Ask Silver Bullet: November 2014

Following the controversial announcement by Instagram towards the end of 2013 that advertising opportunities would become available via the Social Media platform, Cadburys, Channel 4, Estee Lauder, Sony Music, Starbucks and Waitrose will this month become the first organisations to utilise the social media platform in their UK promotions.

Could advertising on social media be a new method in your promotional mix?

In essence, the idea of advertising and corporate messages morally goes against the ideology of social media and everything social networking formerly stood for. However, in 2014 social media is not only a tool available to marketers but for many it is THE marketing tool of choice – and, it’s not just for big brands, with Twitter actively targeting smaller businesses with an “Anyone can advertise on Twitter” campaign.

Social Media is also an extremely powerful marketing tool. When Facebook floated in 2012 it was the ability for commercial gains and potential advertising revenues that led to the high initial share price.

Seen as a relatively cost-effective tool, the beauty of social media advertising is the ability to target the recipient. For a marketer, Facebook is simply a huge database of personal information. There is so much data that the advertiser can use in order to target; gender, age, socio-demographic nature and even their interests or “likes”. You can get directly to your audience. 

And unlike many advertising methods, social media advertising has the potential to be highly accountable. With effective reporting and tracking of adverts, there is the ability to judge your return on investment (ROI).

There is though a balance as new research has indicated that many Facebook users feel advertising is becoming intrusive, a figure as high as 83%. The use of banner and desktop advertising is now seen “less effective” as many will just ignore the advert. Twitter users find adverts less intrusive as they appear on news feeds. However, they largely feel that advertising is against the purpose of the social media platform. 

Adverts must be interesting and creative otherwise the follower will become unengaged and potentially unfollow. Instagram justified allowing advertising by saying adverts would deliver creative and interesting content to followers feeds. Pintrest has also assured  “promoted pins” will be “tasteful in nature”.

Social Media advertising may then be the marketing tool for you. However, to avoid being intrusive and dis-enfranchising the follower, there is a need for content to be inventive, interesting and engaging. Should that content be of relevance and interest then it can be liked, shared, retweeted and your message could be getting to literally thousands of people, globally.

Many organisations don’t see social media advertising as their choice of “selling” tool and utilise the medium to engage with their target audience, increasing the chance of positive brand perception. Heineken has said its use of social media is solely focused on raising awareness and brand building. Irn-Bru has been named the most engaging FMCG brand in a recent survey, where engagement rather than direct sales is the goal. Many brands consequently choose social media to begin teaser-marketing campaigns, where awareness, interest and initial perception are key.

Whether it’s paid for or free, most organisations benefit from a presence on social media. This use of social media has to be managed in order to meet your goals. Who are you trying to speak to? What are you trying to say? And what are you trying to get out of it?

With a sea of Social Media Channels available at a marketer’s disposal, the choice between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, Vine, Pintrest, Tumblr, Fickr, Linkedin, Google+, Youtube, Skype, Vimeo for a start, it can be daunting, all with their benefits and drawbacks…

If you are considering social media advertising? Do you want to know more about advertising? Or do you have another marketing question we can help with? Talk to us. Email your questions anonymously to us today hello@silverbulletmarketing.co.uk  or Tweet us (not so anonymously) @SilverBulletPR  and use the hash tag #AskSB