It can feel like a never-ending list of items to tick off if you want to stay on top of your social media efforts – managing multiple different platforms, posting organic content, and constantly testing and evaluating new advertising initiatives. So, it’s no surprise that many advertisers find themselves stumbling when trying to figure out which areas to pour their energy into – and how often – on paid social.
After many years of managing paid social campaigns for clients, I’ve learned that a huge component of campaign success is learning how to be efficient with your time by prioritizing the actions that will get you the most bang for your buck.
In this blog post, I’ll be boiling down the seemingly never-ending list of paid social “to-dos” to six essential items I recommend keeping up with in order to maximize your advertising efforts!
1. Keep Up With Organic Content (three to seven times per week)
Most paid social platforms run ads that are linked to your organic account (for example, Meta ads are connected to a Facebook page). Because of this, there’s a chance that your ad audience is clicking through to your profile to make sure you are legitimate before buying. That being said, it’s crucial to maintain an organic social media presence to build loyalty and credibility with prospective customers and clients. Plus, it never hurts to gain some organic reach! Read our previous blog post, 26 Things to Share on Social Media When You Don’t Have Much to Say, for some organic post inspiration.
2. Analyze and Evaluate Campaign Performance (once per week, once per month, once per quarter)
One of the most critical aspects of social media to remember while running ads is that the landscape – especially user behavior – is constantly and quickly evolving. Because of this, it’s important to analyze your performance and identify what is and isn’t meeting your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) on an ongoing basis.
However, as with anything, too much of a good thing is never really a good thing. That being said, my advice is to avoid making big changes, such as launching new ads and campaigns or making big budget adjustments, on a daily basis. The algorithm needs time to learn and adapt to every change you make, and by constantly interrupting that learning process with more changes, you are setting the learning curve back even further.
For most paid social platforms, it is recommended that you only make these larger changes on a seven-day basis. This gives the campaigns and ads enough time to learn and optimize from your previous adjustments. There are times when the algorithm does not make correct decisions, so it’s generally a good idea to review your campaigns daily to ensure they are gaining momentum appropriately.
While looking at data and performance week-over-week is definitely helpful for gauging the success of your campaigns, doing so on a monthly and annual basis, as well, can also help you identify bigger trends over time.
3. Re-assess & Refresh Your Paid Media (one to two times per month)
You might have a killer ad that’s exceeding your Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) goals today, but there is no guarantee that it will continue to be this successful in the coming weeks or months. With this in mind, it’s imperative to stay ahead of declining performance by analyzing and refreshing your ads and creatives on an ongoing basis, ideally once or twice per month.
By making note of any trends amongst top-performing ads (copy style, creative style, special offers, etc.), you can better inform your upcoming creative efforts to help them be more successful.
4. Stay Ahead of New Advertising Platform Features (once per month)
Ever logged into your ad account just to notice a handful of new features you’ve never seen before? Yeah – me, too! While it might be tempting to push these new and mysterious features to the side and keep building and managing campaigns the way that you are used to, many social platforms reward advertisers for leveraging their newest technology. For example, Meta has been offering some advertisers monetary credits to try their new Website & Shop campaign destination type. Plus, oftentimes, new advertising settings and features are created using the latest AI technology, meaning that implementing them can not only potentially improve your performance, but also save you time.
Although this sounds great, it’s important to note that just because a feature is new does not necessarily mean it’s better for your performance. Aim to learn about these new features and come up with a plan to test them on a smaller scale before diving into them full-steam ahead. This approach of learning and testing new features can ultimately save you time and money in the long run!
5. Monitor Competitor Ads for Inspiration (once per month)
A great way to ensure you are staying competitive and relevant with your ads is to keep a pulse on what your competitors are running. By visiting their websites, you can often ensure you’ll be hit with their remarketing ads across any social platforms they are advertising. To view all active competitor ads on Facebook and Instagram, you can visit the Meta Ad Library and search by advertiser name.
When reviewing competitor ads, take note of any creative styles, trends, or enticing language they are capitalizing on. You can use these ads as inspiration for anything you might be lacking, and think of strategic ways to implement similar features in your own ads moving forward.
As paid social ads are refreshed rather often, I recommend conducting your competitor ads review on a monthly basis.
6. Plan for Any Upcoming Promotions & Seasonal Moments (once per quarter)
You probably already know that seasonality can play a huge part in paid social campaign performance! Instead of waiting for these seasonal moments or promotions to hit before scrambling to implement changes, you may want to come up with a plan to proactively strategize how to integrate these into your existing paid social efforts.
I recommend planning any promotions on a quarterly basis using a promotional calendar and strategizing how your offers can work synergistically with any upcoming seasonal moments.
Infographic: 6 Essential “To-Dos” for Paid Social Success
Ready to get started saving time and money while getting the most out of your paid social ad campaigns? Be sure to refer to the above “To-Do” chart to help you prioritize and simplify your ongoing social media advertising efforts!
