Do I need a Snapchat account? What is the point of Pinterest? Is there still a Digg? All these questions and more can undergo Occam’s Razor. The goal of all technology is to simplify and enable. All businesses want to grow. Advertising is a proven way to spread the word about your company to the right ears. The advent of social media sites and the repeat ad revenue they create is proof to get aboard. The industry you work in or cater to will determine the social media sites that you target for advertising.
Your Type of Industry
If you are a plumber then you could categorize yourself into a B2C or B2B industry provider. Do you service emergency calls to homes from unknown customers? If so, then you are Business to Consumer. However, if you are a lawyer who makes helps companies through bankruptcy then you are definitely a Business to Business industry. First, divide yourself into this category. If you are B2B then definitely open yourself a LinkedIn account and should consider paying for marketing on this site. More to that in a minute or drop down to paragraph “LinkedIn and B2B’s” for all the real deal. Let’s handle the people who want to spread the word about their company to the common folk aka the consumer. Even large B2B companies take advantage of this for branding purposes. They also will look to how they can Source B2B respondents for research purposes in connection to any products they are launching.
So Many PPC’s
Yes, there are a multitude of ways to pay for advertising pennies at a time. The goal of each is to maximize ROI by targeting ideal leads that can convert with minimal sales efforts. No matter what site you choose, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, the parameters that define your targets must be calibrated to yield productive results. Every social media site wants your dollars. They will take it despite your message but they guarantee no results, they are not a friend. Your best friend in this industry is the tactical company you hire to wade through these marketing marshlands with a compass of analytical data.
The Facebook Demon
We are going to skip over Google and leave that for topics called Adwords. Let’s tackle the other megaforce of this universe, the company everyone loves to hate but needs aka Facebook. Facebook is a site you know everyone will be on and has the majority of attention spans throughout the day. The breadth of the types of people who read their facebook timeline surpasses any other out there. Still, there is another factor that makes the company so successful as an advertising platform. They offer advertisers the most precise data for user preferences. In fact, recent troubles are brewing for the company as the algorithms have been pinpointing private perspectives of the user data unaware to the user. Regrettably, Facebook is not the only application that uses user data for its own benefit; many other applications might be using your personal information without your knowledge. And such apps can be quite dangerous if you do your office work on your phone or even just use banking applications. As a result, it is advised that people install a Mobile Threat Detection software/application on their device to protect their data from being breached or misused. This kind of software may be able to detect which applications are secretly recording your data.
Talking about Facebook, you come in to use it as a general platform for your viewers in the age range of 13-60 across the world. This a general approach must be refined by geotargeting, using likes and friend relations data.
The Niche Sites
Okay, so you’re a little hipper than most, that’s cool. Maybe you pimp out sweet rides or serve food with style, Instagram, and other photo-based sites may attract the users you want. Opening a free account is the beginning. Next, you should have a professional photographer to make some classy shots of your merchandise. Create post-like ads that you target to preference-based audiences. This is a sure way to boost followers organically and increase leads.
LinkedIn and B2B’s
LinkedIn offers a similar advertising method as other social media sites. Consider the views you will get and whether or not they are likely candidates for your PPC dollars. LinkedIn ads cost a significantly more than other sites. This is because they know their audiences work-related information is far more accurate. LinkedIn’s PPC conversion factor is the highest on the market. If your company does B2B specific then you should highly consider the investment.
