement within a story
connects with users on a more intimate level and is a great way to reach both
young and old audiences.
So, how is this
impacting you, the user? Well, it’s working in the both user’s favor and the
business’s favor. Social media advertising creates a two-way street where customers
can provide feedback and businesses can tailor their messages to meet their
customer’s needs. Advertising on social media is one of the easiest, cheapest
and most effective ways for businesses to build and strengthen relationships
with customers. By getting in touch with potential customers in a more personal
way, relationships are being built on trust and credibility. Customers want to
feel valued and businesses want to increase their profits. Advertising on
social media provides this type of opportunity where both parties are receiving
benefits and positive effects. This is the first time where both sides of the
advertisement are reaping the benefits. As new social media outlets are
developed, positive relationships between the user and business will continue
to foster and grow.
Written by Alisa Frye from Rebecca Adele PR & Events
