Should I pay for social media marketing?

neilpatel.com - Why Social Media is 'Pay to Play' in 2021 (And How to Get ... - Neil Patel

How many minutes means 1 hour?

60 minutes There are 60 minutes in 1 hour. To convert from minutes to hours, divide the number of minutes by 60. For example, 120 minutes equals 2...

Last updated Sep 6, 2022

What field of social worker pays the most?

healthcare What Field of Social Work Pays the Most? Social workers tend to earn the most working for the federal government. Federal social workers...

Last updated Aug 29, 2019

Promotion

I hope you enjoy reading this blog post. If you want my team to just do your marketing for you, click here . Why Social Media is ‘Pay to Play’ in 2021 (And How to Get the Best Bang for Your Buck)

No one’s asking that anymore.

Today, we understand advertising is the lifeblood of all the big social networks. Paid social media has become a key component of many brands’ marketing strategies. The more people these platforms have access to, the more money they make from businesses selling those people their products. The net result? The platform’s annual revenues have climbed at an even sharper rate, with the vast majority of that money coming from ads: This has had inevitable consequences for marketers. As social networks focus more and more on increasing ad revenues, it’s become ever harder to grow an audience organically.

3 Reasons Why Social Media Is Pay to Play in 2021

Before I talk about why paid social media is so critical today, let’s be clear on the differences between paid and organic. In a nutshell, organic social reach is all about creating and nurturing an audience without paid promotion. The specific tools at your disposal vary from platform to platform, but include things like:

posting

hashtags

getting involved in relevant conversations

responding to audience comments

following potential customers

Everything that involves advertising dollars is paid social media, whether that’s an integrated advertising campaign or a one-off sponsored post. Costs are often calculated on a per-click basis, although other methods are available.

Now, here’s why social media has effectively become a pay-to-play environment.

1. Paid Social Media Is More Cost-Effective

Sure, paid social media costs money. But that doesn’t make it less cost-effective than organic social. In fact, weighing up the effort involved (and the results you can generate), it’s actually more cost-effective. On Facebook, advertisers achieve average conversion rates of 9.21 percent. In other words, for every 100 interactions with your Facebook ad, nine will convert into a lead or sale. That’s a pretty impressive figure, and it’s even higher in some industries: Of course, Facebook isn’t the only social network, and results vary by platform. For instance, on LinkedIn, advertisers shell out up to $8 for a single click. That’s not to say LinkedIn isn’t cost-effective. Four in five LinkedIn members drive business decisions, and on average, it only costs about $2 per click more to reach a senior decision-maker than a junior employee.

In that context, it’s actually fantastic value.

2. Paid Social Media Increases Brand Awareness

If your marketing objective is to increase brand awareness, paid social media should be part of your strategy. While the average cost of a 30-second TV ad slot during the Super Bowl has more than doubled since 2002, getting in front of your audience via social ads has actually become cheaper. That’s right; the average cost per mille (or cost per 1,000 impressions) on social media actually dropped by almost a dollar in Q2 2020 to $4.33. In other words, brands are paying less for their ads to show up in users’ feeds. From an awareness perspective, that’s fantastic news.

3. Paid Social Media Boosts Reach

For instance, organic reach on Facebook is now just 5.2 percent, which means roughly one in every 20 fans sees your page’s non-promoted content. If you have 10,000 followers, those organic posts you’ve lovingly crafted will only reach about 500 of them. Want to reach a wider social audience to generate more leads or drive more sales? Paid social media is your best friend.

How to Improve Your Paid Social Media Results

Still with me? Then it’s a safe bet you’re bought into the value that paid social media can deliver. Just because Facebook and Twitter want you to invest your marketing dollars with them doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed success. I’ve seen plenty of brands burn through huge advertising budgets on social only to see terrible results because they didn’t get their strategy right.

What's the fastest 5K time ever?

As for a 5k road race, the current men's record is 12:49, held by Ethiopia's Berihu Aregawi. This recent record was set on December 31, 2021. Now,...

Last updated Apr 4, 2019

Why is Instagram deactivating 2022?

There are many reasons why is Instagram deleting or deactivates accounts. For example, inactivity for a long time, reporting by others, or...

Last updated Jul 1, 2020

Promotion

Fortunately, I also know a bunch of brands that have made intelligent use of their budget, investing in the right platforms at the right times, and capturing a ton of leads or sales. Here are four tips to help you do the same.

1. Increase the Quality of Your Content

I’ve already noted how brands are spending more and more on social ads. In fact, revenues across all social platforms in the US are expected to reach almost $51 billion in 2021. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that with more and more money being invested in paid social media, it’s becoming harder for brands to stand out. Now, consider how much branded content is already out there. On average, brands share: That’s so much activity! To cut through the noise, your content can’t just be good; it needs to be exceptional.

What makes an “exceptional” piece of social content?

There’s no such thing as the perfect piece of content for social media, because the audiences are so different. What works on LinkedIn, a platform packed with senior B2B buyers, is unlikely to resonate on TikTok, which is famously popular with teens and young adults. However, we know what works on specific social platforms. One study reviewed 101,421,493 posts across Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and unturned some useful (and often surprising) statistics. For instance: 20.7 percent of all posts across the three platforms include emojis in the caption. These posts have higher-than-average engagement rates. One in ten posts include questions to the audience, yet these posts actually see lower-than-average engagement rates. Meanwhile, over on LinkedIn, thought leadership drives the best results. Decision-makers are spending more time each year consuming thought leadership content, with most doing so for at least one hour a week. The quality of this content is all-important, with most saying they only gain value from it about half of the time. The lesson here is that a one-size-fits-all approach to social content won’t work no matter how high your ad budget. Rather than trying to incorporate messaging that resonates across all platforms, concentrate on what the audience on each individual platform wants to see. However, one tactic does appear to work equally well across all social platforms: video. A staggering 96 percent of marketers have run video ads on social, and 91 percent say they’re satisfied with the return on investment they achieved. What’s more, 93 percent of brands have acquired a new customer because of a video they ran on social media. In baseball, if a hitter fails seven times in 10, they’re one of the best in the game. Even the greatest of all time technically fail more than they succeed. Marketing is similar. However brilliant your technical skills, however great your content, and however well you know your audience, you’re not going to get it right every time. In fact, you should be open to getting it wrong, because that’s how you find out what works. If you just run the same old campaigns, targeted at the same audience, time after time, you’ll see the same old results. Actually, your performance will get worse over time, because people get bored of seeing the same ads over and over. A/B testing helps you figure out what works (and what doesn’t) so you can improve your paid social media performance. There are a lot of misconceptions about A/B testing. People often assume it’s about running two totally different ads simultaneously, then declaring a winner. In reality, differences should be kept to a minimum, with only one key element changed.

What are the least wanted jobs?

The 30 Least Desirable Jobs in the World Cleaner. ... Telemarketer. ... Soldier. ... Trucker. ... Customer Service Representative. ... Social...

Last updated Apr 12, 2022

How do you get 1m on TikTok?

Here are the four tips on how to grow to one million followers on TikTok. ... 4 Steps to Grow to 1 Million Followers on TikTok Choosing a niche. As...

Last updated Dec 22, 2021

Promotion

Otherwise, how do you know why one ad performed better than the other? Tests don’t need to be limited to two variants at a time. In one particularly obsessive example, Google famously tested 41 shades of blue before settling on the color of its toolbar. You likely don’t have Google’s resources, so keep things simple to start. For instance, try testing:

different copy with the same creative

different creative with the same copy

the same creative and copy, but different calls to action

Even with a limited ad budget, you should generate enough impressions and clicks to declare a winner after two weeks. Keep the top performer, ditch the other variant, then introduce a new element to the test. Rinse and repeat!

3. Design Your Posts for Mobile

When it comes to our social media, mobile is king. Four-fifths of Facebook users exclusively access the site via mobile, while just 1.7 percent use a laptop or desktop. Creating mobile-first social ads isn’t rocket science. For non-video ads, you just need to follow the design specifications for your chosen platform; here are four of the most common: Things get a little trickier with video ads because you’ll need to tap into the headspace of a user viewing your ad on mobile. Consider these best practices: Keep it short: Create ads that are no longer than 15 seconds, and communicate your key message in the first three seconds. Create ads that are no longer than 15 seconds, and communicate your key message in the first three seconds. Grab attention fast: Fast-paced videos with lots of movement and different scenes are more effective at stopping scrolling thumbs. Fast-paced videos with lots of movement and different scenes are more effective at stopping scrolling thumbs. Don’t rely on sound: Mobile users typically scroll with the sound off. Audio should be an added bonus, not critical to communicating your message.

4. Research Your Audience Before Choosing Your Platform

Unless you’ve got Nike’s marketing budget, you likely don’t have the resource to focus on every social channel at once. Also, it probably doesn’t make sense for you to advertise on every channel; it’s much better to focus on the platforms that make the biggest impact.

age

gender

location

job title and industry

education level

household income

relationship status

Next, it’s time to choose the social platform that aligns most closely with your customer profile. Fortunately, there’s a huge amount of data available on the audience makeup of different social platforms. : Widely used by all age ranges, with a strong reach across all demographics. Instagram: Skews female, urban-based, and younger, with a big difference between 18 to 29-year-olds and older audiences. Skews female, urban-based, and younger, with a big difference between 18 to 29-year-olds and older audiences. LinkedIn: An older audience (30-49 is the sweet spot) that skews toward college graduates and non-rural residents.

Conclusion

We’d all love to get something for nothing. Unfortunately, the days of the big social networks letting us grow and engage our audiences free are quickly vanishing. Unless you’re consistently able to go viral, organic social just won’t get enough eyes on your content. That means if you’re yet to integrate paid social media into your wider marketing strategy, it’s absolutely time to start. It’ll drive awareness, sales, and leads in a way that organic social simply can’t (at least, not anymore.)

What’s the number one objective you want to achieve with paid social media?

neilpatel.com - Why Social Media is 'Pay to Play' in 2021 (And How to Get ... - Neil Patel

Who is Lebron's agent?

Rich Paul Rich Paul (born December 16, 1981) is an American sports agent based in Cleveland, Ohio. He founded Klutch Sports Group which represents...

Last updated Sep 9, 2018

How much is a SEO paid?

Average SEO costs are $100-$250 an hour for US SEO agencies. SEO costs often range from $2,500 – $10,000 per month for US agencies. The average SEO...

Last updated Mar 10, 2022

Promotion

How much money do I need to be happy?

Globally, the study found that the ideal income point for an individual is $95,000 for life satisfaction and between $60,000 to $75,000 for...

Last updated Jul 28, 2020

Promotion

Is the Cash App 750 real?

It seems too good to be true. The truth is, the $750 Cash App reward through the Flash Rewards app is not a scam. It is a legitimate program to...

Last updated Oct 13, 2020