11 Essential Social Media Advertising Best Practices to Drive Results

Do you know that 74% of the population is engaged in using social media when buying? Social media is a considerable force that can drive buyers to select your goods or services. However, simply posting isn’t enough—you need to strategically run social media ads to reach new leads, engage your target audience, and help potential customers discover your business. Here are nine best practices that can assist you in producing high-performing social media ads.

1. Determine your target audience

Knowing your audience well is the first step. Who are they, and what defines them. Here are some key demographic factors to consider:

• Age range

• Gender

• Marital/family status

• Occupation

• Hobbies/interests

• Income

Just as you would with a customer persona, once you have this information, you use it to inform your ad parameters and copy, to target individuals who are most likely to be receptive to your brand.

2. Set goals for your social media Ads

Clear, measurable goals are vital to running a successful campaign. Make sure social media advertising goals are in line with the overall goals of your business, perhaps an increase in sales, new customer acquisition, or traffic to your website, etc. For instance, if your business objective is to increase revenue, your social media goal may focus on driving conversions through compelling ad copy. By setting specific goals, you can accurately monitor and evaluate your ad’s performance. Also, social media scheduling software can help track the timing of these ads to ensure they align with your campaign goals.

3. Set your brand tone and voice

Standardization of brand tone and message in all marketing materials produces trustworthiness and brand recognition. Decide on a tone that aligns with your business—lighthearted and conversational, or formal and professional. The style of your chosen voice should be seen all over in every element of the ad, including photography, copy, etc. This consistency reinforces your brand identity, making it easy for users to connect with your brand on a personal level.

4. Use high-quality visuals

Visuals are crucial for attracting attention on social media. Images or videos are of high quality which endorse your brand image and make your publication attractive. By the same token, however, low-quality graphics can tear the audience’s confidence in your brand’s trustworthiness. The images and videos you employ in your advertisement are on a topic concerning the message of your advertisement. For example, if you’re promoting a line of jackets, use images that showcase your jackets, not unrelated products. Testing various visual types is also a valuable tool to understand what resonates best with your audience.

5. Choose the right platforms

Choosing an appropriate social media platform is an essential factor for optimizing ad performance. Your target audience research will guide this decision—focus on the platforms where your audience is most active. For example, Instagram and TikTok may be ideal for younger audiences, while Facebook and LinkedIn could work better for older demographics or B2B interactions. For a good return on investment (ROI), it is necessary to invest in the appropriate platforms. You can also follow platform-wise best practices, let’s say Instagram best practices for ad placement to maximize engagement.

6. Create a relevant landing page

An ad’s success doesn’t end with a click. Once a potential customer interacts with your ad, he/she needs to be directed to a well-planned landing page that fulfills what is promised in the ad. If your ad promotes jackets, your landing page should focus solely on those jackets, including product details, prices, and any applicable return policies. This clear and relevant pathway helps maintain user interest and encourages conversions.

7. Use the Right Call to Action (CTA)

Compelling a call to action (CTA) is a crucial thing to lead possible customers to the next stage. Choose a CTA that aligns with your ad’s purpose—options like “Book Now” or “Get Offer” can work better for driving purchases than a generic “Sign Up. By selecting the right CTA, you can seamlessly guide your audience to take action.

8. Test your Ads

Testing (i.e., A/B testing) is a good means to determine the best ad elements. Experiment with different ad elements—copy, visuals, CTAs, and more—one at a time to understand what drives the best results. Testing your ads allows you to optimize them for higher engagement and conversion rates, making it a powerful strategy for refining your social media advertising approach.

9. Monitor your Ad’s performance

Continuous monitoring is essential for maximizing your ad’s ROI. Each platform also provides KPIs for monitoring your ad performance, e.g., views, clicks, and conversions. Don’t rely on a single metric alone. For instance, if your ad has a high click rate but low conversions, this could indicate an issue with your landing page rather than the ad itself. Periodically measuring several metrics, along with which metrics are important, gives you a holistic picture of your advertisements’ performance, so that you can adapt accordingly.

10. Creating effective social media content: Key elements

Effective ads are only part of the puzzle—you also need strong organic content to keep your audience engaged. All post elements have a purpose and help the post to thrive. This is an overview of the key components of a social media posting:

1. Captions and headlines

Your caption should succinctly describe the visual content or grab attention with a statement or question. Data shows that concise captions (around 150 characters) yield better engagement.

2. Emojis

Used sparingly, emojis can add personality and visual appeal, helping your post stand out. Use emojis that support your message, like a checkmark for approval or a star for emphasis.

3. Calls to Action

Every post should include a call to action, whether it’s asking for a comment, sharing a link, or requesting users to follow your profile.

4. Mentions

Tagging other accounts can expand your reach and foster engagement by encouraging the tagged accounts to share your post.

5. Hashtags

Hashtags make your posts discoverable and help connect them to trending topics. Use a mix of branded, niche, and trending hashtags to reach a broader audience.

6. Visuals

Include high-quality images, GIFs, or videos tailored to your audience’s preferences. Visual content consistently performs better than text-only posts.

11. Repurpose and curate content for greater engagement

Generating fresh content is challenging, but you don’t always need to create from scratch. Repurposing existing content or curating high-quality third-party posts can add value to your social media feed. 

– External content: Sharing posts from industry leaders helps establish your brand’s credibility and fills gaps in your content calendar.

– Internal content: Break down longer content pieces, like blog posts or presentations, into bite-sized social media posts. Repurposing allows you to maximize existing content’s impact while keeping your feed active and engaging.

Final Thoughts

Social media advertising can be a powerful tool for driving growth, but a successful campaign requires a thoughtful approach. By implementing these best practices-identifying the appropriate target audience, selecting the appropriate platforms, defining clear objectives, delivering a consistent brand voice, employing well-quality images, strategically designing landing pages, choosing appropriate calls to action, testing ads, and measuring results will be highly positioned to produce significant results. Pairing your ads with engaging organic content can help establish your brand as a trusted voice in your industry, turning social media followers into loyal customers.