Learn how to make your social media ad campaigns stop the scroll with these insights from BrightonSEO’s Paid Social Show…

As we rolled back into the office from BrightonSEO’s Paid Social Show, our minds were full to the brim with fresh ideas and tantalising “aha!” moments. We’re itching to share the social media ad campaign strategies filling up our brains. You know, the kind of stuff that makes you wonder, “Why didn’t I try this before?”

We had the honour of soaking up wisdom from over 10 killer presentations – including one from our very own James, spilling the tea on nailing political and social issue ads on Meta.

Here’s a few of the juiciest tidbits that we’ve rounded up for you:

• Embrace novel forms of advertising, whether it’s through the Metaverse or an entirely new social platform that caters to your niche – diversify!
• Organic-looking ads? They’re the scroll-stoppers of the ad world.
• Brand build: sure, not everyone’s in the market for your goods right now, but don’t miss the chance to build those long-lasting connections. 
• Privacy-proof your campaigns and lock down that Meta Business Manager.

Without further ado, let’s delve into these click-worthy social media ad strategies…

Diversify Your Paid Social Platforms – Cat Cumming

When it comes to social media ad campaigns, sometimes it feels like we’re swimming in a sea of noise, amirite? But here’s Cat’s trick – diversify your platforms!

As a Paid Social Officer at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Cat’s got the scoop on how spreading your content across a bunch of platforms keeps things fresh and avoids that pesky oversaturation. Extra bonus: you’ll discover sooo much about your audience’s preferences and habits.

Cat suggests jumping on the user-generated content train and crafting challenges on platforms like TikTok. And if you’re working with charities (like us, high-five 🙌), this tip is worth its weight in gold.

Don’t forget to explore shiny new platforms to advertise on like Good-Loop, WeAre8 and NextDoor. Good-Loop hooks up charities with donations if your video isn’t skipped, while WeAre8 tosses micropayments to your audience for answering Q’s after watching vids.

A word of caution: don’t spread yourself too thin like butter on toast. If you’re watching those pennies, prioritise testing copy and getting creative with visuals, rather than leaping onto every new platform that pops up.

Privacy-Proofing Your Social Media Ad Campaigns for a Post-iOS, Post-cookies World – Amy Stamper

Amy Stamper, Head of Paid Social at Impression, shared the lowdown on how to keep your paid social ads safe from data loss after iOS14. With privacy concerns at an all-time high, regulations like GDPR have swooped in and users can now decide if their data is fair game for ad campaigns. Advertisers, it’s time to adapt and shift towards consent-driven marketing!

At BrightonSEO, Amy suggested targeting users at the top of the funnel (the awareness stage) to sidestep privacy issues and build brand awareness. Don’t just zero in on users at the bottom – cast a wider net to reach people who might not need your product now, but could in the future.

How to Nail Political and Social Issue Ads on Meta – James Armstrong

Social media advertising is our go-to for uniting communities and shining a spotlight on vital social and political causes. But, let’s face it, navigating the minefield of restrictions on Meta-owned platforms like Facebook and Instagram can be a headache.

James dished out his insider knowledge on how to tackle political and social issues advertising in the fickle world of Meta. He whisked us through the approval process, complete with cautionary tales and the dos on crafting attention-grabbing content that won’t get slapped with a rejection.

If you’re eager to get verified and become a mastermind in running successful political and social issue campaigns on Meta, then hit the download button below for the slides…

Set yourself up for Q4 success now – Abi Carey, Overdrive Digital

Leading Overdrive Digital’s Paid Social team, Abi Carey shared her insights on gearing up for Q4 success at BrightonSEO.

To outsmart hackers, Abi emphasised how vital Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) is for all accounts linked to your business manager. Meta’s policy puts you in charge of your account security and refuses to refund if breaches occur. Not using 2FA is a costly mistake!

Another great tip from Abi is to test ads that strongly influence your audiences decision-making, with your creative being the ideal place for experimentation. Instead of your more traditional A/B testing – which can eat up your ad spend, try dynamic creative testing, a potentially more budget-effective option.

Boost your YouTube Channel with Social Media Ad Campaigns – Filip Janczak

If you’re wanting to amp up a YouTube channel with social ads, e-commerce ace Filip Janczak offers some excellent advice on making it happen. And it’s not just about whipping up great social ads – you need a game plan for your organic growth to go along with it.

Before diving into ads, give your YouTube channel a spruce-up. Forget strict brand guidelines and use organic-looking thumbnails that’ll make viewers click. Ensure you keep your content engaging by mixing evergreen and trending topics.

Filip’s top tip: find audience overlaps. If 72% of Facebook users also hang out on YouTube, that’s a prime spot for promoting your content. Then, test different creative ad types, making sure you’re still churning out videos to maintain momentum.

 Advertising in the Metaverse – Azahara Corrales

Azahara Corrales, Senior Paid Media Manager at Education Cubed, explained how to make your mark in the Metaverse and use augmented reality to capture audiences. The stats are in and we’re buzzed: virtual and augmented reality is predicted to give the global economy a £1.4 trillion boost by 2030!

Another great stat, courtesy of Azahara, incorporating AR effects in Facebook and Instagram ads you can improve campaign performance with 70% better memory recall at a low cost per impression! And if you’re musing on the possibilities of advertising in the Metaverse – focus on native content that doesn’t disrupt the user experience, much like when Coke subtly places cans in your favourite Netflix show to pique your thirst for a sip.

Ad Account Auditing – Setting your Ad Account up to Succeed – John Clarke

John Clarke, from Genie Goals, sent us away from BrightonSEO with the lowdown on setting up your Meta advertising account for success.

First off: make sure you don’t skimp on ad quality! Low-quality ads result in higher CPMs (cost per thousand impressions) and tarnish your account’s credibility, even if you produce better ads later on.

One size doesn’t fit all when it comes to platforms. Tailor your social media ads to each format, for instance: what works as a Facebook single image ad might flop as an Instagram story.

Create Impactful Meta Campaigns with Less Data – Veronika Höller

Data limitations on Meta ads can be a headache, but Veronika Höller provides a practical approach to ease your pain. We all want campaigns that achieve results without breaking the bank!

Veronika stresses the importance of minimising overlap between target groups or campaigns, ensuring you make the most of every pound spent. For those of you that don’t know – overlap occurs when one of your audiences also exists in a different ad, meaning you end up paying to market to the same people. 

The Possibilities of the Meta Pixel for Social Media Ad Campaigns – Kayley Dempsey

Kayley Dempsey, from Reason Digital, explained how to optimise campaigns through blending insights from the pixel with behavioural economics. 

This is a genius tip from Kayley: capitalise on life’s big moments when targeting audiences… These are the times when buying habits change the most. For example, new homeowners, eager to fix up their gardens, might be prime targets for bird food ads. 

Additionally, Kayley recommends using a single pixel for multiple sites sharing the same audience, noting that pixels can’t be deleted once created. For deeper insights and more reliable data, she recommends implementing the conversions API (a tool to track user events and actions on a website) and including UTM parameters (short text codes that you add to links to help you track performance).

Maximising Paid Social Impact through Brand Building – Ben Ross

Ben Ross from Impression reveals how focusing on brand building, rather than just sales is a fail-proof method for running social media ad campaigns.

During a recession, consumers spend less, so capturing their attention is crucial. According to Ben, optimising campaigns for ad recall is key. He suggests creating consistent, brand-focused copy, knowing your audience and continually testing to produce captivating ads.

Why Your Meta Ads Aren’t Working (And What the Hell to Do About It) – Fiona Bradley

Ever felt that Meta ads don’t work for your business? Fiona Bradley from FB Comms busted the myth that ads aren’t for everyone at BrightonSEO.

One common slip-up made in campaigns is over-branding. Go for organic-looking posts that fit the platform. This can be done easily if you’re collaborating with influencers by running the ads through their page.

A lot of people are guilty of boosting posts and Instagram makes this a temptation hard to pass up (especially with the glaring “boost” button under every post). This screams amateur to Meta and will make you keep paying just to push your posts to your followers! It also hampers long-term organic success. Fiona’s fix? Use Meta Business Manager to avoid boosted posts backfiring on you.

LinkedIn Set Up for Success – Poppy Court, Paid Media Manager, StrategiQ

LinkedIn ads can be expensive and complex, with leads costing anywhere between £1 to £50, but Poppy Court from StrategiQ offered a toolbox of tricks to simplify the chaos!

To gather insights on your audience behaviour,  try LinkedIn polls, set up Google alerts and keep tuned in with Google Analytics. Don’t forget to monitor your competitors too.

That’s a wrap…

We hope you enjoyed these paid social strategies as much as we did. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the endless options of platforms and constant algorithm changes. You can catch the replays of all the speakers here.

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