Is your brand using sponsored social advertising? A new study shows consumers rate sponsored social as equally or more effective than all other forms of traditional and emerging media. But, not everyone knows what sponsored social is all about.
To help beginners, we’ve put together a list of frequently asked questions to bring you up to speed.
What is sponsored social?
For starters, let’s explain what sponsored social is. Sponsored social is a kind of advertising that marries native advertising with content and social media marketing. The idea is to strategically place content in places where customers will see it and take action.
For example, brands are integrated into the content stream of blogs, photos or social posts. The messages come from creators, which can be anyone from an everyday mom to a well-known fitness buff.
Here are some examples of sponsored blogs and Tweets.
How effective is sponsored social?
You’re probably wondering just how effective sponsored social campaigns are. After all, as a marketer you’re probably already juggling things like Facebook and PPC ads. Given your already full plate of advertising options, is sponsored social really worth it?
To answer that, take a look at the statistics below:
- On average, adults see three sponsored social messages per day.
- There is strong positive momentum behind sponsored social’s marketing effectiveness—in fact, over half (54 percent) of marketers feel better about sponsored social than they did a year ago
- Sponsored social is perceived by social media users to be equally or more effective than TV commercials, and far exceeded banner and traditional print/radio ads in terms of effectiveness.
How does sponsored social blend in?
Consumers don’t want to be advertised to, they want to be engaged. What does that mean? Consumers want to learn about products and services in a natural way; in a way that’s less intrusive and on their own turf.
Statistics show 54 percent of consumers learn about a company online. Shoppers are seeking out their own information, rather than letting it come through their radio speakers or TV screens.
For the past few years, more and more companies are seeing the value of advertising that blends in, much like sponsored social posts.
Back in 2012, Facebook did away with its display ads and pushed marketers to create native ads. The ads look and feel like regular posts. Twitter followed suit, and now most social advertising blends in.
How do I get started in sponsored social?
If you’ve got the sponsored social bug, your next step is to give this advertising option a test run, but how? How do you get content created? How do you get it posted to a reputable site? Great questions.
There’s some delicate work to be done on the backend, and if you’re not familiar with sponsored social, you might want to get some professional assistance.
