Paid social is one of the most direct digital marketing practices to reach potential customers, allowing brands to connect on a more personal level than traditional advertising and search channels. While there is no silver bullet to guarantee that a campaign will be successful, there are some tactics that are proven to enhance your chances.
In this session from Digital Summit archives, Ashley Segura, co-founder of TopHatSocial + TopHatContent, delivers insights into creative ways that marketers can increase ROI for their paid social campaigns.
She leans on three main components to accomplish this – 1) Ad Copy, 2) 3-Post Strategy, and 3) Gain & Retain Strategy – and provides actionable tactics for each. The highlights are below, but watch the video up top for the full strategy!
Thing 1: Tips for Your Ad Copy (1:15)
Regardless of which social platform a brand is running ads on or how beautiful the visual creative is, the copy is what is going to make a person take an action. Segura kicks of the session with a simple message: “When it comes to ad copy, don’t over tell.”
In saying this, she means that the ad copy should be used to hook the viewer and not attempt to tell the entire story. In fact, she presents the data that shows the preferred length for a social ad headline is only 5 words and that a Facebook ad link description is 18 words.
Ashley recommends that brands talk like their demographic speaks in their copy and have a deep understanding of the things that their target customer enjoys.
Numbers and emojis, depending on the target and the topic of your ad, are also powerful tools in ad copy, and it is critical to make it easy for the customer to take any action from the ad, especially on mobile.
AD COPY TIP #1: Before even thinking about creating a social ad, be sure that you have a deep understanding of your demographic, the things they like, and the ways that they speak in their personal lives. This will enable you to cater your message in a way that is more likely to resonate with them. And when it comes to writing copy for these ads, BE BRIEF!
AD COPY TIP #2: Be sure that your ad copy communicates the 5 W’s – who, what, when, where, and why. Through answering these questions, you will be giving your audience just enough information to hook their interest and take an action, such as clicking through to your website.
Thing 2: A 3-Post Retargeting Strategy (15:00)
Segura points out this is a strategy that anyone can do, regardless if you are spending $5 a day on ads of $5,000. The point of this strategy is to warm up your audience and it uses, you guessed it, three posts which are described as follows:
The Engaging Post: The only action required from this post is to receive a like, comment, or share. Examples include a meme, GIF, short video, or question.
The Informative Post: This is the opportunity to add a link and/or information. Examples include a how-to video, tutorial, or recipe.
The Commercial Post: This is the direct call to action. Examples include links to purchase, newsletter signups, and contest entries.
In the session, Segura walks through a sample posting schedule and details on creating an effective targeting and ad strategy (see it in the video!), including creating a custom audience based on metrics and behaviors, defining the time period for the ad campaign, developing the ad creative, and budget.
DO THIS: Follow the steps outlined in this session to create your first 3-Post Retargeting campaign, refining your audiences through A/B testing. And remember, this should not be a one and done. Rinse and repeat, testing new creative and audiences, to maximize ROI.
Thing 3: How to Build a ‘Gain & Retain’ Strategy (20:50)
Finally, Ashley details actionable tips for gaining and retaining customers through retargeting users who leave specific pages on your website with Facebook or Instagram ads. This strategy can seem complex, but can be explained in plain terms as follows:
- Step 1: Conduct an analytics audit to identify web pages that have high bounce rates mixed with high traffic and determine why visitors are leaving.
- Step 2: Provide a solution that addresses the reason that the visitor previously left, such as a piece of informational content that is worthy of bringing a user back to this page.
- Step 3: Create the piece of content and publish it on your website.
- Step 4: Amplify this piece of content via Facebook or Instagram ads to drive visitors to this URL, directing them to the new piece of content that brings them back to solve their problem.
- Step 5: Rinse and repeat!
The tips outlined in this session are a must-try for any of us marketers who are using paid social as part of our strategy. As with all things social, success often comes from some trial and error, so don’t be afraid to test a variety of paid social ads using these techniques to find what works best for your brand!
To hear from experts like Ashley on the regular, check out an upcoming Digital Summit event — including our upcoming Digital Summit at Home: B2B virtual conference May 25-27. It’s three days of game-changing B2B marketing workshops, sessions, and keynotes — from the world’s leading B2B brands and experts — including Ashley, leading a brand new session!