When most marketers think of advertising on social media, it’s the obvious solution. Facebook. Instagram. LinkedIn. TikTok. All of the popular plays, right? And sure, that’s where people are, and they work. But you know what’s increasingly becoming obvious? If you’re only doing that, you’re missing a huge chunk of your audience.
The thing about the statistics is that while social media usage is high, it’s not universal; and the depths of usage don’t go as wide as anticipated – in other words, not everyone who uses social media is actually seeing advertisements on social media.
Ad blockers are getting smarter. People are scrolling faster. Algorithms are less likely to show ads…and entire populations exist that either don’t like using social media or use it so sparingly that advertisements would never be seen, even if they frequented it.
So where are these people?
The Visibility Problem of Social Media Advertising
When other advertisers put ad content out there, they think it’s good to go. Approval from the platform. Budget set and spent – and woefully unaware that their target audience isn’t necessarily seeing what they created.
Consider how platform algorithms work. They intend to keep people on the platform for as long as possible, as that’s their business model to make money. Therefore, your ad isn’t competing only with other ads, but also with posts from friends and family, influencers, tons of engaging content that is much more engaging than what any advertisement could bring.
Then consider ad fatigue. Repeated types of ads are shown to users daily. They develop something known as “banner blindness” – they literally train themselves to ignore advertising in spaces where advertising is predictably placed; which is ultimately anywhere that isn’t an organic post on social.
The reality is that time and money could be wasted creating a killer ad campaign only for a small percentage of the audience intended to see it – and even then, people scroll past it at lightning speed without a second thought.
Where the Rest of the Internet Resides
Here’s the thing about internet use. It constitutes about 2-3 hours per day; maybe up to four if people are working with remote jobs. That equals a whole lot of other time that isn’t devoted to social media.
They’re checking the news sites. They’re checking the weather. They’re looking up recipes. They’re reading blogs about topics that interest them. They’re doing research on products. They’re watching videos…just not on YouTube. They’re playing mobile games. They’re browsing industry publications.
These cumulative components fall under what’s known as the open web – and this is infinitely bigger than any given social platform. However, unlike social platforms where people engage with content from those they follow, this is content that users are seeking out. Thus, they’re in a more receptive mode to taking on new products or services.
Brands open to exploring beyond social-based advertising can use an ad network that promotes ads across thousands of sites and apps – meaning you can reach people when they’re seeking solutions – not just scrolling because they’re bored.
The Demographics Social Media Platforms Miss
There are some demographics who just aren’t using social media much or social media platforms in such a way that makes them unreachable via ad campaigns.
Older professionals don’t rely on social media except for the occasional check-in on LinkedIn. They’re online for work constantly but they’re not doing much beyond research – and they’re definitely not scrolling through TikTok. If your product targets decision-makers over the age of 45, then chances are your dollars spent on social ads will be wasted.
Privacy-relevant consumers are growingly becoming an interesting population. These people know how to lock down their profiles, use ad blockers in social spaces or opted out of personalized advertising altogether. They’re not necessarily avoiding the Internet; instead, they’re avoiding being tracked across social platforms.
Finally, there’s the segment of “social media fatigued” persons who’ve cut way back on their social usage – but can spend hours online each day either reading, researching, or consuming content – just not on Facebook or Instagram.
Content Context Trumps Social Context
A huge benefit to reaching someone when they’re already considering content relevant to your product comes from display advertising across contextualized sites.
Someone reading an article about home renovations might welcome advertising for home improvement resources more than someone who is scrolling through their friend’s vacation pictures on Instagram. Someone reading an article on a tech blog will welcome software ads more than someone watching cooking tutorial videos on TikTok.
Sure social platforms can target based on inferred interest – like when someone said years ago they were interested in fitness – but there’s a big difference between someone who is actively reading an article about marathon training and someone merely scrolling through pictures of exercise videos. The context matters – and often times content relevance exceeds the behavioral targeting that social relies upon.
This is why brands increasingly making conversions instead of awareness are assessing not just who sees their ads but where they appear because the setting matters just as much as the audience.
The Multi-Channel Nature of Marketing in Today’s World
The most successful brands aren’t choosing social media or other channels – they’re operating in tandem with strategy.
Social platforms work for certain things: community building, establishing brand personality and connecting with existing customers or younger consumers. But that’s not necessarily what works best at reaching people ready for purchasing conversion or niche interest areas.
Intelligent marketing promotes different channels for different purposes. Social media may drive awareness and engagement; display across publisher sites may drive consideration and conversions; search-based advertising captures those with existing intent; email encourages relationships.
Brands winning today no longer ask which channel is best but instead what combination of channels can reach the full audience.
Cost Factors And Competition
Let’s talk money for a second. Costs for advertising on social platforms have increased gradually along with more competition vying for the same inventory. Facebook CPMs essentially doubled over the past few years among many industries and Instagram isn’t too far behind.
Advertising costs across the broader web have often lower rates – especially if brands are willing to look beyond some of the premium publishers everyone knows. There’s plentiful inventory at reasonable prices and competition isn’t as fierce among social platforms.
Therefore, it’s interesting that you can reach more people for less money with less competition when you simply look beyond social platforms. That sounds great but also brings up conflicting factors when limited budgets are at stake.
How To Transition Away From Exclusively Social Advertising
Transitioning away from an exclusive or intensive focus on social advertising doesn’t have to be complicated. Start by testing smaller campaigns outside your usual comfort zones. Review traffic where your website comes from – you might be surprised how much comes from sources other than social platforms.
Then assess your customer journey objectively – is it really true that people discover your product solely through these channels? Or are they conducting research elsewhere, getting influenced on publisher sites – and only using social media as one touchpoint among many?
Brands that figure this out aren’t abandoning social entirely – but instead stop fooling themselves thinking that’s the only place their users live outside other arenas. The results speak for themselves – a broader reach, lower costs and a new audience they didn’t realize was there all along.
Edward