Social media platforms have gained a firm place in our lives within a very short period of time. Depending on the platform, several hundred million people visit them — every day. At the start of our new topic special “Social Media”, we now want to give you an overview of what options you have to reach these people through paid social.
Time flies quickly. Instagram already celebrated its 10th anniversary in October 2020. More than a billion people use the platform every month and spend an average of 53 minutes on Instagram — per day. In addition to private users, over 25 million companies are now also represented on Instagram. These companies spent 13.86 billion dollars on advertising in 2020. The range of advertising options is varied. We will introduce you to the most important ones.
Story ads. As the name suggests, story ads are played between user stories. From a creative point of view, many things are possible here: one or more stories combined, pictures or videos. Here you can let off steam to suit your target group.
Photo/Video Ads. Photo and video ads are advertising formats that are played out in the post feed. Here, advertisers can present their company, brands or products with stylish images or videos of up to a minute long.
Carousel ads. The carousel ads are also played out within the post feed. In contrast to photo or video ads, several images/videos are played out here as a “carousel”. In this way, different products can either be presented or storytelling can be done about a single product.
Collection Ads. Collection ads basically work in the same way as photo ads, but also have an e-commerce function that allows products to be purchased directly.
TikTok is one of the youngest social networks - both in terms of creation and target group. Founded in China in September 2017, TikTok has become a platform that must be included in the marketing mix - especially if the young target group is to be addressed. TikTok focuses on authentic video content for entertainment purposes. The distribution of users between GenZ and Millennials is currently around 60/40 in favour of younger people. In addition to content, these target groups can also be reached with various display formats.
Brand takeover. The format is played in full screen when the app is started. There are different variants, from a 3-second still image to a 5-second GIF.
In-feed ads. Promotional videos that are played within the user feed.
Branded Hashtag Challenge. Hashtag challenges can be implemented not only organically, but also directly in cooperation with TikTok. As a result, the campaign gets a “landing page” with a description and all collected contributions. Additional reach is possible by combining with other advertising options.
Branded effects. Special filters or “lenses” that can be freely designed by companies
TopView. This format is also played directly when the app is opened. In contrast to brand takeovers, not only still images or GIFs are allowed here, but also up to 60 seconds of video content.
Snapchat is running a bit under the radar due to the current market dominance of TikTok and Instagram, but completely wrongly. 500 million active users per month speak a clear language. In addition, the app is still being further developed and equipped with new, innovative features. And the paid sector also offers many opportunities to reach users, who mainly belong to GenZ.
Snap ads. The classic basic advertising in the form of up to 10 seconds of videos. You can link to further content via swipe up.
lenses. Lens filters are one of Snapchat's main features. And of course, there is the option here for companies to offer their own lenses - for a fee.
Geofilter. Geofilters can be placed over snaps as an overlay. Brands can thus offer their own filters in specific areas and thus be targeted regionally. Also available as an on-demand filter, with a very short duration and tight regional limits.
Snap to unlock. Currently still in the test phase, the format bridges the gap between the app and physical media. Using a code that is attached to posters, for example, a “secret” function can be revealed via a Snapchat app.
Pinterest walks the thin line between visual search engine and social network — and with this balancing act, it reaches almost 500 million active users. But what makes Pinterest different from the other networks? It is primarily about inspiration and a spirit of discovery. The visual sources of inspiration often prove to be a good provider of traffic for websites. The range of advertisements is also growing successively.
Promoted (video) pins. Promoted (video) pins are normal posts that are advertised accordingly and are thus accessible to a larger target group. The video variant is played with autoplay.
One-tap pins Are very similar to Promoted Pins, at least until you click on them. Because then the larger view does not appear as with the sister format, but is followed by a direct redirection to a website.
Promoted app pins. A special format that is only suitable for app promotion. Here, too, there is a strong resemblance to the Promoted Pins or One-Tap Pins. But instead of linking to a website, there is a direct link to the respective app store.
Cinematic pins. Here, too, there are similarities to Promoted Video Pins. In contrast to these, however, Cinematic Pins are only played when they are actively clicked on by users.
For many, Facebook is synonymous with the original social network concept. In terms of the number of users, this is not wrong. After all, Facebook connects more than 2.6 billion users worldwide. More than 1.8 billion of them are active every day. Advertising on Facebook can therefore be worthwhile. The range of advertising options is very reminiscent of that on Instagram
Image ads. A simple yet very attractive advertising option. Image-format ads that are displayed within the user feed.
Video ads. Almost identical to image ads, but video material is used instead of image material. In addition to the user feed, video ads can also be played out as a story.
Poll ads. A mobile-only format that focuses on interactivity. A survey with two answer options is combined with image or video material.
Carousel ads. Carousel ads are particularly suitable for advertising many products or products that require particular explanation. Up to 10 photos or videos can be combined into one ad here.
Collection Ads. A special shopping format that is also only available for mobile devices. With up to 5 pictures or videos, products can be displayed here that can be purchased directly without leaving Facebook.
Canvas Ads. A mobile-only format that offers an interactive full-screen experience.
More than 1.9 billion signed up users are on YouTube every month. Of course, this incredible number of regular users also ensures a very high level of traffic. As a result, videos with a total duration of over billion hours are played every day — a barely tangible number anymore. To satisfy this hunger for content, 500 hours of video material are uploaded worldwide - per minute. That means around 720,000 hours per day. In addition to video on demand, YouTube also offers live streaming options. And, of course, various paid social solutions, for example:
Skippable video ads. Video ads that viewers can skip after five seconds Like the non-skippable videos, ads are available as pre-, mid- and post-roll ads.
Non-skippable video ads. Video ads that can't be skipped. With a length of 15 or 20 seconds, depending on the region.
Bumper ads. Videos of a maximum length of 6 seconds that are played before a video is played. They cannot be skipped over and are only available as a pre-roll.
Overlay ads. Overlay or text ads that appear in the bottom fifth of a video. In contrast to the other ad formats, only available on PCs or laptops. No playback via mobile, smart TVs or game consoles.
TrueView Ads Are similar to skippable video ads. Users can skip ads after 20 seconds
Twitch has now established itself as the most popular live streaming platform - even ahead of the big competition YouTube. Founded in 2011 as a pure gaming stream provider, Twitch has now also opened up to other formats. In addition to e-sports and gaming content, the “Just Chatting” area is particularly popular, in which content creators chat with their followers or watch series together. In Germany, around 12 million active users are on Twitch every month, the majority between 16 and 34 years old.
Video ads. As befits a video platform, Twitch offers various video ad solutions. In addition to offers for the various devices that are played out as pre-, mid- or post-roll, there are also SureStream Ads, which are seamlessly embedded in the stream. In this way, users with activated AdBlockers are also reached.
Display ads. Here, the streaming platform offers common formats such as Medium Rectangle or Super Leaderboard. The ads are displayed within the search or when exploring the content.
In-game ads. Some games, such as Animal Crossing, offer in-game advertising space. Through targeted campaigns, these spaces can be promoted on Twitch.
The right advertising format for every target group
Regardless of whether you want to make your brand known or want to increase sales of certain products - Paid Social offers the right solution for every imaginable campaign goal. The selection of suitable networks plays the most important role in the success of campaigns. Because not every target group is equally represented on every network. However, with thorough analysis and the right insights, nothing stands in the way of successful paid social campaigns.
