As your business grows, so does your online presence. From promoting your products on Facebook, the world of digital marketing has evolved to include promotions on platforms like Instagram and Twitter as well. Although the results are usually what you want, there is always that one nagging question at the back of your head: where is the money I spend going and what platform is working the best for my brand/product?

Types of social media ads and how they really work

Every major social media platform offers several attractive promotional packages, but not all of them are suited for every brand, product or market. For example, Facebook and Snapchat have a slightly larger number of regular female users, while Instagram and Twitter have a larger male user base. To understand how each advertising platform works, here is taking a look at the different platforms!

a) Facebook ads

Facebook ads have been popular for as long as they have because their primary uses are to create awareness, make conversions possible and to give people multiple options. These ads help in raising awareness about your brand/product/market, driving traffic to your website and in increasing online communications with you by using Facebook Messenger!

Furthermore, what makes Facebook ads an exciting platform for promoting your business is,  there are several forms for doing the promotion. By using photo ads, video ads, carousel ads, slideshows, lead ads and messenger ads, Facebook ads have been designed in a manner that helps you optimise every aspect.

b) Instagram ads

The question here is, should you be on Instagram? The answer is a definite yes. A fun way of connecting to your audience through sharing pictures, promoting your brand/product/market on this app is an exciting revolution with respect to digital marketing. If you want to put money on Instagram, then the first step in doing so is to create an Instagram business page and the minute you do that, you are ready to hit the ground running!

With the additional updates of IGTV and lengthier Instagram videos, promoting your business on this platform is not just an option, but a definite must! Remember to not be too extravagant with your spending because more often than not, you may not entirely be pleased with the result! Incidentally, with Facebook’s buyout of Instagram, it comes as no surprise that the two platforms have similar promotional platforms.

c) Twitter ads

There is absolutely no doubt you should be on Twitter or you should promote your business on Twitter. Unlike Facebook and Instagram, Twitter ads work with a different end goal as compared to the above platforms. Twitter ads have the following objectives:

• When you promote tweets with the purpose of increasing engagement, the conversion rate automatically increases. How? Because it helps in letting your audience know your brand/product exists. An added advantage of this is, that you only have to pay for the initial engagement!
• You can promote your videos and pay for only each of the videos you promote. Not only does this target a specific type of audience, it also ensures regular on foot traffic.
• You can promote individual apps related to your brand and only pay for the specific promotions! The advantage here is, it helps give people up to date information on what is going on with your brand!

While promoting on Twitter is a really good idea, you have to always keep in mind that the thoughts you generate are quick, relevant and to the point. When you do decide to set up your own Twitter ad campaign, make sure your business goals align with your business objective. This will ensure your campaign grows to the full extent!

Your business needs to be promoted on the right platform at the right time and when you put in a certain amount on these platforms, you need to make this choice with complete clarity on what you are getting into! Comment and tell us your experience with social media platforms below!