Category: Social

Social media feel like shouting into the void recently? Tracking the right social media KPIs helps you understand if your efforts are paying off.

In this blog, Cortney DeGruccio, Senior Account Specialist, will show you exactly which key performance indicators for social media matter most, why they matter, and how to use the data you collect to grow your business.

What You’ll Learn: 

• KPIs vs. Metrics
• The KPIs That Matter Most
• How to Track and Analyze KPIs
• Turning Insights into Action
• FAQs About Social Media KPIs

Expert Opinion

Here’s the truth: most businesses track too many numbers and not enough of the right ones.

Social KPIs aren’t just about vanity metrics like follower counts. They’re about understanding what drives real business results. When you focus on the KPIs for social media that align with your goals, everything becomes clearer.

The best social media strategies are aligned with the business goals. What do you want out of your social media? Is it more website traffic? Better customer service? Increased brand awareness? Once you decide on your goals, you can use your KPIs as a roadmap to achieve them.

Think of social media KPIs as your business health check. They tell you what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus your energy next.

KPIs vs. Metrics

Many people use the terms KPIs and metrics as though they mean the same thing. They don’t.

A metric is any data point you can measure. It’s a number. Metrics include things like total likes, follower count, or post reach.

A KPI is a metric that matters to your business goals. It’s a number with purpose. Not every metric deserves to be a KPI.

Map Your KPIs to Your Business Goals

Random numbers won’t grow your business, but strategic numbers will.

The social media KPIs you choose to track should connect directly to what you’re trying to achieve. If your goal is brand awareness, track reach and impressions. If you want leads, focus on conversion rate and click-through rate.

With aligned social media KPIs, your team stays focused on what matters. It prevents wasted effort on things that don’t matter and gives you viewable insights into what is working. Instead of “We got 500 likes,” it would be “We generated 47 qualified leads and reduced customer service response time by 30%.” Seeing how you moved the needle forward is much more encouraging, right?

The Role of Benchmarks, Context, and Growth Stage

Keeping track of business and industry benchmarks will help stop you from fixating on meaningless numbers.

Always compare your performance to your own past results. Track month-over-month and year-over-year growth. This shows your trajectory.

Industry benchmarks matter too. They help you understand where you stand against competitors. But don’t obsess over them. Your business is unique.

Your growth stage also changes what matters. A startup needs awareness. An established brand might prioritize customer retention. Adjust your social KPIs’ focus as you evolve.

The KPIs That Matter Most

What are key performance indicators for social media? Let’s take a look at some of the most important ones.

Awareness & Reach

These metrics are the foundation of everything else. They include things like:

• Impressions – Impressions count every time your content appears on someone’s screen. High impressions mean your content is getting distributed widely. Low impressions suggest you need to post at better times or improve your content strategy.
• Reach – Reach counts actual people, not views. Reach matters because it shows your true audience size. Growing reach means you’re expanding your influence.
• Follower Growth Rate – Use this formula to calculate this KPI: (New followers this month ÷ Total followers at start of month) × 100. A healthy growth rate indicates that your brand is consistently attracting new audiences. Stagnant growth means your content isn’t compelling enough to earn followers.
• Share of Voice – This KPI measures how often your brand is mentioned compared to competitors. It’s an indicator of your market position. The more people talk about you, the more relevant you’re becoming.

Enagagement & Community

Engagement metrics show if people care about what you’re sharing. This is often more valuable than awareness or reach.

• Engagement Rate – This is the gold standard social KPI. It shows what percentage of people who see your content actually interact with it. Total engagements include likes, comments, shares, saves, and clicks. Divide that by total impressions, multiply by 100, and you have your engagement rate.
• Comments – This KPI shows quality conversations and feedback from your audience. This shows you that your audience is invested and interested.
• Shares / Reposts – When someone shares your content, they’re endorsing you to their network. That’s powerful.
• Saves – Saves are the most underrated engagement metric. When someone saves your post, they’re saying, “I want to come back to this.” It shows that your content is highly valued and relevant. 

Traffic & Conversions

Social media should drive business results. These KPIs prove it’s working.

• Click-Through Rate (CTR) – CTR measures the percentage of people who click your links. Calculate it with this formula: (Total clicks ÷ Total impressions) × 100.
• Conversion Rate – This KPI is the percentage of social visitors who take desired actions. Use this formula to calculate it: (Conversions from social ÷ Total social media traffic) × 100.
• Cost Per Click (CPC) – If you’re running paid social ads, CPC tells you how much each click costs. Lower is better.
• Leads Generated – This shows the number of contacts or inquiries sourced from social. Don’t forget to track lead quality, not just quantity. Ten qualified leads beat 100 people who are just looking.

Customer Care & Retention

Social media is a customer service channel. These KPIs measure how well you’re supporting your community.

• Response Time – Speed matters in customer service. Track your average response time to messages and comments. Aim for under one hour during business hours. Under 15 minutes is excellent. Rallio can help you monitor and respond across multiple channels from a single dashboard, keeping your team more efficient.
• Resolution Rate – Getting back to people quickly is a good thing. Actually solving their problems is better. Resolution rate measures the percentage of customer service interactions that end successfully. A high resolution rate means happy customers. A low rate suggests training or process improvements are needed.
• Customer Sentiment – This KPI is the ratio of positive vs negative mentions or comments. A healthy brand sees mostly positive sentiment with occasional negative feedback.
• Customer Retention / Loyalty Rate – This social media KPI shows how well your social media strategy helps retain repeat customers. Track how many customers who engage with you on social media make repeat purchases. Compare retention rates for social-engaged customers versus non-engaged customers. This key performance indicator social media metric proves long-term value. It shows that social media isn’t just for awareness. It also builds lasting relationships.

How to Track and Analyze KPIs

Having the right KPIs means nothing if you can’t track them effectively.

Combine Native Analytics With a Unified Dashboard Like Rallio

Each social platform offers native analytics. Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and TikTok all provide valuable data within their platforms. While this is helpful, jumping between platforms takes a lot of time.

A unified dashboard like Rallio brings all your social KPIs together in one place. In just one glance, you can spot trends and identify problems much faster.

Use UTM Tags For Conversions and Traffic Attribution 

UTM parameters are tiny pieces of code added to your URLs. They tell Google Analytics exactly where traffic comes from.

When you use different UTM tags for each social platform and campaign, you can track which social media sources drive the most valuable traffic and conversions.

Without UTM tracking, all social traffic looks the same in analytics. But with them, you can see which platform is delivering the highest ROI. This information helps you improve your budget allocation and make smarter strategy decisions.

Use AI Tools to Streamline Your Process

Modern AI tools, like Rallio’s AI Assistant, can analyze your KPI data faster than any human. As it reviews your social media performance, it highlights what matters and detects emerging trends before they’re obvious.

Maybe engagement is dropping on Thursdays. Or video content is suddenly outperforming images. Or a specific topic is driving unusual traffic. Knowing these insights quickly will help you spot opportunities and problems before your competitors do.

Turning Insights into Action

Data without action is just noise. Here’s how to use your KPIs to improve results.

Identify Which KPIs Need Improvement

Review your KPIs regularly. Which ones are below target? Which ones are declining?

Each weak KPI suggests a specific fix. Low engagement rate? Test new content formats. Poor conversion rate? Improve your landing pages or offers. Slow response time? Adjust staffing or use automation tools.

Don’t try to fix everything at once. Pick one or two KPIs for social media to improve each quarter. 

As your business evolves, your goals change. Your social media KPI focus should change, too.

Quarterly reviews keep your measurement strategy aligned with your business strategy. They prevent you from optimizing for yesterday’s goals.

FAQs About Social Media KPIs

1. What’s the difference between a social media KPI and a metric?

A metric is any measurable data point from your social media activity. A KPI is a metric that connects directly to your business goals. Every KPI is a metric, but not every metric deserves to be a KPI. Focus on the numbers that actually matter to your business success.

2. How Many KPIs should I track?

Track between 5 and 10 KPIs for social media. More than that becomes overwhelming and dilutes your focus. Choose KPIs that cover different aspects of performance: awareness, engagement, conversions, and customer service. Quality beats quantity when it comes to measurement.

3. How often should I review my KPIs?

Check your KPI social media marketing dashboard weekly to spot immediate issues or opportunities. Conduct deeper monthly reviews to identify trends. Perform comprehensive quarterly analyses to assess strategy effectiveness and adjust goals. Daily monitoring usually creates more anxiety than value.

4. What KPIs matter most for ROI?

For return on investment, prioritize conversion rate, leads generated, cost per click, and customer acquisition cost from social. Also track customer lifetime value for social-acquired customers. These key performance indicators social media metrics directly connect to revenue and profitability, making ROI calculation possible.

Take Control of Your Social Media KPIs with Rallio

Understanding social media KPIs transforms guesswork into successful strategies. When you track the right ones, you’ll gain valuable insights into what is working for your business and what isn’t.

With Rallio, that transformation is easier than ever! Our comprehensive analytics platform brings all your social KPIs into a single powerful dashboard. Our AI-powered insights help you understand your data faster and make smarter decisions.

Are you ready to streamline your social media marketing? Schedule a free demo to see how your business can benefit from Rallio today!

Every business owner knows that sinking feeling when they see a negative review pop up online. Whether it’s a one-star rating on Google or a lengthy complaint on Yelp, negative online reviews can feel like a punch to the gut. But here’s the good news: bad reviews aren’t the end of the world. In fact, they can be opportunities in disguise when handled correctly.

In this blog, Olivia Reck, Account Specialist, will walk you through exactly how to handle negative online reviews, turn unhappy customers into loyal fans, and protect your business’s reputation. Whether you’re dealing with your first bad review or looking to improve your response strategy, we’ve got you covered.

What You’ll Learn About Handling Negative Online Reviews:

1. Stay Calm and Assess

2. Respond Quickly and Professionally

3. Offer a Solution

4. Take it Offline

5. Learn and Improve

6. Balance the Negative

7. Avoid Removing Negative Reviews

FAQs on Negative Online Reviews

Our Expert Opinion on Handling Negative Online Reviews

Let’s start with some perspective: negative reviews are a normal part of doing business. Studies show that 96% of consumers say that they specifically look for negative online reviews when researching a product or service. However, how you respond to these reviews can make all the difference.

When appropriately managed, these reviews can actually boost your credibility. In fact, businesses that respond to negative reviews are 45% more likely to earn customer trust. Think about it. When was the last time you saw a business with only 5-star reviews? It probably seemed too good to be true, because it is! Every business will experience negative reviews at some point.

The key to success isn’t avoiding negative online reviews altogether (that’s impossible!) but learning how to respond to a bad review professionally and effectively. A thoughtful response to a negative review shows potential customers that you care about customer satisfaction and are willing to make things right when problems occur.

How to Handle Negative Online Reviews

Every business receives a bad review or two. Here’s some tips on how to deal with negative reviews in a way that might salvage your relationship with that particular customer or at least build more trust with future customers.

#1: Stay Calm and Assess

The first step in learning how to respond to negative feedback is to take a deep breath. It’s natural to feel defensive, but rushing to respond when you’re upset isn’t helpful. Instead, take time to read the review carefully and understand the customer’s perspective.

Think of each review like a puzzle piece. What type of issue are you dealing with? Is it about product quality, customer service, a misunderstanding, or perhaps even a fake review? Understanding the nature of the complaint helps you craft the right response. Research shows that 71% of consumers read businesses’ responses to reviews, so your reply matters more than you might think.

#2: Respond Quickly and Professionally

While you shouldn’t respond in the heat of the moment, you also don’t want to leave negative reviews hanging. Over half of consumers expect a quick reply to a negative review, though, so aim to reply within 24-48 hours. This shows other customers that you’re attentive and care about feedback.

Start your response by thanking the reviewer for their feedback – yes, even when it’s negative! Then, acknowledge their experience and apologize if something went wrong. Keep your tone friendly and professional, like you’re talking to a valued customer face-to-face.

Remember, you’re not just responding to one unhappy customer. Other people will read this, so you’re showing everyone how your business handles problems.

#3: Offer a Solution

Don’t just apologize. Take action! Address the main concern briefly in your response, but avoid getting into too many details publicly. For example, you might say: “We’re sorry your meal wasn’t up to our usual standards. We take food quality very seriously and would like to make this right.”

Then, invite the reviewer to contact you directly through email or phone. This shows you’re committed to finding a solution while keeping sensitive details private.

#4: Take it Offline

Once you’ve made your initial response, try to move the conversation to a private channel. This is especially important if the situation is complex or involves specific customer details.

Resist the urge to argue with a reviewer in public. It’s like having a disagreement in front of a crowd of potential customers. Instead, provide a direct contact method and encourage the reviewer to reach out so you can resolve their concerns personally.

#5: Learn and Improve

Every negative review is a chance to grow. Share feedback with your team and look for patterns in the complaints you receive. Are customers frequently mentioning the same issues? That’s your cue to make changes.

Keep track of how you resolve different types of complaints. This helps you build a playbook for handling similar situations in the future. Plus, seeing management respond to reviews can help make your customers (and potential customers!) understand that you care about making them happy. 

#6: Balance the Negative

While you can’t prevent all negative reviews, you can balance them with positive ones. Encourage happy customers to share their experiences online. A simple reminder at checkout, a follow-up email, or even a sign in your store with a QR code can do wonders.

Remember, a mix of reviews looks more authentic than just perfect ratings. No one is perfect, and if your business is all five stars, it’s going to look fishy to potential customers.

Aim for a healthy ratio where positive reviews naturally outnumber negative ones by focusing on providing great service, proactive customer care, and an undeniably great product.

#7: Avoid Removing Negative Reviews

While it’s tempting to want to remove negative reviews, you shouldn’t. Besides, it isn’t an easy process because Google and other platforms only remove reviews that violate their content policies, such as spam or hate speech.

Instead of focusing on getting the review taken down, respond professionally to the negative reviews and focus your attention on delivering quality customer service that will inspire other customers to leave more positive reviews.

FAQs About How to Handle Negative Online Reviews

1. Should I respond to every negative review?

Yes! Respond to every review. Each response shows you care about customer feedback and are willing to address concerns. Plus, your responses help future customers see how you handle problems.

2. What if a review is unfair or false?

If a review is unfair or false, remain professional and factual in your response. If it’s clearly fake, report it to the platform, but still respond politely for other readers to see.

3. How fast should I reply to a negative review?

Aim to respond to negative reviews within 24-48 hours. This shows you’re attentive and willing to fix the problem, but also gives you time to calm down and craft a thoughtful response.

4. Can responding to bad reviews actually help my reputation?

Absolutely! Professional responses show accountability and customer care, which can actually improve potential customers’ perception of your business. If you’re willing to learn from negative reviews and make it right, it will go a long way in helping you win over customers.

5. How do I get a Google review removed?

Google only removes reviews that violate its policies. Instead of focusing on how to get a Google review removed, focus on responding professionally and encouraging satisfied customers to share their experiences.

Streamline Your Social Media and Review Management with Rallio

With so many review platforms available, it can be hard to keep up with each one. From Facebook and Instagram to Yelp and Google Business Profile, keeping track of your reviews and responding appropriately can quickly get lost in the shuffle.

With Rallio’s centralized dashboard, you can review and respond to reviews from every platform, all in one place. We combine advanced AI with an intuitive interface, making it easier than ever for businesses and franchises to amplify their social media presence and build stronger connections with their customers.

Plus, our popular REVV tool can help you boost your brand’s reputation, build customer loyalty, and counter negative online reviews and comments.

Whether you want to send a post-sale survey, encourage customers to leave reviews on Google and Facebook, or respond quickly to customer feedback, Rallio can help you do it – quickly and easily!

Sound like something your business needs? Get started with Rallio today!

 

Imagine this: a customer wants to visit your store. They search online and find your business, but the address is wrong. Or maybe the phone number doesn’t work. Frustrating, right?

This happens more often than you think. When your business information is incorrect or inconsistent across various touchpoints, it confuses customers and search engines. That means fewer visits, fewer calls, and less trust.

When it comes to local SEO citations, NAP consistency (name, address and phone number) is everything. In this blog, Megan Lehrich, Senior Account Strategist, will go over the ins and outs of NAP citations to ensure that your brand stays relevant and accessible online.

What You’ll Learn:

• What are NAP Citations?
• The Franchise Problem: Inconsistency at Scale
• Why NAP Citations are Critical for Local SEO
• The Hidden Risks of Bad Citations
• What Strong NAP Management Looks Like
• How Rallio Makes NAP Simple for Franchises
• FAQs About NAP Citations 

What are NAP Citations?

NAP citations refer to your business’s Name, Address, and Phone Number wherever they can be found online, including places like Google Business Profile, Yelp, Facebook, or a local directory.

NAP consistency is incredibly important because these citations help search engines know who you are, where you are, and how customers can reach you.

They power services like Google and Bing, maps, GPS apps, voice assistants (including Siri and Alexa), review sites, and local directories.

If your info is wrong, customers might not find you, or worse, they might go to the wrong place. That’s why NAP SEO is so important. People can’t buy from you if they can’t find or trust your info.

My Expert Opinion

I’m not the only local SEO expert who will tell you this: keeping your business info clean and consistent is one of the most important things you can do to rank higher in search results.

NAP consistency isn’t just about looking professional. It’s about being found. You can’t convert more customers, sell more products, or hit bigger goals if people don’t know how to find you in the first place.

Search engines like Google and Bing use your business’s NAP citations (how your name, address, and phone number appear online) as an important ranking factor to decide if your business is trustworthy. If your info is messy or mismatched, they may push you down in rankings or ignore you completely.

If you want to boost your local SEO citations, start with your NAP citations.

The Franchise Problem: Inconsistency at Scale

When you are part of a franchise or have multiple locations, the importance of local citation management only gets bigger. One wrong phone number or old address can spread across hundreds of listings. Suddenly, your whole brand looks messy and untrustworthy.

This is called inconsistency at scale. The more locations you have, the harder it is to keep everything updated. And the bigger your footprint, the bigger the SEO penalty.

For multi-location businesses, bad local citation management doesn’t just harm your customer relationships. It can also negatively impact your search rankings and revenue.

That’s a big deal. Every incorrect NAP citation is a missed opportunity.

Why NAP Citations are Critical for Local SEO

When it comes to raising local awareness, directory listings and SEO go hand in hand. When your business info is consistent across platforms, it signals to search engines that they can trust you.

Being trustworthy increases your business’s chances of ending up in the Google Map Pack – those top 3 results in local searches. This is critical for local SEO because most people will choose one of those top 3 results, so you really want your business to be one of them.

It’s as simple as this:

• Accurate citations = more authority and credibility
• Inconsistent citations = confusion and lower rankings

When your local citations are correct, it increases your Search Engine Results Page (SERP) ranking. The higher your SERP ranking, the more phone calls, website clicks, and in-store visits you’ll have. 

That’s a real return on investment (ROI). Clean up your citations, and you’ll see the difference.

The Hidden Risks of Bad Citations

Bad citations don’t just hurt your rankings. They cause real problems.

Some of the most common NAP consistency errors include:

• Duplicate listings: Two or more profiles for the same location
• Ghost profiles: Old listings that still show up but aren’t managed
• Spam entries: Wrong info added by bots or competitors

Once this incorrect information starts spreading across the web, it can take off like wildfire. It’s surprising how quickly it can happen! 

If you aren’t actively managing your NAP SEO, it could result in frustrated customers, loss of income, and headaches that no busy business owner needs.

What Strong NAP Management Looks Like

The good news is that it isn’t hard to get control of your local SEO citations. It just takes a little work.

Start by focusing on what good local citation management means. No matter where your business is listed online, you should always make sure that all of your business information follows the 3Cs:

• Complete: All fields filled out (name, address, phone, hours, etc.)
• Correct: No typos, old numbers, or outdated addresses
• Consistent: Same info across all platforms

This includes places like:

• Search engines, such as Google or Bing
• Social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, or TikTok
• Review sites, including Yelp, TripAdvisor, or Angie’s List
• Mobile apps, such as Apple Maps, Google Maps, or Waze
• Voice assistants, like Alexa or Siri

Like most things in digital marketing, your NAP citations are not a set-it-and-forget-it type of task. You should always update your citations in real time whenever necessary.

Making changes isn’t the only time you should monitor your local citations. Making it a habit to monitor them regularly will help to catch (and stop!) errors quickly, before the wrong information makes too much of a negative impact on your business.

How Rallio Makes NAP Simple for Franchises

Managing citations across hundreds of locations sounds hard, but Rallio makes it easy.

With Rallio’s Directory Listings service, you can:

• Instantly update business info across all major platforms
• Push changes to search engines, social media, voice search, and mobile apps
• Keep everything consistent from one central dashboard

For franchises and multi-location brands, this is a game-changer. Whether you update info at the corporate level or in the field, Rallio rolls it out everywhere – automatically and on time.

No more drift. No more mismatched listings. Just clean, consistent info that builds trust, boosts rankings, and increases sales. If this is something that you are interested in, contact us at sales@rallio.com.  

FAQs About NAP Citations

1. What does NAP mean in local SEO?

NAP stands for Name, Address, and Phone number. It’s the core business info used by search engines to verify and rank local businesses in search results.

2. Why are NAP citations important for franchises?

Franchises have many locations, so consistent NAP citations help maintain trust, improve rankings, and avoid confusion across directories and search engines.

3. What happens if my NAP information isn’t consistent?

Inconsistent NAP info can hurt your search rankings, confuse customers, and lead to lost traffic, missed calls, and negative reviews.

4. How do I know if my Nap Citations are accurate? 

Use tools like Rallio’s Directory Listings or local SEO platforms to scan, monitor, and update your NAP citations across all major directories. Always remember to monitor your citations regularly and make any necessary changes as soon as possible.

Expert Local Citation Management with Rallio

Whether you’re running a home repair company with multiple locations or a fast food franchise, Rallio can help streamline your local citation management. 

With our help, it’ll be easy to:

• Be where your customers are
• Measure your brand presence
• Create a bigger impact in your industry
• And more!

Our easy-to-use platform can help you simplify your social media management, improve your local SEO, and start building the type of business you’ve always dreamed of.

Sound exciting? Let’s get started today!

 

What does your brand’s social media look like these days? Is the engagement flooding in, or are there crickets on your posts?

With over 5.41 billion social media users worldwide, representing almost 66% of the global population, mastering social media engagement is no longer optional – it’s essential for business success.

In this blog, Phoebe Hudson, Senior Account Strategist, will talk about how to increase social media engagement so that more consumers will be talking about your brand and buying your products.

What You’ll Learn:

• What is Social Media Engagement?
• Why Engagement Drives Success
• How to Build a Social Media Engagement Strategy
• Proven Tactics to Increase Engagement
• Measuring Engagement That Matters
• FAQs on Social Media Engagement 

My Expert Opinion on Social Media Engagement

Social media engagement has evolved far beyond simple likes and shares in today’s day and age. According to recent data, users spend an average of 2 hours and 21 minutes daily on social platforms. That’s a huge chunk of the day!

What’s particularly noteworthy is that 61% of consumers now discover new businesses through social media. Not only are social media users sharing their own thoughts, but they’re also engaging with everyone from influencers to brands. Social media platforms, from TikTok to Facebook, are prime territories for building meaningful connections with your audience.

Once a consumer finds your brand, you have to keep them interested. That’s why social media engagement plays a vital role not only in maintaining relationships with existing customers, but also in driving business growth through new customer acquisition.

The most successful brands understand this. That’s why so many of them are turning to social media engagement tools that help them post, manage, and engage with their preferred customers on social media. If generating content feels like a heavy lift, you might want to look into some of these tools to make your social media management easier than ever.

What is Social Media Engagement?

Social media engagement encompasses all interactions between your brand and its audience across social platforms. These interactions can include:

• Likes, comments, and shares
• Direct messages and mentions
• Saves and bookmarks
• Click-throughs
• Video views
• Story interactions

Social media engagement rates can vary, depending on the type of content and the platform. For instance, TikTok leads with engagement rates up to 7.5% for smaller creators, compared to Instagram’s 3.65%.

Of course, engaging content on social media isn’t just about collecting likes and comments. It’s pretty important for your bottom line, too. When your audience actively engages with your content, it fosters authentic trust in your brand and helps build brand loyalty among your followers.

High engagement also increases your content’s visibility through platform algorithms. This creates a snowball effect that amplifies your reach organically. This enhanced visibility translates directly to brand growth.

Why Engagement Drives Success

High social media engagement rates directly correlate with business success for several reasons. The first is that it builds trust. With 69% of consumers trusting influencer endorsements more than traditional ads, there’s a lot of power that lies in your social media presence.

It’s also a revenue generator. Brands that respond to social media inquiries within 24 hours are likely to see improved customer retention and sales. When you respond to customers, it shows you care. When you care, your customers care, too.

Creating engaging social media content is also a fantastic way to boost your brand awareness. Higher engagement rates result in increased visibility in platform algorithms and expanded organic reach.

Ultimately, you can gain valuable insights into your customers’ preferences through their engagement with social media. Engaged audiences will often provide valuable feedback and insights through their interactions.

How to Build a Social Media Engagement Strategy

Social media management is so much more than just posting a few graphics and calling it a day. In today’s world, creating an effective social media engagement strategy requires a multifaceted approach.

This starts with selecting the right platform. When it comes to engagement, social media is all about where you post. You need to focus on platforms where your audience is most active. Audiences can’t engage with your posts if they never see them. For example, if you are a B2B brand looking for high-powered decision makers, LinkedIn might be a better choice for you than Snapchat.

You should also diversify your content formats. Don’t just post all static posts on Instagram. Throw in a few Reels and Stories, too. Not only will this keep your audience interested, but it also helps social media algorithms, too.

Timing also matters. Conduct research to determine when your audience is most active on each platform and incorporate that information into your social media engagement strategy.

Speaking of research and data, like anything else in digital marketing, you need to make data-driven decisions to increase social media engagement. Tie your goals to measurable metrics so you have a clear picture of what is working and what isn’t.

Finally, always focus on building a community. When you prioritize authentic, conversation-driven content, it feels less forced. This encourages conversations to happen naturally on your posts.

Proven Tactics to Increase Engagement

If generating engagement feels overwhelming, don’t worry! Here are some tried-and-true engagement techniques for social media that will help your posts garner more likes and comments.

• Make your content interactive! Engagement questions on social media are a sure-fire way to generate a comment or two. You can also use polls in stories or encourage engagement through likes, shares, and comments. You know, there’s a reason why so many YouTubers say, “If you liked this video, don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe!”
• Incorporate user-generated content, or UGC. People love to see other real people using your products. UGC is always a good way to showcase your brand in a way that people will be itching to engage with.
• Engage back! Don’t forget to be social on your social media. Eighty percent of consumers expect brands to respond within 24 hours. Responding to comments or messages promptly shows your audience that you are engaged and appreciate their questions.
• Incorporate social media trends. Trending audios and fun dances can help your content find its way to TikTok’s FYP or Instagram’s Discover page. The more eyes on your content, the more engagement you’ll generate. Just make sure to use these trends thoughtfully and always stay true to your brand.

Measuring Engagement That Matters

Making data-driven decisions is the key to marketing success. As you work to increase social media engagement, don’t forget to track the right metrics to see if your hard work is paying off.

Some of the most important KPIs include:

• Engagement Rate
• Comment Rate
• Share/Save Rate
• Response Time

Once you understand the type of content your audience wants to engage with, you’ll be able to refine your strategy to provide them with more of what they want. 

How Rallio Helps

As you can see, there is a lot that goes into generating content that your audience will be excited to engage with. That’s where social media engagement tools, like Rallio, come in handy. 

With Rallio, you’ll gain access to a unified dashboard that allows you to manage engagement in one centralized location. The integrated inbox makes it easy to track messages from multiple platforms. The dashboard also provides a unified view of all the analytics you need to track your content’s progress.

You can also use the included AI tools to tailor your content to each specific platform and audience, as well as respond to comments and messages faster than ever. With AI growing by leaps and bounds, it only makes sense to incorporate it into your social media engagement strategy!

FAQs

1. What does social media engagement actually mean?

Social media engagement refers to any interaction users have with your content on social media platforms. This includes likes, comments, shares, saves, clicks, and direct messages.

2. Why is engagement more important than followers?

Engagement is far more valuable than follower count, as it indicates a genuine audience connection and the effectiveness of the content. High engagement means your content resonates with your audience, builds trust, and is more likely to be amplified by platform algorithms. Followers can be bought, but genuine engagement cannot.

In fact, recent studies have shown that micro-influencers with smaller follower counts often achieve higher engagement rates than accounts with millions of followers. That’s because their followers are more engaged and connected with the content the account is posting.

3. How do I increase engagement on my posts?

To increase your social media engagement, focus on creating authentic content that encourages interaction. Key strategies include posting when your audience is active, using a diverse mix of content formats, asking questions and encouraging discussion, and sharing UGC. Heavily engaged brands also understand that engagement shouldn’t be one-sided. You should always respond quickly to comments and messages to show your audience that you care about the connection that is forming.

4. What’s a good social media engagement rate?

The definition of a good engagement rate varies depending on industry and platform. However, a good engagement rate is typically:

• LinkedIn: 6.5%
• Facebook: 5.07%
• TikTok: 4.86%
• Threads: 4.51%
• YouTube: 4.41%
• Pinterest: 3.46%
• X (Twitter): 2.31%
• Instagram: 1.16%

Keep in mind that these benchmarks will vary by industry and audience size, with smaller, niche accounts typically seeing higher engagement rates than larger ones.

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When attempting to connect with local audiences, you can’t depend on broadly targeted content. You need to optimize content for locally targeted search terms and speak more directly to local audiences to carry prospects along the customer journey, which is where local landing pages can help.

In this blog post, Tyler Phillips, Marketing Manager, will go into creating location-specific landing pages and how to use location-based targeting to build a relationship with your target audiences, whether you’re a local brick-and-mortar business looking to attract foot traffic or a service-based business targeting multiple service areas.

My Expert Opinion on Creating Location-Specific Landing Pages

As the latest statistics show, more and more people are searching for local businesses online. For example, search queries with the words “near me” and “close by” have increased by a staggering 900% within a two-year period, and 46% of consumers prefer to purchase from companies with a local presence.

These are merely a couple of many stats showing the importance of local optimization for businesses serving specific areas. Not only do you need to develop your local SEO strategy to build a relationship with audiences, but you must also develop individual location landing pages to correspond with your SEO and PPC campaigns when targeting local consumers. 

These pages can serve as critical gateways that appeal to target audiences toward the top of the funnel, bringing them down to the bottom with subsequent marketing efforts. 

Learn more about what goes into developing local landing pages and how to supercharge this content with the proper structure and optimization.

Why Location-Specific Landing Pages Matter

When trying to reach target audiences toward the beginning of the customer journey, location-based landing pages are essential. More specifically, they can target people with information search intent.

There are four types of search intent that indicate where someone is in the buyer’s journey, with informational intent being at the beginning, followed by the commercial, navigational, and transactional stages. People with this intent want more details about certain topics, potentially looking up information in blog posts or about local products, services, and companies.

Location landing pages can connect with people during this informational phase, when people want to learn more about your business and offerings. By creating location-specific landing pages with good search engine optimization (SEO), you can increase your visibility online via search engine results and advertising, boost conversions by reaching the right people at the right time, and make your business appear more credible as people come to recognize and trust your brand more than less visible competitors. 

Understanding User Intent and Use Cases

In most cases, when people land on location pages, they are entering certain “near me” keywords and are either looking for more information about a local offering or business, or they are ready to turn to a local business in the commercial or transactional stage.

Here is a brief breakdown of how you would segment audiences at each stage of the sales funnel:

• Awareness: Here, people would be interested in knowing more about a service and come across initial marketing content for information. Geo-targeted landing pages would be crucial here to connect with prospects who aren’t quite ready to make a purchase.
• Interest: The next audience segment would comprise those who are interested in a potential solution to their problems. Additional marketing materials could detail the benefits of your offerings or services.
• Consideration: People at this stage might be considering different companies and their respective offerings, in which case you could promote your brand as the best solution compared to competitors.
• Decision: Once your target audiences reach this phase, it’s time to incorporate compelling calls to action (CTAs) and convert them into customers.

URL and Technical Structure

One of the main considerations when creating location-specific landing pages is each page’s URL structure. 

Depending on the nature of your website, you could choose between parent-child (i.e., tree) or flat URL structures. Generally, when developing location landing pages, a parent-child structure is often better, especially if you have multiple locations across several states or countries.

For example, if you have locations in Dallas and Austin, Texas, you might structure each location page under “example.com/locations/tx/dallas” and “example.com/locations/tx/austin.”

Also, consider the technical structure of the pages themselves, especially when you’re targeting multiple regions with more than one language. Specifically, you will need to add hreflang tags to your location pages to cater each one to different regions and languages. 

These tags will automatically connect users in specific regions with a version of the page using their target language, improving the user experience for all users while also preventing issues with duplicate content.

Keyword Research and On-Page Optimization

In optimizing landing pages SEO, you will need to implement on-page optimization techniques that help maximize visibility in search engines.

To start with, you will need to conduct in-depth keyword research for each location. Make sure that each location page targets unique keywords to avoid cannibalization, and prioritize high-intent keywords such as “quote for home renovation services in [city].” 

You can use many tools for keyword research that will indicate search volume, competition level, and other metrics. Some tools include Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and Semrush. 

Once you’ve found the keywords you want to target, carefully and naturally include them within your content, including your page’s title, subheaders, and the body of your content. 

Other on-page elements to optimize include:

• Title tags that appear in blue text within search results
• Meta descriptions that show up beneath title tags
• Internal links to other pages
• Images with alt text and captions featuring relevant keywords

Page Structure and Flow

You also need to consider how you structure your pages with location-based targeting, incorporating the following key sections:

• Hero Section: The hero section is a block of text that appears at the top of the page before the body below, usually with a compelling title and a subtitle beneath it. This section will be short and sweet and should include a high-priority keyword or two, especially in the geo-targeted H1 title.
• Unique Selling Proposition (USP): Sections like “Why [Your Company]?” could include a USP that helps you stand apart from local competitors, discussing the benefits that people won’t find when looking for your offerings elsewhere.
• CTAs: In various places throughout your pages, incorporate relevant CTAs that encourage people to take the next course of action, typically with “contact us” buttons or “learn more” types of interactions to move people along the funnel.
• Name, Address, Phone Number (NAP) and Map: Be sure to make it easy for people to find you and reach out, with an accurate NAP and a conveniently embedded map that gives people directions to your location.
• Services: Be sure to list your services, and make them unique to each area if your offerings change depending on location.
• Team: In some cases, you can also include details about your team, including people who work specifically at the designated location, giving your business a more human touch.
• Testimonials: Where appropriate, include testimonials from customers, ideally from the corresponding location you’re targeting. Brief quotes from a testimonials page or embedded Google reviews could convince more people to turn to you.
• Local Content: Speak of locally specific elements, including landmarks and pain points, which will show that you understand the communities you serve.
• FAQs: Some location pages may also include an FAQ section at some point with three or more questions, especially ones that are unique to the corresponding location.

To give you some ideas of how to structure your local landing pages, let’s look at a couple of good examples.

One is Dunkin’, which keeps things simple with an address, CTA buttons requesting directions and to download the dedicated app, business hours, and an embedded map.

Jimmy John’s, meanwhile, uses proximity landing pages to help customers find specific locations in their area, with a bigger focus on its embedded map.

Local Content and Social Proof

When creating location-specific landing pages, try to tailor the content to local landmarks and pain points. For example, you might be able to help people find your location by pointing out its “across the street from” certain nearby businesses or features. 

For instance, U.S. Lawns discusses the locations’ specific attributes that make it important for businesses to use its lawn care services.

Also, include staff intros and authentic images throughout, putting a person and a physical location to your business.

And don’t forget to show reviews if you have them, potentially including Google or other reviews within the content.

Mobile Optimization and UX Best Practices

Be sure to optimize your landing pages with mobile SEO and responsiveness, which will entail facilitating fast load speeds, click-to-call options for immediate contact, and thumb-friendly buttons that are easy to tap.

Additionally, think about above-the-fold essentials that grab people’s attention, including a hero section and an immediate call to action to save visitors some time. Your opening paragraph should also be short and to the point to move people along.

U.S. Lawns knows how to develop its above-the-fold content to build an immediate connection.

Here are some additional user experience (UX) do’s and don’ts to guide your efforts.

Do:

• Integrate user-centric designs
• Add intuitive navigation
• Maintain a consistent design across your pages for recognizable branding and uniform structure
• Optimize for short loading times
• Include clear CTAs
• Incorporate a visual hierarchy to improve readability
• Use A/B testing to gauge the performance of different elements

Don’t:

• Overwhelm readers with too much information
• Include complex forms and data inputs
• Intrude with annoying pop-ups
• Overcrowd touch targets or make them too small
• Auto-play videos or other multimedia
• Overlook accessibility requirements

Schema, Structured Data, and Tracking

Another element to think about is schema markup or structured data.

This markup gives search engines more context regarding your pages’ content to help Google bots and other sites crawl, index, and rank your content. 

In the case of location-based landing pages, you would use LocalBusiness markup in JSON-LD language to optimize your pages. Doing so could help you show up for highly visible search results like featured snippets, potentially driving more clicks.

To measure the results of your efforts, you also want to consistently track all form submissions and calls with analytics and reports. You can then make any changes as needed based on how well your pages are helping you achieve your business goals.

Citations, Backlinks, and GBP Integration

Be sure to build local citations to further maximize visibility across the web, and get backlinks on other authoritative sites through guest posts and other means, ideally through local publications, influencers, or other people or entities in your target locations.

In building citations and backlinks, synchronize your pages with your company’s Google Business Profiles.

All citations should contain a consistent NAP, which services like BrightLocal can help you maintain for every location if anything changes.

Avoiding Pitfalls and Duplicate Content

There are a couple of potential pitfalls to avoid with your geo-targeted landing pages, including:

• Thin Content: Make sure each page has sufficient content to signal to Google that your page is of value to users. More content will also drive more engagement among visitors, subsequently sending more signals to Google.
• Duplicate Content: If your pages contain duplicate content, this could lead to a penalty. To avoid this, don’t use mass page builders and try to keep each page unique to each location by speaking more directly to local audiences.
• Creating Pages for Unserved Areas: Only create pages for locations you actively serve, or this could lead to confusion and even frustration among people who mistakenly believe they’re in your service area, hurting your brand reputation.

Continuous Optimization and KPI Tracking

Work on continually improving your location-based targeting with consistent optimization.

In doing so, track key performance indicators (KPIs) and specific metrics based on your goals.

Some metrics may include:

• Impressions that gauge the number of times ads linking to your pages appear in front of target audiences
• Click-through rate (CTR), which tracks the rate of people clicking through to your location pages or to other pages from within them
• Conversion rate based on the number of people who complete a desired action after landing on your pages
• Assisted conversions that track the marketing channels that nudge people into conversions

In optimizing your pages, make ongoing updates as necessary, such as event mentions, reviews, or changes to staff.

Continuous A/B testing with new content could also help you figure out what connects most with audiences.

FAQs

1. What should a location-specific landing page include?

There are many components these pages should include to connect with local audiences, such as keyword and geo-targeting headers, above-the-fold content, CTA buttons, images, reviews, embedded maps, a list of services, geo-specific mentions, and a unique selling proposition.

2. How many location landing pages do I need?

Ideally, each location your business serves should include its own unique landing page to connect with local audiences. However, avoid creating pages for locations that you do not currently serve, as this can mislead target audiences and waste your resources.

3. Do local landing pages improve SEO?

Well-optimized landing pages can improve search engine rankings, especially if they continually engage visitors and drive conversions. Using on-page optimization, backlinks, and other strategies, your pages could climb to the top of search results for target audiences over time.

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• Identify your target audience and segment based on unique characteristics
• Develop in-depth and well-optimized landing pages for each service area
• Track the performance of each page for continual optimization
• Create plenty of other content to supplement your landing pages
• And more!

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If you own a local business, one of the most important tools to connect with local audiences is a Google Business Profile, formerly known as Google My Business. Among the many elements to optimize for this profile is your list of services, which can significantly impact SEO while clearly indicating to your customers what they’ll get when they turn to your business.

In this blog post, Tyler Phillips, Marketing Manager, will go into how to list your Google Business Profile services and the importance of doing so for optimization and conversions.

My Expert Opinion on Listing Google Business Profile Services

Having a Google Business Profile is essential for any local business online, whether you own a brick-and-mortar store trying to bring more people to your location or a service-based business with certain service areas.

There are many elements to consider when developing and optimizing your GBP, including high-quality images that represent your business and offerings, a consistent name, phone number, address (NAP), and accurate business hours. 

However, one element that many overlook and which could significantly boost your profile’s visibility is your services list. Including as many services and service categories as possible could enhance your profile, not just for search engines, but for users as well.

The latest stats reveal just how important category searches are over brand searches, with one study finding that 86% of all GBP views are from category-based searches.

Knowing how to edit your Google business listing with your company’s services or products could help you get the most from your GBP.

Why Listing Services Matters

Listing your business’s services is essential in helping people and search engines understand your business and offerings.

These can appear as a text list of services within the profile, but some profiles even include them as products, complete with images and more in-depth descriptions.

For example, this car wash business lists the different types of car wash options as products, including their prices.

You can then click on each to see more details.

Meanwhile, this real estate agent lists properties as products under various categories.

Listing your Google Business Profile services could ultimately help you rank higher in your industry and make your profile more robust as people browse search results.

It will help with local SEO as you target geo-optimized keywords for individual services and categories, which can boost discoverability. Giving potential customers more details about your offerings, including links to each, can also increase conversions.

Understanding User and Searcher Intent

Throughout the customer lifecycle, each individual will go through a unique buyer’s journey via the social ecosystem, going from the awareness at the beginning to the decision stage toward the end. Throughout this journey, search intent will change as the user seeks different types of information at each stage.

During the awareness stage, search queries will be informational in nature, as users want more details about a particular topic, such as a service or product that may resolve a certain pain point.

When people are looking for more surface-level information, having a Google Business Profile services list is helpful. People entering “[your service] near me” or targeting your location could have a better chance of landing on your GBP, potentially supplementing local landing pages and other local SEO efforts. 

In the end, you’ll have an easier time aligning your GBP with search intent to maximize discovery among people in the awareness stage who are just starting their journey.

Preparing Your Profile

Before you add services to your online business listing, there are a few critical steps to take to get your profile all set to go, including:

Verify Your GBP

The first step is to create and verify your Google Business Profile. You will need to verify your profile before you can make any changes to your services and other info, and you can do so in several ways:

• Having a postcard sent to your business address in the mail
• Recording a video detailing your business information
• Requesting a verification code via phone or text
• Email verification
• A live video call with Google staff

Choose the Correct Categories

Before you can include base and add-on services in your GBP, you must also select the right categories for your business. If you’re not entirely sure which categories to select, take a look at competitors’ profiles and see what kinds of categories they include. You may also find that you cover certain categories that competitors don’t.

Consider Attributes

You may also select certain factual attributes that you can manage for your business, while subjective attributes will come from Google based on people’s opinions about your business. For example, people may say that your business is “casual,” “family friendly,” or “popular.” These could further influence your services and categories.

Step-by-Step Guide to Add Services

Now you might ask, “How do I add services to Google listings?” 

The following is a brief guide on how to edit your Google business listing:

1. Log into your Google Business Profile. 
2. Click on “Edit Services” within the dashboard.

3. Add services to the list, or choose “Add more services” to include add-on services for the list of existing services.

4. Select services from the list that correspond with the category, or add a custom service.

5. Confirm your selected services by clicking “Accept” to finalize the changes.

If you would like to add products, you can also do so to highlight specific services or product offerings. These actually have the chance of boosting visibility even further, with images detailing your offerings.

Simply take the following steps to add and edit products:

1. Log into Google Business Profile.
2. Click “Edit products.”

3. Click “Add product.”
4. Complete the required fields and include a photo that’s ideally around 1200 px X 900 px.
5. Add a price (Ranged or Fixed), product description (up to 1,000 characters), and button to “order online,” “buy,” “learn more,” or “get offer.”
6. Include a link to your website.
7. Confirm changes and save.

Crafting SEO-Rich Service Descriptions

When optimizing your Google My Business services, be sure to include well-optimized and detailed descriptions of your services.

Naturally incorporate relevant keywords and include a descriptive service name when appropriate.

Here is an example of some rich descriptions:

Service Categorization and Structure

Also, you will want to group related services together in a single category for your directory listings. Doing so could help organize your GBP and make it even easier for both users and search engines to understand your offerings.

In addition, avoid overlap of services and ensure each service is distinct enough in your listing. If different locations offer different services, you must make sure each location’s corresponding profile reflects these differences.

Common Mistakes and Pitfalls

There are multiple mistakes that businesses can make when adding Google Business Profile services, such as:

• Auto-generated Duplicates: Always make sure your services are uniquely written and avoid incorporating duplicates across locations, as this could hurt rather than help your SEO.
• Keyword Stuffing: While it’s important to include relevant keywords in service names, categories, and descriptions, don’t stuff them within descriptions or make service names too cumbersome. Again, doing so could do more harm than good for your SEO.
• Over-listing: Only include a Google Business Profile for each of your business locations. Developing too many listings can confuse customers looking for businesses in their area, and it could negatively impact your rankings by hurting the authority of other listings nearby. This might lead you to ask: How does service area work in Google Business Profile? Generally, a single location could appear for people based on the user’s location and listed service areas for each business, making it unnecessary in many cases to include a GBP for every city within your service area.

Maintaining and Updating Services

To keep your Google Business Profile in good shape, regularly maintain it and make any necessary updates as your business changes.

For example, you should encourage customers to review your business on Google, as these stars and written reviews can impact both your aggregate star rating and subjective attributes.

Also, regularly make Google Posts that can provide updates on events, changes to your business, new offerings, and more, with links to your site for more details. 

You may also want to make changes to your services and services lists based on industry trends as you adapt to meet the needs of your customer base.

Measuring Impact

To determine whether your optimization efforts are successful, it’s important to consistently measure GBP performance with the right marketing metrics, such as:

• Views: See how many people view your Google Business Profile to measure its visibility.
• Actions: Track how many people click on certain links within your GBP, including links to your main website and individual service or product pages.
• Ranking Changes: Determine if there are any shifts in rankings for your GBP and other local SEO results in search engines. A drop in views could indicate that you are not showing up for certain terms.

Based on these metrics and how they measure against your goals, you can optimize your profile accordingly.

SEO and Content Gaps

When optimizing your GBP, also conduct research to see how you can make your profile stand out from competitors.

For instance, you can use certain keyword research tools like Google Keyword Planner and Semrush to see what terms (including branded keywords) people might be entering into Google, and for which your profile could rank.

Additionally, take a look at your competitors’ profiles and see if there are any services or products that you offer and that they don’t list within their profile. Through a content gap analysis, you might discover that you have certain categories or individual offerings that could help people find you over competitors.

FAQs

1. Can I list more than 5 Google Business Profile services?

Yes, you are able to list as many services as you want on your profile. At the same time, you should try to avoid overlap with services and cluster similar services together in groups to keep them organized. Also, only add the specific services you offer.

2. Should I include prices?

Including prices with service listings is a good idea if you have a fixed price or a specific price range. You can include prices for both products and services within your profile, giving target audiences a good idea of what they can expect to spend. Doing so can also attract more high-intent leads who are ready to buy.

3. How often should I update services?

Any time you make any changes to your services, you should ensure your listings reflect these changes. Also, you may want to add or change keywords, titles, and descriptions to boost SEO performance for your profiles.

4. Do descriptions affect rankings for Google Business Profiles?

Yes, descriptions and their keyword inclusions can impact SEO rankings. This is why it’s crucial to include relevant keywords in a rich description, but avoid stuffing keywords for the sole purpose of ranking. Instead, write descriptions that are helpful for users while incorporating natural keyword instances throughout.

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Knowing how to edit your Google business listing can help you add all of the information you need to boost your rankings, including services. At Ignite Visibility, we can help you get the best results from your Google Business Profile and other local SEO efforts, with the ability to service many national to local businesses.

When you work with us, you get:

• Help with developing Google Business Profiles for each of your locations
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• Regular updates to keep your GBPs high up in rankings and driving conversions
• Consistent measurements of relevant metrics to inform continual optimization
• And more!

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Marketing Automation

Social media is everywhere, and just about everyone is on one or more platforms today, reaching billions of people across the globe. Businesses that don’t target their audiences through this channel are missing out on a huge opportunity to establish and nurture a strong connection. In addition to general marketing, highly targeted social advertising can extend your reach and get you in front of the right audiences when they’re actively using their favorite apps.

In this blog post, Tyler Phillips, Marketing Manager, will go into why advertising on social media is so important, some of the key components of social ad campaigns, and how to advertise your business on social media with the right approach.

My Expert Opinion on Social Advertising

The majority of people today use social media in some capacity and on some platform. According to a recent Kepios report, there are currently around 5.31 billion social media users all over the world, which comes to 64.7% of the global population.

There’s a social media platform for everyone, regardless of age, location, or other characteristics. If you have a target audience, there’s a channel through which you can reach them.

While marketing on the right platforms can help you connect more personally with audiences through your profile, you should supplement these efforts with an ad strategy that helps you reach even more new audiences with hyper-targeted campaigns. Harnessing the power of paid social media and other advertising and marketing platforms, you can continually appeal to and convert more customers.

What Is Social Advertising?

Social advertising is a form of paid media advertising that involves promoting a brand, offering, or promotion on social media platforms. However, some definitions also specify that this form of advertising must be consensual for the user.

According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, a social ad is “an online ad that incorporates user interactions that the consumer has agreed to display and be shared.”

There are many forms social media ads can take. For example, a brand could promote certain products using a carousel ad on Facebook, offering an interactive experience to engage its audiences.

Meanwhile, other brands may connect with audiences on Instagram using video ads, such as mattress brand Lull Bed partnering with an influencer whose video of him installing a mattress is repurposed for ad content.

These social advertising examples touch the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the many ad platforms and formats you can use depending on your industry and audience.

Why Social Advertising Matters

Brands of all types can benefit from using paid social advertising, and it’s essential in helping them stay competitive today.

Recent statistics further demonstrate the importance of implementing social advertising campaigns: Statista reports that the total U.S. social media advertising spend will reach $95.70 billion in 2025, with Wordstream confirming that social ads comprise 33% of all digital ad spend and Sprinklr determining that 61% of American online consumers are likely to purchase products because of suggestions on social media.

In short, if you’re neglecting to advertise on social media, there is a huge gap you need to fill to connect with your audiences and maximize ROI.

Core Components and Best Practices

To get the best results from social media advertising, there are some aspects to consider, and you must take the right approach to your strategy.

5 Main Components of Social Advertising Campaigns

When building social media ad strategies, the following are the core components that will guide you along the process:

1. Campaign Goals

Before you can develop your strategy, you need to have specific objectives in mind that will inform your efforts.

There are multiple types of objectives you might set, such as boosting brand awareness, increasing engagement, and driving more conversions and sales.

Many platforms make it easy to set goals within their native ad campaigns. 

For instance, Instagram allows you to set a variety of awareness, consideration, and conversion goals.

2. Target Audience

You also need to consider your target audience, which will dictate which platforms you use and the kinds of ads you run.

Think about the kinds of people you want to target, which could include people within your existing customer base or a new potential market.

Look at what your competitors are doing and consider developing audience personas that help segment your audiences based on different characteristics.

3. Creative Design 

Once you’ve identified your target audience, you can begin developing the creative elements of your ads, which will consist of:

• A visual component, such as a video, image, or GIF
• The ad copy, including your headline, caption, and description
• A call to action to lead viewers to the next step

For instance, here is a clearly developed ad with rich copy explaining the benefits of signing up for The Great Courses, a visual complete with a promotion, and a call to action to sign up for the platform.

4. Ad Budget

Additionally, consider the budget you want to set for your ads.

So, how much does it cost to advertise on social media? It really depends on your overall marketing budget, your industry benchmarks, your ability to test and experiment, and, of course, the specific platform you’re using.

Two models to consider to help you calculate ad budget include cost-per-click (CPC) and cost per mille (CPM). CPC measures the cost that advertisers pay for every click on their ads, while the CPM is the cost per thousand (mille in Latin) impressions. 

5. Analytics and Reporting 

To determine how well your social advertising campaigns are performing, you need to conduct regular analytics and reporting.

The metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs) you track here will depend on the goals that you set at the beginning.

There are many metrics you might track, including views, impressions, click-through rate, engagement metrics like replies and “likes,” and CPC or CPM.

You can use a combination of native analytics platforms and other third-party tools to gain a complete picture of campaign performance.

Best Practices for Advertising on Social Media 

In addition to the above aspects, here are some social advertising best practices that can fuel your strategy:

• Use A/B Testing: Before committing to any of your ads, run A/B tests that change out a single creative element in your ads, be it a visual, caption, description, or CTA. Depending on which performs best, you can determine which to use for your official campaign.
• Optimize for Mobile-First Advertising: Make sure your ads are formatted with mobile users in mind, as 99% of social media users are on mobile devices, according to Indectron. Make sure video and image sizes account for mobile along with your corresponding landing pages and website.
• Accommodate Platform Vibes: Different social media platforms have different vibes. For example, Facebook tends to be more casual, while LinkedIn is often highly professional, and Instagram and TikTok are overall among the more “fun” storytelling platforms. Understanding the tone each platform appeals to can inform the ads you run on it.

Platforms and Format Strategies 

In learning how to advertise your company on social media, you need to know more about the various platforms and ad formats available to drive your campaigns.

Social Advertising Platforms

There is no shortage of social platforms for you to choose from, including:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• TikTok
• X (formerly Twitter)
• Pinterest
• Snapchat

Each platform has its own distinct audience, making it important to make the right choice based on where your audience spends its time.

For example, Facebook is the most popular platform with over 3.065 billion users, with the majority of users being 25 to 34 and a large audience of boomers. Meanwhile, younger audiences like Gen Z will tend to visit platforms like Instagram and TikTok more frequently.

If you’re targeting professionals, you would likely target LinkedIn with your ads.

Available Formats

For all platforms, you can also choose different formats, such as:

• Image Ads: These ads are static in nature and tend to include a single image that connects with audiences, along with ad copy and a call to action.
• Video Ads: With the rising popularity of video content, especially short-form content, video ads are more engaging and are popular on most platforms.
• Carousel Ads: You may also want to use carousel ads to promote specific products, which are great for boosting sales and bringing people to your product pages.
• User-Generated Content: Partnering with influencers or holding contests among your audiences could lead to the production of user-generated content (UGC), which you could repurpose for ad content in many cases.
• Story Ads: Some platforms, like Facebook and Instagram, allow you to run Story ads that run between people’s videos on platforms like Instagram Stories.
• Banner Ads: People may also see certain message ads overlaid in video streams or other touchpoints, encouraging people to click.

Audience Targeting and User Intent Alignment

When learning how to advertise your business on social media, you need to ensure your audience targeting aligns with user intent.

There are four main types of user intent, depending on where people are in the buyer’s journey:

• Informational: People want to learn more about a company and its products or services.
• Navigational: Individuals are looking for a particular web page belonging to a brand with which they’re familiar.
• Commercial: People might want to learn about the different options available to them when making a buying decision, such as “best companies near me.”
• Transactional: Here, the buyer is ready to make a purchasing decision with a particular brand.

Most ad content will appeal to the informational and transactional stages, as people either want more information about a brand or its offerings or are ready to make a purchase in many cases.

For instance, you might encourage people in the informational stage to click on an ad for more information about how your offerings could help them, leading them to a corresponding landing page rich with relevant details.

Meanwhile, carousel ads could push specific products based on users’ interests, enticing them to complete impulse buys in the transactional stage.

In the process, you will want to target relevant keywords at every stage. At the informational stage, for example, you would want to appeal to the need to “learn more,” including “tips for,” “how to,” and “benefits of,” among other top-of-funnel terms.

At the transactional stage, you would then appeal to the need to “buy,” “order,” “purchase,” and complete other bottom-of-funnel actions. 

Be sure to map keywords based on intent, connecting them with the right ads and landing pages to move people along their journey. Also, align user intent with specific personas.

Taking this approach will help considerably with social ad targeting.

Content Gap Analysis: Spot and Fill Gaps

When developing social media ads, take a close look at your competitors and conduct an in-depth content gap analysis.

See what your competitors are doing with their ads, and identify any opportunities that might help you stand apart in your industry. 

Find out how competitors are aligning their ads with the different intent along the buyer journey, and determine where you can streamline the journey even more. You might discover that your competitors aren’t touching on a certain pain point, or they’re neglecting to use effective messaging that might draw a particular audience segment.

To begin a content gap analysis, conduct audits against top-ranking pages to see what’s working and what isn’t, and map the customer journey.

In the process, you could use a table to make things clearer. For instance, the below template helps you list content gaps at every stage, along with pain points, goals, triggers, and other aspects to help optimize ad performance.

FAQs

1. What is social advertising?

Social advertising is the process of running paid ads on various social media platforms to reach target audiences. Ads can target users based on various factors, such as demographics, buying behaviors, interests, and location.

2. How does social advertising differ from influencer marketing? 

While influencer marketing involves partnering with personalities through sponsorships to have them endorse your brand and offerings, ads bypass any relationship-building and involve bidding on ad space to target audiences in specific placements. However, you could use repurposed content created by influencers within your ads.

3. How much does it cost to advertise on social media in 2025?

Depending on the platform, the industry, and the placement, the cost of advertising on social media can vary greatly. It can range anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars per month. Determining how much you will spend on paid social advertising will depend on your budget and what you need to do to stay competitive in your industry.

4. What are best practices for social ad creative?

When creating content for your ads, you should know your audience and what kind of visuals and messaging they respond to on social platforms. Also, use compelling visuals and text that stand out while avoiding being misleading. Finally, include compelling calls to action that effectively drive more clicks and conversions.

Get the Most From Social Advertising with Rallio

To excel with your social advertising campaigns, it can require a lot of work and vigilance to stay ahead of competitors, especially if you need to manage campaigns across multiple platforms. With the help of Ignite Visibility’s social media marketing services, you can maximize your reach and connect with the right audiences at the right time. We can also integrate this service into a complete digital marketing strategy.

Here is some of what you can expect with our social advertising services:

• Market research and the development of user personas for segmentation
• Selection of the right platforms based on audience location
• High-quality creative design to ensure your ads connect
• Effective bidding strategies to help you get the most from your budget
• Continuous monitoring with detailed reports to fuel ongoing optimization
• And more!

Like this idea? Contact us today to request a free proposal and get started on your next campaign.

 

Social media marketing has undergone a lot of changes over the past decade. Some of these changes have been for the better, some for the worse, and some are still up in the air. But regardless of how you feel about social media marketing, you can’t ignore it if you’re hoping to grow your business. As we get ready to start a new year, we’ll explore some of the top trends in social media marketing that will affect your marketing strategy in 2023.

1. Marketing Automation

Marketing automation is the use of software to automate marketing tasks. It’s a way to increase efficiency, save time and money, and help you get more out of your existing resources. You might already be using some form of marketing automation for social media or email marketing campaigns; this trend will make it easier for you to expand your existing programs or start new ones.

The software platforms we’re seeing today are more flexible than ever before, which means they can accommodate both small businesses with limited resources as well as larger companies with big budgets. If you haven’t yet tried a tool like this yourself but have always thought it would be useful in your business, now is the perfect time. Be sure to check out Rallio’s dashboard and mobile app with integrated artificial intelligence for an easy way to create, automate, and manage social media content and online reviews.

2. Social Commerce

Social media is becoming more and more important for e-commerce. If you want to get ahead of the game and make sure your business is ready for 2023, you need to make sure your brand is set up for e-commerce on Facebook and Instagram (at a minimum). Use the platforms’ built-in shop tools and advertising options to promote your products or service offerings online throughout the year and make it easy for people to complete their purchases from the apps.

3. Augmented Reality

Augmented reality is a technology that integrates digital information with the user’s environment in real-time. It has been around for decades, but the emergence of AR-enabled smartphones has made it ubiquitous.

Augmented reality can be used to enhance marketing and sales by providing visual aids for customers who are shopping online or in person. For instance, if you’re shopping for a sofa, you might be able to get an idea of what it would look like in your living room with the help of augmented reality.

The technology also makes it possible for companies to provide virtual tours of their products and services, allowing potential customers to get a feel for what they’re buying before committing. It can also help businesses develop more personalized approaches to customer service by providing workers with information about each individual’s preferences and needs at any given time.

4. TikTok as SEO

Among the top trends in social media, you cannot ignore TikTok. This popular app that allows you to make short videos with music and effects, share them on social media, and engage directly with your audience. TikTok has surged in popularity among Gen Z in particular as a way of finding local businesses (for example, locating somewhere fun to eat). As such, there’s some chatter that TikTok is giving Google a run for its money as a search platform.

As the use of this platform continues to grow and evolve, it will only become more useful as a marketing tool for small businesses. Overall, the consumption of short videos is on the rise on all social platforms that support video uploads. If you’re looking for ways to reach new audiences or build up your brand recognition among certain groups, consider using TikTok as part of your marketing strategy in 2023 and beyond.

5. Social Media Increasingly Used for Customer Service

Social media is a great way to engage with customers, resolve issues quickly, and provide support. Social media channels can be used as customer service channels, especially if you have a large number of followers or subscribers. Social media is also an effective method for communicating with your audience in real-time. Companies that embrace this will have an advantage over their competitors that do not have the same understanding of social media as a customer service channel.

6. Interest Over Reach

Increasingly, engaging content is taking priority over accounts with a large follower count. This means that algorithms are favoring content of a viral nature — say, a cute puppy snoring or a mom ranting about prioritizing mental health — rather than accounts that have a high volume of followers. This is because the ability for viral content to spread and reach more people is generally more valuable than follower counts.

This trend makes sense when we think about how many times we’ve seen memes or videos go viral on social media — which are often funny, relatable, controversial, or just plain weird. The reason they get so much traction is simple: they’re shareable.

7. Nano Influencers

Nano influencers are micro-influencers who have a small following. They are becoming more popular than macro-influencers because they have a higher engagement rate and are more likely to be authentic and trustworthy. They’re also more likely to be active in the community, which is important because your brand needs to align with their values in order for them to feel comfortable endorsing you.

8. Audio Social Media

Although audio is not a new marketing medium, considering the popularity of podcasts, playlists, and radio to advertise brands. However, it has only recently emerged as a social media platform. Clubhouse, for one, is one of the leaders in the audio social media space and is growing in popularity.

One of the key benefits of audio social media over other forms of other marketing is that these platforms are interactive. Unlike a podcast, for example, a social platform like Clubhouse enables users to engage with brands just as they would on other social platforms. So, if you have a message that you want to get heard, consider implementing audio social media in 2023.

Social media is only going to grow in importance in 2023. Make sure you’re keeping up with the top trends in social media.

Social media isn’t going anywhere in 2023. It’s a channel that provides direct access to your customers and can help you understand them better than any other type of marketing. That’s why it should be a top priority for every business in 2023: as more people use these platforms, they will become even more important for businesses.

At the same time, the means of using these platforms and integrating them with your overall marketing strategy are certainly evolving. Make sure you’re aligning with the top trends in social media marketing above, and you’ll be in great shape with your marketing in the new year. For more help improving the results of your social media marketing, reach out to us at Rallio.