Is Advertising on Social Media Effective?

There are a lot of ways to reach your audience now. Cold calls are still popular, they use SEO and contextual advertising. However, the most accurate and easiest way to advertise a product is to advertise on social networks. In our article, we will talk about how effective it is in 2024.

What social media advertising looks like

Social media advertising is a very broad term. These are advertising posts in the Facebook feed, and a paid post of a blogger on Instagram, and much more. Actually, each social network has its own order and formats of advertising, and everywhere they are actively used.

However, social networks have their own specifics. For example, TikTok is more used by GenZ and millennials. Accordingly, if your product is aimed at young people, TikTok is a good source of traffic. And vice versa, Facebook is used by older people and there are more precise settings for interests, geolocation and other factors.

How effective is social media advertising?

If we talk about the effectiveness of advertising messages in social networks, then first it is worth estimating how many people actually use them. So, almost 5 billion people are users of one of these platforms. In the US, the numbers are even higher, with 84% of the population using at least one social network. Accordingly, all these people see ads in one way or another.

According to GWI, 49% of internet users are more likely to buy from brands they see ads for. At the same time, 68% of millennials and Generation Z use social media to learn more about a product. Social networks are just a platform to make your company more visible.

On the other hand, the effectiveness of advertising in social networks should be taken into account, bearing in mind the specifics of the product and traffic source. For example, only 28% of Americans use LinkedIn, but sales in a business environment can be done with it without any problems.

Social media statistics

Facebook. In terms of monthly active users, Facebook is the undisputed leader with 2.9 billion. The average Facebook user clicks on ads 12 times a month. So the site is still popular with users and advertisers.

YouTube. YouTube is considered not quite a social network but rather a platform for posting content. However, it has 2.5 billion users every month. And in the US, it is the most popular social network, which is used by 81% of Americans.

Instagram. Instagram is the third most popular platform in the US. It is equally popular with both teenagers and young people from 18 to 34 years old. Instagram has 2 billion monthly engagements.

Twitter. It would seem that Twitter users are much smaller than in the case of other social networks. However, Twitter users are 29% more engaged and spend 26% more time watching ads.

TikTok. TikTok is only gaining momentum so far, but it is the most popular social network among teenagers around the world. There are just over a billion users over the age of 18, but TikTok is still one of the world’s largest traffic sources.

Social media advertising tips

Users don’t like ads

Three out of four respondents think there are too many ads. This applies to any platform. That is why services like AdBlock are popular. In addition, 44% of users say that they are shown irrelevant ads such ads are just annoying. Accordingly, the communication strategy must be built in such a way as to evoke a minimum of negative emotions.

Diversity is the key to success

Users will get tired of the same type of advertising much faster than a variety of creatives. At a minimum, it would be worthwhile to use images of people of different races and sexual orientations, and as a maximum, make each of your ads unique. If the ad goes viral, the company will only benefit from it.

User experience and honesty should be at the core of advertisement

Many advertisers sin by exaggerating the properties of the product. This is done for the sake of a momentary impression and the user will be imbued and make a purchase. But then he will not get the same emotions and will get angry at the brand. Such cases should not be allowed as it is better not to get enough sales than to call thousands of angry people to your office.

Any hypothesis needs to be tested

It is very easy to waste your budget in a Facebook ad campaign. The same goes for any other social network. Therefore, any creatives, audiences and approaches must be tested in a limited period of time and with a limited budget. You can only launch a campaign for the entire budget when you are confident in every element of it.

Main Points

• Social media advertising continues to be effective. The number of people who regularly use FB, Instagram, TikTok and other platforms continues to grow.
• At the same time, people get tired of intrusive advertising – in order to increase its effectiveness in a particular case, it must be non-standard, memorable and broadcast user experience.
• In social networks, it is important to test hypotheses, then the return on ads will be maximum.