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Guest columnist Tim Marshall is a marketing consultant and assistant professor at Baldwin Wallace University, where he teaches in the undergraduate digital marketing major and the graduate certificate in strategic marketing program. He also directs the Digital Marketing Clinic at BW, a full-service consultancy.
Social media advertising -- or paid social -- is a powerful tactic that offers marketing professionals unrivaled functionality to reach the right audience.
For example, an area company used sponsored Facebook posts to promote a wedding expo. The posts were set to target users within a radius of the venue whose relationship status was set to “Engaged,” among other criteria.
When used effectively and responsibly, paid social creates a mutually beneficial situation for marketers and users. Consumers get relevant content, and firms have the opportunity to grow. And it’s the fees from these ads that fund the free apps we rely on for distractions and diversions at the best of times, not to mention social connections at a time of social distancing.
You’ve seen paid social in action on most of the apps you use. Sometimes, the sponsored content makes sense. If you regularly view healthy-cooking videos and follow Cooking Light on Instagram, an ad for a low-carb meal kit service might not seem out of place -- and may even be welcomed.
In some cases, though, ad content can be so specific that a customer may feel a bit unnerved. Others may be a bad match.
Taking control
The Pew Research Center reported that Americans feel they have little to no control over the data that companies collect about them. But consumers do have a say in how brands reach them and for what purpose -- and they can exercise that power from their smartphones.
To manage advertising settings or learn how apps use your data, view the links below (some may require login):
• Snapchat
• TikTok
The level of control that each app provides varies. Some let users reduce ads on certain topics, while others keep a running list of ads you’ve clicked on (which can be very helpful if you want to recall an offer or coupon code).
Targeting vs. understanding
Since consumers can access information on why a brand served particular advertisements to them and can choose to limit how much they see that content in the future -- what, then, does that mean for advertisers? How does a marketer balance using an effective tool with sensitivity toward consumers’ growing privacy concerns?
Just because marketers can reach specific audiences, it doesn’t mean they are sending the right message. They might not even be using the right app.
As a consultant, I cannot imagine a world without paid social -- it’s critical to the success of many efforts. However, strategic marketers should recognize that the data that social media provides isn’t just about targeting customers -- it’s about understanding them.
The more that individuals use apps to maintain social connections, the more opportunities there are to reach them and meet marketing goals. But social apps provide ways to access and learn from the customer as much as they offer opportunities to push products.
If firms stop looking at customers as people who can make choices and only see them as data-informed targets, they run the risk of losing their interest and possible loyalty.
Of course, the greater threat to any marketer is losing the opportunity to connect with audiences altogether -- something that can happen with a few taps on a smartphone.
Keeping in mind consumers’ ability to take control of their social feeds can help marketers achieve the win-win scenarios that paid social media has the potential to offer.
Readers are invited to submit Opinion page essays on topics of regional or general interest. Send your 500-word essay for consideration to Ann Norman at anorman@cleveland.com. Essays must include a brief bio and headshot of the writer. Essays rebutting today’s topics are also welcome.
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January 04, 2021 at 12:30AM
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Consumers can take control of the ads on their social media news feeds: Tim Marshall - cleveland.com
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