In the ever-widening world of ads, I’m sure you’ve already seen how many different types of ads can be produced. It can get incredibly overwhelming, especially when you think you have to do all of it to be successful with social media.
Here’s the good news: you don’t need to do it all! But I want to outline the options for you (and the best ways to use each of them) so you know what they are and can make an informed decision about what kinds of ads will work best for you and your business.
An image ad is a single image with a short caption and a call to action button. They are ideal if you’re wanting to drive traffic to your website, because you can pair specific images to specific pages. These types of ads are generally very easy to make, and they perform well on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Generally with these types of ads, you want to have little to no text on the image itself. Facebook highly favors ads that have images that contain less than 20% text. Why? Because an eye-grabbing image is usually enough to encourage a click to where you want it to go.
A video ad is a short video clip with a call to action. They are ideal if you want to generate awareness for your brand or create an emotional connection with your target audience, because it allows you to share a lot more content in a short period of time. Video, when done right, do a great job at planting emotional seeds in your audience, priming them to click on future ads they see from you. Also keep in mind that most people watch videos on mute or silent, so make sure your story can be told with or without sound.
A carousel ad allows you to feature up to 10 images or videos in a single post, each with its own individual call to action button. You can use it to tell a story in sequential order, or you can use it to simply promote multiple products. Facebook actually has a feature where it will change the order of the carousel depending on which slides perform the best – how cool is that?! (Obviously turn that feature off if you want to tell a sequential story with your ad). Carousel ads are great because they allow your audience to have an interactive experience with your brand. The more they interact, the more they like you, and the more likely they are to buy!
A story ad appears in between a user’s Instagram or Facebook stories. When a user is watching stories, your ad will be interspersed between other story content, making it a great way to increase awareness and engagement. They are limited in duration (each story slide is typically 15 seconds) so they work best when they are highly engaging and as interactive as possible. Story ads can include photos, videos, or a combination of both, as well as interactive features like polls, quizzes, and swipe-up links. These work really well for short term promotions you want to get a lot of eyeballs on.
A boosted post is when you take something you’ve already posted and pay to have it shown to an audience of your choosing. They are great for getting your posts and page in front of more people, but they’re not necessarily as effective for sales conversions. When figuring out if you want to boost a post, always choose the posts that have the most amount of reach already. This will help you maximize the money you’re going to spend on ads and boosting. The biggest difference between a boosted post and an official ad is that boosted posts are great for increasing organic growth and awareness, whereas more traditional social media ads are great for increasing clicks, traffic, and sales.
At the end of the day, the types of ads you choose to use for your marketing strategy will depend on your business goals at any given time. As your goals change, so should your strategy and your plan. Each type of ad has a place and can accomplish a lot, but they can also fall flat if used in the wrong capacity. Hopefully this simple breakdown helps you decide when to use what type of ad.
And one last quick tip for you: you don’t have to, and shouldn’t, choose just one type. At some point in your marketing plan, you should use them all!
Lorem ipsum dolor amet mumblecore stumptown meggings, poutine quinoa brunch waistcoat fashion axe paleo williamsburg.
With over 15 years of experience, I've worked with countless small businesses just like yours. I can provide you with the tools and resources that will help make marketing less overwhelming.