Gaining reach online can be a tricky process as you’re just starting out. It’s frustrating to understand the full potential of social media and not know exactly how to reach such a vast audience.

There are a lot of different ways to improve your business through social media, and exposure is the common thread through every method. We’re going to explore one of the most effective methods of getting where you need to go; paid social media content.

Hopefully, we can clear some things up for you and express just how valuable paid content and ads can be.

Let’s get started:

The Value of Paid Social Media

Before we dig into the value of paying for social media, let’s take a look at the situation when you don’t pay.

It might seem like a shortcut to pay for social media, or that you shouldn’t need to pitch any money in if you were doing things right. This is absolutely a myth.

We have to understand just how difficult it is to get exposure on our own. Most businesses set up a social account, gain a following of friends and family, and gradually expand as their business grows. In this equation, social media impact follows your brick-and-mortar business’ success.

Whenever you post, your friends and family might share or comment on your content, but their friends and followers might not be interested in your product. Additionally, initial interest will wane after your aunt shares your business information to her friends the sixth time.

Beyond shares, though, there aren’t too many avenues toward success in social media. Maybe you get a plug from a popular business or professional that gives you some results, but it’s tough to bank on that happening.

In the absence of some extremely fortunate act, the best way to expand on social media is through paid ads and sponsored content.

What Paying Gives You

How good could it be? Well, it can be extremely effective if you know how to use it.

Paid ads give you the opportunity to reach a highly-specific audience on almost any platform. If you know who you’re trying to reach, odds are that you can reach a large group of people who tick all of your demographic boxes.

Not only that, but you can reach people who are actually interested in what you have to offer. The main issue with traditional advertising is that almost nobody wants to be interrupted by ads that they have no interest in engaging with. Advertisements have always been disruptions, punctuated by the occasional ad that makes us giggle or actually want a product.

Social media ads are a little smoother than that. You might have noticed sponsored posts or ads as you scroll through your Instagram or Facebook feed. In many cases, the advertisements are so on par with the normal content you see that you don’t even notice them.

Sites are getting more sophisticated in the way they place advertisements. Most importantly, they show ads to individuals who are actually interested in what the ads are promoting.

That’s good news for you. That means that your product can be displayed to thousands and thousands of people who might actually want it. That’s a lot better than just throwing a thousand hail mary’s and seeing what happens.

Affordability

The next thing you might be concerned about is the cost.

Paying for social media or ad space seems like it’s going to be pretty expensive. Fortunately, there is literally an effective option for businesses on any budget.

Paid social media can be as intense or as relaxed as you want it to be. You could pay a professional to handle your social media outreach and advertising, or you could take it all on yourself. Fortunately, you’ll be able to reach thousands of new followers either way.

It’s clear that working with a professional will yield the most results. These are people who understand the algorithms, keyword research, branding, and content trends.

On the other hand, you can create advertisements that will bring you exposure on your own. It’s often the case that you’ll share a piece of your already-created content. Maybe you have a sale going on, or you have a post that really expresses what your brand is.

You can inject $10 into sponsoring that post and see all of the metrics of how much engagement it got. You’d be surprised to find that such a small investment can put you in touch with hundreds of people.

Additionally, the cost stays as low as you want it to. If your budget is $75, the ad will stop running when you’ve got $75 worth of engagements.

You’re only charged when you experience a unit of success with the ad. For example, you might be looking for likes on a photo. You could display the photo to 10,000 people and not be charged because nobody liked it.

Your account is charged incrementally as more and more people like your content.

Snowballing Followers

A side effect of generating interest on social media is that each time you increase your follower count, all of your other digital marketing metrics improve.

Social media isn’t a factor when it comes to ranking on Google, but a smooth transition from your social to your website can draw users to make purchases, engage with your site, and spread their love around your digital presence.

It’s important to make sure that your users can easily find your social media account and follow that back to your website. Additionally, make sure that your website is fully-functioning and intuitive to use.

This will boost sales, and the more people that come to your site and engage with it, the more Google will value you in its rankings. That process will repeat itself and one hand should feed the other, leading to exponential growth in your digital presence.

Trying to Improve Your Digital Game?

It can be tough to find ways to succeed online. Paid social media is just one of the many hacks that can get you where you want to be.

We’re here to help. Explore our site for more digital marketing insights that can help boost your bottom line,