For the last few years, we have seen a huge uptake in the growth of advertisers using social media platforms as key pillars in their advertising strategies, with Facebook being the dominant platform in the field. We want to broaden our approach and reach new untapped audiences in fun and innovative ways by expanding into new platforms that we believe should be included in your paid social strategy.
It goes without saying that not every platform will be suitable for every client or product, so there are 3 key things that you need to ask yourself when you are looking at testing new platforms:
- Who is your current audience or who are you looking to reach? And how does this compare with the demographic on each platform?
- Do the products offered by the platform complement what you are trying to advertise?
- Do you have the capacity to test the platform effectively? For example, will your existing creative work or will you need to look at developing platform-specific assets?
With those in mind, we have highlighted three platforms that you should seriously consider including in your paid social strategy.
1. TikTok
It goes without saying that TikTok has boomed in popularity over the past year and has uniquely positioned itself as a content creation platform, empowering its creators with technology to produce their most innovative content. By the end of 2020 TikTok had reached 2 billion downloads and boasts an impressive 689 million active monthly users worldwide.
One of the key considerations with running a successful ad campaign on TikTok is the creative. I cannot stress this enough: the creative is the most important element to get right with TikTok activity. This needs to look native to the platform and complement the current trends that are on the platform at that moment in time. If they don’t, you will stick out like a sore thumb.
TikTok has a few different placements you can utilize that are a combination of managed services and self-serve auction types, and with a few Alphas and Betas in the pipeline, there is lots to get excited about.
Key things to consider when running activity on TikTok:
- Shoot your ads natively for TikTok: Ads that are shot vertically have a 25% increase of 6 second view-through rate.
- Include a strong call-to-action or offer: Keep the call-to-action short and snappy by using personal and direct language.
- Let TikTok creators take the lead: Allow TikTok creators creative freedom on the ad; they know the platform best.
2. Snapchat
Snap is at its heart a camera company that changed the way people communicate with each other. Almost 10 years after launch, it is still at the forefront of some of the most fun and innovative advertising products that connect and bring people together. With AR and lenses being two of its key advertising products, it opens up the opportunity for brands to be playful and have fun when interacting with people.
In the US, Snap reaches around 75% of Gen Z and Millenials, and in the UK around 70%. Whilst perceived to have a younger demographic, Snap offers an opportunity for advertisers to talk to a potentially new customer base and introduce their brand in a way that is fitting for this platform.
With products like DPA, Shoppable AR, and Collection ads, Snap has made bold strides in its play into the e-commerce space. Especially during COVID times, it has opened up creative new ways for companies to engage with their audience, with Brands like Gucci and Farfetch leaning in and seeing great results.
Key things to consider when running activity on Snap:
- Ensure that your creatives use sound and show all of the essential elements within the first 1-2 seconds.
- Keep trying new formats and let your creativity lead.
Source: Snapchat (https://forbusiness.snapchat.com/inspiration/gucci-ar-tryon , https://lens.snapchat.com/d4b06ac9f35546d9808fb1ac65b6e93e)
3. Reddit
Okay, this might seem like a rogue choice, but Reddit ranks amongst the top 20 most popular sites on the internet and with a largely unduplicated audience from other platforms, it presents a unique opportunity for advertisers. When you combine this with the fact that generally people go to reddit with a purpose and intent rather than endlessly scrolling through a feed it means that the audience is already invested in the content and is engaged.
Targeting specific subreddits will not give you the most scale, and you will need to do your research ahead of time, but it will give you a better chance to succeed and understand whether Reddit works for your brand or product. You then have the option to expand out your activity with more broader audience targeting options.
Source: Reddit (https://www.redditinc.com/advertising/audience)
Key things to consider when running activity on Reddit:
- Identify Subreddits that are likely to help build genuine connections between your target audience and your brand.
- Ensure your brand/product fits in with topics that your target audience is most interested in and how this can be used to tailor and personalize your content.
- Show your knowledge of Reddit in how you talk to the audience that you are targeting.
Final thoughts
Whilst Facebook is going to remain a significant part of most marketers’ media mix there are some amazing opportunities for businesses to test new platforms and new ways to engage with their audience with just a few of them mentioned above. So why not give them a go?
