Week 13 Part A: Advertising Part One

The most engaging ads that I see on Social Media right now are the ones using video.  It's difficult to get people's attention on Social Media to buy your products, mostly because people on Social Media are there to socialize, not shop.  So, to get a potential custumer's attention without looking like you're selling is an artform and can be quite tricky, but can be a very lucrative market.  More than ever, compelling video content is dominating in the advertising world on Social Media.

Great vidoes that are funny and visually appealing are an absolute if you are to capture the interest of people who have the attention span of a flea.  Company ads need to be engaging and personable.  It requires great graphics, good lighting, great visual story telling, and compelling video.  You want to connect with a consumers need for your product.  And you have to capture their attention immediatly or they will scroll right past you and move on to the next thing.

For me, the ads I get on my Facebook are quite good.  They are definitely directed at me.  I actually love seeing them!  They are funny, interesting and the best ones are mostly in video format.  I just saw one for a laundry soap that held my attention all the way to their "Call to action" point.  Facebook book is very effective with the algorythms they use for advertising.  In fact, I would say advertising on Social Media is more effective than it ever was on TV or radio, because Facebook knows what I've looked at, knows my interests and so does Google, and Instagram and Twitter.  I find myself looking at something once, maybe just thinking about it and 2 days later, it's in my newfeed or on the side of newsfeed and toys with my sensibility.  Social Media has nailed down who to advertise to and when.  

Organic reach is still possible, but becomming more difficult with all the competition paying for advertising space on these platforms.  So, to stay competitive, it's imperative to produce sharp images, great videos and compelling copy.  Engagement and knowing who your target market are probably the most important pieces to this puzzle, but you may have to shell out a few bucks to post your ads to reach a broader audience, but it could be worth it!  A strong call to action is important too, but make sure it's not a long sales funnel that just draws your customer to another page, with no answers to what you were "promising" and then a legnthy sales pitch that just annoys your potential customer.  Give them what they want.  Don't sell to them, think like a consumer; how can you make it easier for your consumer to want and purchase what you have to sell?  

There's no way to compare advertising 10-20 years ago to today.  It's ever changing on Social Media.  In fact, the algorythms that FB used a coupld of years ago is different than what they use today.  Years ago, we didn't have the option to fast forward through commercials and when we did, we did.  TV ads are still very effective, but they have changed from informative to funny or emotionally evoking.  Social Media has a split second to get your attention, but it can be more targeted to the right people than ever before and that's exciting!  Good print and TV ads today are well done visually and are seen regually, but I feel like Social Media ads not only have a bigger audience, but the right audience.  To me, there's no comparison for which one is more effective, it's all about Social Media now.  Everyone is shopping online now and even more so on their phones, so that's where your target market is.  That is where you need to advertise if you want people to know about yourproduct.  The good news is, it's a fraction of the cost of what TV and print ads are and you can really dial in your target market on these platforms if you're willing to put in some effort towards producing great ads and video content.