If you have been following the trends of digital marketing over the last decade, then you are likely aware of the emerging trend of social media marketing. A recent study showed that social media accounts for 80% of all web traffic today. This means that to be effectively marketing your business online, you need to be marketing on social media. Here are 3 tips for engaging in social media advertising.

Establish a Budget

The first step to take when beginning your venture into the world of social media marketing is to set a budget for yourself. Because individual transactions in this industry are such low value, it can be difficult to understand just how expensive they can end up being. If you are not careful, it is easy to spend much more than you can afford on advertising via social media. Additionally, be careful what ad providers you choose to work with. Some providers have been known to jack up prices for new and inexperienced clients inquiring about social media marketing. Do your research ahead of time, and know which providers to avoid.

Choose Your Target Audience

The most important tip to keep in mind when engaging in social media marketing is to know your target audience. The world of social media is polarizing, and there are very few places you can advertise in social media that capture a wide range of age demographics. You need to know your audience so you can both create and distribute content with them in mind. By keeping them at the forefront of any efforts, you can be sure not to lose track of the goal.

Analyze Results

Once you have completed your first round of social media advertising you can sit back and analyze what kind of growth your company saw because of it. Check your financial records against those of previous periods so you know what impacted profits and what did not. Do your best to isolate changes that resulted from your social media marketing from other possible sources for growth, such as seasonal preferences among consumers.

There are the top 3 tips to help you run a successful social media advertising campaign. Social media is truly the largest change in the marketing industry since the internet itself, so it is up to every business to adapt to the changing market to set itself up for a digital future.