Aside from managing their brand through official pages and groups on social media networks, businesses also have the option to run targeted advertisements on these websites based on the pay-per-click (PPC) model.
Anyone with a personal account on a social media network such as LinkedIn or Facebook has seen an advertisement while reading their newsfeeds or reviewing someone’s profile. More often than not, these ads are highly targeted to the user’s interests or demographics.
This is because LinkedIn and Facebook have given businesses the opportunity to run PPC ads and create targeted campaigns based on the personal information provided by their users.
Many business owners find themselves wondering if this is a good marketing channel to invest in. As a search marketer leveraging a variety of mediums for her clients, I have managed advertisements on Facebook and LinkedIn and have learned several key points that may help them in deciding.
- Like other display mediums, the image advertisements work best to gain visibility among a relevant audience and increase brand awareness (number of ad impressions tend to be more valuable than clicks).
- Facebook tends to have a larger reach, showing ads in front of millions, while LinkedIn appears in front of hundreds of thousands with similar budgets.
- LinkedIn targeting has a heavier focus on education and work while Facebook focuses on interests.
- Clicks tend to be more expensive on LinkedIn compared to Facebook. A PPC Management Software will provide solutions for getting more clicks.
- Although highly dependent upon the nature of your business, visitors from LinkedIn tend to have higher conversion and website engagement statistics.
Regardless of which medium – if not both mediums – a business chooses to advertise on, it is important to remember that in the ever-changing world of marketing, the ad presence on LinkedIn or Facebook will have the power to affect much more than the company’s social visibility. Increases in direct and branded traffic are often closely correlated to such display and brand awareness advertising.
