How To Produce a Social Ad That Doesn’t Suck
ADOTAS EXCLUSIVE — Over the past 10 years, the shift from traditional advertising channels to online has become increasingly apparent. While the inherent ability to track the performance of a campaign was what first attracted sponsors to online ads, the online market has consistently proven itself as the no. 1 place teens and twenty-somethings “hang out.” While many advertisers turn to social networks to reach this demographic, they fail to find ways to engage with the users of these sites, and their campaigns fall flat. This demographic of internet power-users are professionals in ad avoidance, and the only way to reach them is to think creatively about the presentation of your offering. Think beyond the click-through and the CPM to more creative campaigns that will evolve into dynamic, viral marketing sensations. Here are a few tips to get you started:1) Integrate your ad in a way that enhances (instead of detracts from) the user’s experience.
All social ads aren’t created equal. Depending upon your objective, a banner or display ad will reach thousands, if not millions of people. Think of these types of social ads as a subway ad — lots of eyes, potentially little action. You may not be able to obtain click-throughs as effectively as with traditional web sites.
The 18-to-24-year-olds interacting on social networking sites grew up on the internet, and in many cases consider it one of their primary ways of socializing. Many are more likely to interact with advertisements if they are presented as content relevant contests, games, “Fan Pages” (endorsing brands to online friends) or applications — all of these have a built-in socialization component.
If you’re buying ads on a niche social media site, it’s slightly easier to target users with an offering such as a giveaway, after careful consideration of the audience’s pain points. For example, if you were working with an education site, you’d want to make your campaign align with the site’s goal: to help students out in school. Most of the users are likely networking in this venue for a reason.
Contrasted with previous generations, who have been influenced by magazine and TV advertisements, this generation reads most of its content (whether it’s news or entertainment) on the web. They’ve progressed from e-mail, to IM, to MySpace, Facebook and other niche social networks. If you want to engage this demographic, think critically about how you would like to be approached in a social setting. A stranger would never walk up to you and just offer a business card without at least an introduction. In the same way, social advertising should be humorous, entertaining or generally useful to the consumer.
2) Don’t fear controversy.
Social networks are notorious — and appealing to users — for their allowance of open dialogue. While some brands shy away from being associated with risqué or contested concepts, some embrace the challenge by actually reading and paying attention to what the users of social networking sites are talking about. Never before have we, as marketers, been so capable of having our finger on the social pulse of teens and twenty-somethings.
Whether you’re serving up contextual ads based on the content being discussed within social networking sites, or targeting an offering to an audience of enthusiasts, being able to know and respond to what this demographic is interested in is an invaluable tool. For example, some social networking sites’ ads allow buyers to target specific sub-demographics within the network (e.g. a movie production company releasing a baseball film can target baseball enthusiasts).
Another pro: wherever controversy or debate goes – attention follows. Attention to a topic equals additional eyes on your advertisement. Social network users like the organic nature of conversations and debate that spring up online. The moment an outside force begins to exude control over the content in a social networking site is the moment its users lose interest. There are ways marketers and advertisers can still softly influence content, but this is a risky balancing act that can either pay off handsomely or implode leaving alienated users in its wake.
3) Jive with partners.
When you partner with a social networking site, consider a few different options. Either find a niche site that works for you based on the goals of your campaign, or partner with a social network that can work with you to build a campaign and optimize your success.
A social network’s ad team should be able to show you exactly how a campaign will be fleshed out, and will be able to advise which types of campaigns work best on their sties. They know their members better than anyone else and can recommend strategies based on best practices and user habits.
If you do choose a niche site for a specific offering (e.g. the promotion of running shoes on an athlete social network) you can customize your offering even further by studying the behaviors of people on the site. The site’s staff can help you tailor your ad to the audience, by helping you understand what users are most likely to click on, based on their interests. For example, sponsoring a road race, or using animation and dynamic images with your banner ad may pique the interests of a more athletic crowd.
As of now, it’s too early to say what the magic bullet is when it comes to executing a successful advertising campaign on a social networking site. Those who have enjoyed early success have paid attention to how their audiences are interacting on the site before joining the conversation with an ad. Remember the demographic you’re dealing with: they’re spontaneous, they’re fun, and they’re definitely thinking outside the banner.
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