01 Nov Social Media Advertising

Have you ever played the arcade game “Shoot to Win?” It’s the world’s most frustrating and anxiety inducing game…but it is so fun! In “Shoot to Win”, you have two cages side by side for two players to compete against one another. Basically you and your partner shoot NBA regulation sized basketballs into your respective basketball hoops. The game keeps score of your points, your competitor’s points, and how much time is left in the game. The person who makes the most baskets wins. The fun part is that eventually the game becomes a race against time.
Not only do I enjoy playing the game, but I also enjoy watching others play. The reason is that at some point, people begin to panic, and instead of continuing to do what has been working for them, which is shoot at the basket one ball at a time, they begin to shoot multiples balls at once. I’ve observed people shoot two balls, one in each hand, and before the balls even hit the rim, their arms are shooting a third and fourth. What ends up happening is that the balls hit each other and knock themselves out of play. So instead of shooting one targeted ball at a time, we eventually get so frustrated that we end up blocking our own success by shooting multiple basketballs at once…and get absolutely nothing in return for our efforts.
So what does this have to do with social media marketing? Well, shooting multiple, untargeted basketballs at once is like advertising on social media without defining your customer. You might get lucky and land one or two…but you’re more than likely preventing yourself from landing more customers and increasing your revenue…or score, if you will. And they say video games don’t teach us anything. Pffff.
The key to social media advertising success (regardless of the platform) is to know your customer. In order to win with advertising, you have to remember to W.W.I.N.
Who is your target audience?
Is it moms in their 30’s and 40’s? Is it high school students who enjoy playing basketball and other recreational sports? Is it college students in the 21-24 age range? These are important questions to ask because having a defined target audience will help you focus your ideas onto a certain demographic. This usually leads to higher converting advertising campaigns? Why? Because you are able to demonstrate that you know the consumer. You develop rapport.
Where is your target audience located?
Are they only in a certain area consequently limiting you to a certain geographic location? Or are you able to advertise nationwide?
Interests.
What is your ideal client interested in? Do they enjoy sports? Are they tech savvy? Do they enjoy shopping? Or do they prefer traveling across the globe? If you challenged them to a game of “Shoot to Win” would they know what that means?
Numbers.
How many people are in your target audience? Is it one business? Or is it two?
Advertising can be incredibly expensive, especially if you have low conversion rates from your advertising campaigns. That is why it’s important to have your ideal client identified. Not only will this help you save on money and have higher conversion rates (equating to more money in your pocket), but you will also be sure to W.W.I.N. And if you’re ideal customer is a fan of “Shoot to Win,” well they’re just good people. 🙂