Social Media Marketing (SMM)

Social media marketing is a method of promoting businesses, products, or services through social media platforms. In order to interact with those who are interested, develop brand awareness, and increase visitors to a webpage or online business, it entails producing and disseminating material, such as blogs, YouTube videos, photographs, and advertisements. In addition, social media marketing entails communicating with followers, answering messages and comments, and evaluating data to gauge the success of initiatives. In order to boost revenue, loyalty to the brand, and customer engagement, the objective is to establish deep connections with current and future clients.

Two Types of Social Media Ads: Paid vs. Organic
In social media marketing, ads can be categorized into two main types: Paid Ads and Organic Ads.

Paid Ads: These are advertisements for which businesses pay to promote their content, products, or services on social media platforms. Paid ads can include various formats like sponsored posts, video ads, carousel ads, and more. They are targeted based on user demographics, interests, and behaviors, allowing businesses to reach a specific audience quickly. Paid ads are designed to drive immediate results, such as increased website traffic, conversions, or brand visibility.

In paid social media marketing, various platforms offer advertising options tailored to different audiences and campaign goals. A handful of the prominent networks for paid advertising are as follows:

Facebook:

Ad Types: Sponsored Posts, Carousel Ads, Video Ads, Lead Generation Ads, Messenger Ads.

Best For: Broad audience targeting, brand awareness, lead generation, and driving website traffic.

Instagram:

Ad Types: Sponsored Posts, Stories Ads, Carousel Ads, Shopping Ads, Reels Ads.

Best For: E-commerce, attracting younger customers, and aesthetic and lifestyle brands.

Twitter:

Ad Types: Promoted Accounts, Promoted Trends, Promoted Tweets.

Best For: Promoting conversations about events or subjects, promoting awareness of the brand, and encouraging real-time interaction.

YouTube:

Ad Types: TrueView Ads, Bumper Ads, In-stream Ads, Discovery Ads.

Best For: Video content promotion, brand awareness, and reaching a broad audience.

Pinterest:

Ad Types: Promoted Pins, Shopping Ads, Carousel Ads, Video Ads.

Best For: Visual brands, e-commerce, lifestyle, and fashion-related content.

Snapchat:

Ad Types: Snap Ads, Story Ads, Collection Ads, Filters, and Lenses.

Best For: Reaching younger demographics, especially Gen Z, with engaging and interactive content.

Organic Ads: Refer to content that is shared on social media platforms without any paid promotion. These are not boosted or sponsored but rely on natural engagement from followers and their networks. The goal of organic ads is to build relationships, foster community, and drive engagement through high-quality, relevant content. Here are a few examples:

Instagram Post:

Example: A coffee shop shares a photo of a new seasonal drink with a captivating caption and hashtags like #FallFlavors and #LocalCoffee. Followers who see the post might like it, comment about their favorite coffee, or share it with friends. As engagement grows, the post can appear in more feeds, including those of people who follow friends or hashtags related to coffee.

Instagram Stories:

Example: A fitness brand posts a series of Stories showing a daily workout routine. They use interactive features like polls and questions to engage viewers, asking which exercises they prefer or if they have any fitness goals. Followers interact by participating in the polls or asking questions, which increases the visibility of the Stories through Instagram’s algorithm.

Facebook Post:

Example: A local artist posts a photo of their latest painting along with a personal story about the inspiration behind the artwork. Followers who appreciate the art might comment, share the post, or tag friends who might be interested. This organic engagement helps the post reach a broader audience through their friends’ networks.

Twitter Tweet:

Example: A tech company tweets about a recent product update with a link to a blog post. They include relevant hashtags and ask their followers for feedback or questions about the new feature. Engaged followers might retweet, reply, or like the tweet, expanding its reach organically.

LinkedIn Article:

Example: A business consultant writes a detailed LinkedIn article on industry trends and best practices. The article is shared with their connections and is likely to be liked and commented on by other professionals in the field. This engagement helps the article gain more visibility and credibility in the industry.

In each case, the effectiveness of organic ads relies on creating compelling content that resonates with the audience and encourages interaction, leading to increased visibility and reach through natural social media channels.