Ever since social media sites like Facebook gained popularity in the mid-2000s there’s been plenty of excitement and discussion around how investing in social media can be instrumental in the success of businesses and niche groups alike.

This blog will explore what ‘Paid Social Media’ really means and address the question of "why do you need to pay for social media?" Particularly when anyone can sign up to and create pages on most social media sites for free. 

Given that over 1.4 billion people actively use Facebook, we’ve decided to focus on the social media giant.

What is paid social media?

Paid social media refers to the act of paying to have your social media page, or a post from your page, promoted to your desired target audience, throughout the social media website. The targeted audience might not have heard of your business before, however, based on their profile they are likely to be interested in what you have to say or offer.

This form of social media marketing works well due to the breadth of user specific data that social media sites have stored about their users and the site’s ability to display an ad almost anywhere on the site.

The efficiency of finding the right audience via paid social media is particularly evident when setting up a Facebook ad (that’s the name for Facebook’s paid social media feature). You can define the type of audience that you want to reach using a range of filters such as location, age, gender, languages, interests and connections (non-personally identifiable information only). 

You also choose what kind of ad you want your content to be seen through. Browse Facebook’s ads guide to see what works for you.

Why do you need to pay for social media?

The bottom line, that can’t be stressed enough, is that paid social media increases your reach to potential new clients and stakeholders. You choose the type of people that you want your content to be seen by, and the social media site will ensure it is delivered to them.

On Facebook you set the amount you want to pay for advertising (from as little as $5) and the post or page that you want to promote. Soon after your ad goes live you’ll start to notice an increase in engagement. This can include an increase in new unique visitors to your website, new Facebook followers or an increase in sales or sign ups.

Recently, local electricity start-up company Flick Electric Co invested in paid Facebook advertising with the aim of attracting new customers, raising brand awareness and driving website traffic. With Facebook ads the company experienced a 3 x increase in new website sessions, 68% increase in website visits and a 10 % increase in conversion rates (‘conversion’ refers to converting site visitors into customers). Flick’s Facebook ad statistics available here.

At the end of the day it’s a matter of paying a little to make you seen by A LOT!

For Social Media support (including help setting up a Facebook account, Facebook ad or a Social Media strategy) get in touch with Expert today!