So, your business is on social media, you've carved out a nice following for yourself, and you've got a pretty good grasp on organic reach. We bet you're feeling pretty good about it. But you know you can be doing more, right?

With so many people and organizations vying for attention and visibility online, it can be a struggle to get noticed by the right decision makers, especially those that will garner quality leads. What's a marketer to do? Maybe it's time to try social media advertising.

Is now the right time for my business to advertise on social media?

A lot of B2B companies are unsure whether they should advertise on social media, but with the advertising side of social media growing and others in your field likely putting money behind their content, it's recommended that you start allocating budget and time to this endeavor so your business can stay competitive.

Here are a few stats to consider:

  • On average, 40% of B2B buyers use social media to help inform their purchasing decisions.
In 2023, social media was the most effective B2B channel for driving revenue.

Start with research

Social media advertising starts just like any other project: with research.

Alongside looking into each social media platform's advertising options, you're going to want to determine where your target audience is most active. If your business has been around for a while and is already active on social media, you’ll have a good amount of data to leverage.

Look at engagement metrics to identify where your target audience is, how they’re engaging with content, and how it all fits into your sales funnel.

Figure out your objective

Before you start promoting posts, have an objective for your advertising dollars. What do you want to achieve? Do you want to generate leads? Drive traffic to a specific page on your website? Or maybe you just want to gain more followers.

Once you determine your objective, think about the content you’ll need to hit your targets. Looking at some of your previous posts and seeing what has resonated most with your followers will give you a good idea as to what type of content your audience not only appreciates but is willing to share on their own social media.

If you don’t want to create new content, a smart way to start social media advertising is to take an existing post that has done well and promote it. You know it's an effective post, so why not use it again but with some advertising dollars behind it?

LinkedIn delivers the best value for B2B marketers.

Choose your platform

Choosing the right platforms comes down to where your target audience is. If most of your audience is on LinkedIn, start advertising there.

If you find that your audience is spread out evenly among several platforms, test each one to see which one will give you the most bang for your buck. It’s also worth thinking about what’s happening in the industry. For example, it was recently found that LinkedIn delivers the best value for B2B marketers when it comes to organic content.

Most social media platforms will have options to help you set your campaign budget and parse out how much you're willing to spend daily. It's great to be competitive, but not when it means you've spent your entire budget in a matter of hours rather than the month you had initially planned for.

Once you have a good idea on how each platform works, you can allocate how much you would like to spend in one day. You'll need to decide how much you are willing to spend to be competitive while managing your allotted budget.

Know that it’s a constant work in progress

Your social media advertising is not a set-it-and-forget-it type scenario. You'll need to monitor it regularly, keep up to date with your data, and adjust your daily budgets as you see fit.

Also, know that social media advertising does not replace your regular social media posting. Promoted social media posts should fit nicely with your content calendar and add to it, not replace it. Your promoted posts are going to help you increase your company's visibility so you're going to want to ensure your content is not only engaging but delivers on the promise of your promoted post.

Want to get your paid social media strategy off the ground?

Speak to our team of experts.