The remarkable effect that social media has had on the marketing world cannot be overstated. But in more recent years, Facebook (the largest of social platforms) has introduced several algorithms aimed at favouring paid advertising in favour of organic content.

In the early days of social media, impressions and engagement came about organically, based on the actual content. In more recent years, paid advertising is what dominates the landscape. Some businesses may still be skeptical about the issue, probably because of the notion that social media is free.

Nevertheless, paying to advertise on social media can be a potent and useful tool. Here are the benefits.

Better Targeting

With paid advertising comes paid targeting. It allows you to pinpoint your ads on specific and relevant visitors better. These people will fit into your buyer persona and are likelier to respond to your adverts. The many tools associated with targeting will allow you to reach out to people based on a wide variety of characteristics.

These can include age, gender, geographical location, job, social status, keywords, and many others. Besides, once a visitor has clicked on an ad, you can retarget that person with other campaigns, increasing the likelihood of a purchase.

Cost Effectiveness

Some try to stay away from paid advertising thinking that it’s expensive. But compared to traditional advertising, the price is nowhere near as close. What’s more, they don’t take into account the time and energy they have to put into the creation of these adverts, in the first place. You can entirely create an ad within minutes.

Also, progress tracking is automated and easy-to-use, allowing you to focus your efforts elsewhere. When used in combination with leads generation and content marketing, retargeting campaigns can reach a 200% ROI.

Better Brand Recognition

Advertising on social media will increase a brand’s overall recognition. As these posts will be displayed in front of your target audience more often, it stands to reason that your brand will get more screen time. It also implies more brand awareness and recognition. This constant interaction will raise your credibility and reputation, increasing the chances that people will recommend your brand further.

Split Testing

Many marketers don’t only settle on a group of ads. They produce multiple groups at once which allows them to refine their ads and reach their audience better. Usually, A/B split testing on social media implied that you had to pause one campaign and unleash another.

Luckily, however, there are ad scripts which allow the tracking of split testing data between two ad groups at the same time. This information is much more reliable, allowing you to determine which one works better and why.

More Options

Paid social advertising gives you several options when presenting your ads. Facebook, for instance, allows you to create single image ads, videos, carousel units, screen takeovers, etc. The Maps option will also give directions to your store if the purpose is to drive people into your place of business.

These are some of the benefits that come attached to paid advertising on social media. Paid social has the power to reach more people, generate awareness, leads, views, sales, and much more.