Social media ads help small businesses grow faster – if done right. Guest expert Claudia Kramer shares her proven seven-step plan to get you started!

Have you been thinking about running ads on social media, but are not sure how to get started?

In this blog post, we are going to cover the different steps you can follow in order to start running ads on social media and get results for your business.

Who are social media ads for?

First of all, let’s talk briefly about the marketing funnel. Perhaps you have heard about it somewhere before. This process shows the 3 main levels where your potential customer might be at. The goal with our marketing is to see how we can meet them right at their level for our desired outcome.

1. Awareness

Maybe the reason you want to run ads is that you want to reach a larger audience – you want to amplify your message so it reaches more potential clients and therefore creates awareness. 

2. Consideration

If you already have a large audience who are in the second stage of the funnel, you might want to retarget that audience so they can become interested in your product or service.

3. Conversion

The final stage of the marketing funnel is where you might want to retarget your audience, those who have already been made aware and have become interested, to finally convert them into leads or to make a purchase or download. 

Taking the time to map out where your potential client is in the marketing funnel will help you better understand what they need and how to approach them. 

Especially when you’re setting up your first campaigns, it’s important to focus on one client type and stage at a time in order to evaluate what works for your brand and your clients. This helps you get results faster and avoid the overwhelm many business owners feel when dipping their toes in the sea of social media ads.

7 Steps to Create a Successful Social Media Ad Campaign

If you are just getting started, here are seven steps you can take to launch your first campaign:

1. Define who your audience is

When setting up a social media ad campaign, start by creating an avatar of your ideal client. Even if you have different types of clients, try to concentrate on one to start with. Be as concrete as possible, and take a past client as an example, if you need inspiration.

2. Define where your audience is

This doesn’t only mean on which platform your followers hang out, but also in which stage of the funnel they are. Select the social media platform where you see your post resonates the most and where you think your ideal client can be. I would recommend choosing one platform when first getting started with social media ads.

3. Define your offer

Your offer should be adequate for the stage in which your potential client might be. For example, if you run an awareness campaign to reach new people, don’t expect them to buy right away. Instead of leading with a paid offer, you might need to first offer them something of value so they can get to know you first, like you, and trust you, such as a free guide or an ebook.

4. Define your message

Work on your message. Make sure you have a powerful text that awakens the curiosity of your potential client. What we look for is the click. What can you say that sounds like your client could feel like clicking on your ad?

5. Define your creatives

Create different images or videos for the ad. Video and image ads work well in all three stages of the marketing funnel, though videos are suggested in the consideration and conversion stage for higher conversion rates due to their interactive and highly informative format. Again, we are looking for the click. But make sure your ad is authentic. If you are using stock visuals, personalise them as much as possible so they look on brand.

6. Plan ahead

Make sure your organic content supports your paid content. From colours, images, messages, and emails, there should be coherence in all the touchpoints of your potential client. 

The goal is to reassure them they are in the right place when they come from the ad to your website, or receive any of your emails. In order to avoid any confusion that will lead your potential client to leave or be sceptical, make sure your whole digital ecosystem is in harmony and coherent.

7. Set up your tech

And last, but not least, make sure you have the tech side of things in place, depending on what kind of campaign you are running. If you run the campaign on Facebook or Instagram, make sure you have the pixel installed. If you run the campaign on LinkedIn, install the insight tag. 

If you are running lead generation campaigns, make sure you connect your CRM and test it before you start. You can download a checklist of the technical requirements you need, based on the type of campaign. 

The last step…

Now, there’s only one step left: start planning your first campaign! I hope these steps are helpful and encourage you to get started with social media ads so that you can amplify your message, grow your audience and convert more leads.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR