The 6 Best Social Media Advertising Platforms In 2021

Discover the best social media advertising platforms to use in 2021

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Why Choose Social Media Advertising

With so many advertising strategies available, why is social media advertising so popular? Put bluntly, social networks know their users well. And with such advanced targeting options, businesses from all industries can use social media ads to target and retarget their ideal customers without breaking the bank.

I know my competitors use social media ads, but I haven’t got the time or resources to manage social media campaigns”. We hear you! That’s where a social media ad agency comes in. When you work with a social media ad agency, we do all the leg work for you – from forming robust social media advertising strategies to writing engaging ad copy.

If your business is interested in social media advertising but isn’t sure how to get started, read on to find out the six best social media advertising platforms to use in 2021.

1. Facebook

Best social media advertising platform for special offers

Love it or hate it, Facebook is the world’s largest social network. However, Facebook doesn’t always make it easy to connect with your audience. The Facebook algorithm is always changing, making it increasingly difficult to get noticed by potential customers. Facebook ads make it easy for businesses to reach their target audience with detailed demographic and interest-based targeting options.

Are Facebook ads right for your business?

Did you know that 1.6 billion people worldwide are connected to a small business on Facebook? So, whether you’re a large corporation or a small business, you can reap the benefits of all Facebook advertising has to offer. There are so many campaign options to choose from, making it the perfect social ads platform to start with.

How to set up Facebook ads

Anyone can set up Facebook advertising campaigns using Facebook Ads Manager. Once you’ve set-up a Business Manager account, you can create your campaign.

Facebook’s top-level objectives are awareness, consideration, and conversions. There’s also a broad range of campaign types designed to help you meet specific business goals, e.g. page likes, lead generation or catalogue sales.

Facebook also has several ad options to choose from, including:

Ready to take Facebook by storm? A social media ads agency like us will be able to help you choose the right settings to make sure you’re set-up for success.

2. Instagram

Best social media advertising platform for visual brands

Instagram prides its social media ad platform on creating a seamless experience ‘at the centre of visual inspiration’. It’s the place to be for lifestyle brands that want to inspire and influence their audience. If you’ve already spent time curating stunning feed content, why not turn them into stories ads and connect with the millions of people using stories every day?

Are Instagram ads right for your business?

Instagram is perfect for visual and lifestyle brands looking to capture the attention of the audience as they scroll. Instagram ads work particularly well if your business objective is to get customers to discover your brand and take action.

How to set up Instagram ads

Instagram ads can be created either by promoting posts from your organic social content calendar which has already been shared on Instagram or through the Facebook Ads Manager (which saves you heaps of time if you’re running a Facebook campaign too).

3. Twitter

Best social media advertising platform for audience engagement

Twitter ads are a great way to complement your organic content strategy or get in front of users based on their interests. What makes Twitter stand out from other social advertising platforms is that you only pay for performance (when you’ve reached your chosen marketing objective). So, whether your goal is conversions or engagement, you’ll only pay when a user takes an action.Plus, unlike Facebook, Twitter ads also provide keyword targeting i.e., people who have used a specific word or hashtag in their tweet (or have interacted with a profile that has).


Are Twitter ads right for your business?

Twitter ads are useful for generating leads, engaging your audience, and driving traffic to your website. However, if you’re running a special offer and choosing between social media advertising platforms, Facebook offer ads are your best bet.

How to set up Twitter ads

To set up Twitter ads you can choose between Twitter Promote Mode, their automatic promotion programme, or a Twitter Ads campaign. Twitter Ads campaigns are more like Facebook ads as they’re objective-based and will suit a more targeted strategy.

4.Pinterest

Best social media advertising platform for brand discovery

Diversify your digital marketing strategy with Pinterest ads. While still a lesser-known social media platform than Facebook, Pinterest has over 450 million monthly active users. Pinterest’s visual-first ad formats are like Instagram as they showcase products seamlessly while users scroll.

When it comes to social media advertising, Pinterest ads are unique because they are only present when a user is searching for something they are interested in. For instance, if a user was looking for bathroom décor inspiration, they might see an ad for beautiful bathroom tiles. The obvious benefit here is that the user has already shown their interested in what they are being advertised and is, therefore, more likely to convert.

Are Pinterest ads right for your business?

If you’re a lifestyle brand looking to get in front of users for brand awareness or sales based on their searches, Pinterest is a must. Especially if you’re in the business of fashion, food and beverage, home décor and furniture. Get inspiration on their Pinterest Predicts: Trends for 2021 board and get in touch with us today to discuss your Pinterest ads campaign.

How to set up Pinterest ads

Pinterest campaigns are created in the Pinterest Business platform. They’re easy to set up, however you’ll need a developer to install a Pinterest pixel on your site to make sure your campaigns are bringing in the desired results.

5. TikTok

Best social media advertising platform for younger audiences

Repeat after me: TikTok is not just for dance routines and funny cat videos. TikTok is one of the newest social media ad platforms available and has taken social media advertising by storm. TikTok has over 3.7m active users in the UK and the average time spent on the app is 41 minutes, plenty of time for users to view and engage with advertising campaigns. The TikTok app has one of the largest young demographics with Gen Zers (born between 1997-2012) making up 60% of their user demographic.

Are TikTok ads right for your business?

TikTok’s unique demographic makes it the ideal place to target a younger audience. Self-described as ‘home to a vibrant and engaged global community’, TikTok is the ideal social media ads platform to get your product discovered. If your target audience is 35+ however, you might want to try another social ad platform instead.

How to set up TikTok ads

TikTok’s self-service platform makes it fast and easy for businesses to create engaging content. Their ads are native-style and show up in your audiences’ ‘For You’ feed, filling the entire screen. The trick is to create content like a user would, so your audiences experience on TikTok appears uninterrupted. Luckily, their ads platform offers a selection of in-app tools to enhance your ads visually, including AR effects, transitions, filters, and text.

6. LinkedIn

Best social media advertising platform for B2B

LinkedIn is a hub of professional data and a LinkedIn campaign is an effective way of promoting your businesses content or driving action. LinkedIn ad types include sponsored content, sponsored InMail, text ads and lead gen forms.

Are LinkedIn ads right for your business?

LinkedIn ads are great for B2B, specifically for:

1. Recruiters
2. Higher education
3. High value B2B products/services

If you’re an e-commerce business or a B2C company, a LinkedIn advertising campaign isn’t the right strategy. There are of course exceptions to this rule, which a social media ad agency can help you identify.

Now that you know more about the best social media advertising platforms to use in 2021, it’s time to start engaging with your audience and skyrocketing engagement. At Upperdog we are experts at social media advertising and have worked with a broad range of clients in different industries to help them achieve results. Whether you are looking to increase sales or get more likes on a Facebook page to grow your audience, we can help you determine the best social media advertising platform to fit your business objectives.

If you are looking for social media advertising support or would like a social media audit, call our friendly team on 01202 798 820 or email us at hello@upperdog.co.uk

Sources:
www.facebook.com
www.statista.com
www.socialfilms.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

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