Social media advertising is an important part of every digital advertising plan we develop. By using ads, sponsored content, videos and links, you create a story for your audience and can find them when they don’t even know they’re looking for you.

With all the ad variations you can utilize, how do you know where to start or what works best? Our digital advertising team is here to help.

Standard Paid Ads

Standard ads are the most straightforward way to reach your audience on social media. Focus on these three ad components to increase clicks and leads.

Strong copy: Write engaging ad copy that answers your audience’s questions in their language. Meet them where they are by emphasizing what will motivate them and make your school stand out.

Engaging call-to-action: Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter come with built in call-to-action buttons – learn more, sign up and contact us. Select the one best suited for the action you want your audience to take. For LinkedIn, you’ll want to include a call-to-action within your copy.

Compelling imagery: Choose imagery that represents your school or program, matches your message and evokes emotion. For example, when advertising an undergraduate program, you might want to showcase student activities. On the other hand, if you are advertising a graduate program, try images of students in the classroom or out in the workforce.

Carousel Ads

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The carousel format on Facebook and Instagram allows multiple images in one ad unit. Tell a story about your school. People can learn a lot through images of your current students and campus. We’ve also seen these ads receive higher click-through-rates and lower cost-per-click. Watch our video below to see one in action!

Canvas Ads

Another effective ad type on Facebook is the canvas ad. Canvas ads dynamically respond to the screen on which they’re displayed, and the user can see a combination of images, videos, text and links. This ad type is only available on mobile due to the experience it provides.

Video

Creating a solid social media ad means providing something shareable. Video ads are great for showcasing student life, sharing testimonials or providing easily digestible information on graduate programs. The recommended length is 30-60 seconds – anything longer and engagement rates begin to decrease.

Sponsored Content

Shareable content also comes from native content. When creating sponsored content, be sure you are subtle, relevant and authentic. Users should feel like your post is similar to posts their friends share.

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Facebook boosted posts: These are posts from your university page that you pay to ‘boost’ or appear higher in your audience’s news feeds. Be sure to do this within Facebook’s ad platform rather than simply boosting the organic post. This ensures you have control over your audience and can reach more users than those who have already engaged with your page.

Twitter promoted Tweets: Similar to Facebook’s boosted post, promoted Tweets come from your school’s Twitter handle, and you can amplify reach through an ad campaign. These promoted Tweets differ from Twitter ads because they appear organically in a user’s feed and for external audiences. Twitter ads are typically utilized to reach an audience beyond your followers.

LinkedIn sponsored update: This ad type is slightly different from sponsored content. Sponsored updates are created within your ad campaign to provide engaging content that appears as a native ad within the newsfeed. Use sponsored updates to announce events on campus, share testimonials or increase webinar and event enrollment.

Curious what Converge can do for your institution? Check out our digital advertising page and let us know how we can help.