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With over 2 billion people using social media apps every day, it’s no surprise that businesses must adopt modern marketing practices to maximise reach on these platforms. Increasing your business's online visibility can prove strenuous when approached organically, the repetitive and usually ineffective cycle of social media posting which is difficult to attract potential consumers. This is leaving marketing teams frustrated that they are not seeing success compared to other businesses and their competitors.
A determined and realistic approach to digital marketing is required. The use and implementation of mobile marketing, SEO, email, affiliate, content, and social media marketing all underpin a diverse and robust marketing model - social media especially.
Did you know that Instagram reaches 928.5 million people through its ads? We’re here to reveal whether or not incorporating paid social media into your marketing model enhances your operations and attracts prospective customers to your business.
What is Paid Social Media?
Paid social media is a monetary endorsement or sponsored advert displayed across social platforms. This could come in the form of posts of algorithmic placements and promoted posts. Individuals and businesses alike can utilise paid social media to promote a service or product. Depending on your target demographic, social networks can provide your business access to a vast and varied market and serve as a significant component of a businesses' overarching digital marketing strategy.
Paid Social Media for B2C
Engaging in paid social media marketing efforts requires distinctively different approaches depending on whether you’re a business to consumer or a business to business. Businesses targeting consumers (B2C) are known for seeing huge success on paid social media campaigns. The focus on promoting an individualised product and its benefits simplify the business-to-consumer process compared to B2B’s.
The specific nature of an individual product allows for a more straightforward B2C digital marketing strategy through paid promotional posts and product endorsements. B2C’s are at a slight advantage in that the nature of selling single products and services to a person allows for a more personal, tongue-in-cheek approach. B2C's are also known for having campaigns that stand out from the crowd and aim to engage the audience whereas B2B is more professional and can be left behind in terms of creativity sometimes.
Visually stimulating social networks like Instagram and Facebook are perfect mediums for B2C digital marketing aspirations. Connecting to prospective customers with paid placements and sponsored ads can mean the difference between viral success and social obscurity.
Business to consumer digital marketing strategies benefit significantly from both organic and inorganic strides toward social media visibility. Personifying your brand and engaging in pop-culture discourse helps appeal to the consumer’s emotive and sensationalist side. And less risk compared to the bulk services and products advertised within the professional and logistical field of B2B.
Paid Social Media for B2B
Business to business (B2B) social media marketing is considered more challenging to navigate due to the smaller pool of accessible businesses operating on social media apps. This, however, doesn’t forecast your digital marketing efforts obsolete. Business to business paid social media strategies to attract prospective buyers with logistical and statistical motivators. Because B2B's usually sell in bulk and larger quantities, they often spend significantly more on social media advertisements because they have the opportunity to close larger sales.
It’s unlikely that the products and services offered by B2B’s will resonate with the average consumer scrolling Instagram or Facebook. Instead, a specialised and particular approach in harnessing the power of social media marketing is required.
Thank god for LinkedIn. The ideal social platform for B2B marketing, LinkedIn’s 800 million global users, is the perfect social network for businesses and individuals embodying a similar professional nature to B2B operations. B2B’s paid social media marketing efforts on LinkedIn have proven the most effective in generating new leads and explain why 97 percent of B2B’s operate on the platform. Facebook (Meta) and Twitter come in second and third place, respectively. Bolstering your B2B social media strategy with the introduction of paid social media will amplify your reach, streamline your targeting approach and ensure visibility within the digital market.
Facebook advertises to an audience of 2.14 billion. Generating 12 advertisement clicks from users per month, Facebook is an excellent platform for initiating paid marketing efforts. One of the first sites to offer paid marketing, Facebook’s easily navigable target ad plan is a great way to accelerate your B2B or B2C digital campaign. With 86 percent of B2B’s and 97 percent of B2C’s marketers operating on Facebook, there’s ample evidence supporting the benefits of marketing on this social networking site.
Digital marketing efforts prove somewhat useful for B2B’s operating on Twitter (compared to Instagram and Facebook), with 87 percent of B2B marketers active on the social network. Though it may not offer the desired results LinkedIn can offer, the presence of professionals and businesses on Twitter make it a place full of potential. Despite the likeliness of Twitter users being 52 percent more inclined to purchase a new product, B2C paid marketing campaigns to share a similar predicament to B2B’s in their finite reach of prospective consumers on the social networking app.
Arguably the most visually stimulating platform of them all, Instagram is a haven for B2C marketers, 97 percent of which operate on the app. With ? of the most viewed stories, that of businesses, the visual and emotive nature of Instagram make it the perfect medium for marketers trying to advertise their products to the consumer. Instagram is responsible for 60 percent of people discovering new products via the platform. Hiring a social manager to survey and detect trending patterns on this universally loved app will instantly boost your business's social media marketing efforts.
Like we previously mentioned, LinkedIn is the ideal platform for B2B marketers, with 600 million users and over 10 percent in positions of authority. LinkedIn tailors to various businesses, allowing you a more selective marketing approach through focused keywords and audience selection. LinkedIn is responsible for generating 97 percent of a business's social media leads and is a proven platform for undertaking paid social media.
Conclusion
Is paid social media worth the investment? Yes. Whether you’re a business-to-consumer (B2C) or a business-to-business (B2B) operation, paid social media has undeniable benefits for everyone. From driving up conversion rates to conveying brand identity. Social media sites accommodate the most significant percentage of media consumers globally. Opting for a multi-pronged marketing approach will help you take advantage of social media’s vast consumer base.
