As social media continues to expand in popularity and use businesses have not only taken notice but have thought long and hard how to make this work to their advantage. This is when the idea of paid social media marketing came about. What this means is that companies pay for advertising that is displayed within social media like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram since this is where people are spending the majority of their time. Companies are able to reach a broader and more diverse audience than ever before, but obviously there is a price involved. A Bit of a Battle The road to paid social media marketing has been a bit of an uphill route. The beauty about social media is that it’s free for everyone to use and engage with, so why would a company want or need to pay for advertising on it? Many companies felt they could build their own social network presence and not have to worry about paying for ads. While it’s important to have that social media presence on your own sites, it’s also important to cover more territory by placing ads where people are going to see them. What makes social media ads really appealing is the fact that a company can target a very specific audience.They may be able to introduce people to their brand/product, and then of course direct them to the company website.It used to be that a budget for paid social media ads didn’t even exist, and now today many companies are pouring a large portion of their advertising budget into it. Types of Ads Another aspect of paid social media marketing that is really paying off for companies is that you’ve got a lot of flexibility when it comes to the type of ad you want to use. It isn’t limited to just banner ads. Sure these are still popular and quite effective, but you can engage even more with customers through videos and audio. They can even interact with these ads, something that just isn’t normally possible. Experts do suggest that companies look at paid social media marketing more as a way to increase brand awareness than anything else. This shouldn’t be trivialised though because this is exactly the way you build your customer base and grow. Opt for Promoted Posts When the budget allows it’s always a good idea to opt for promoted posts. What this means is that the social network, such as Instagram, will promote your post and it will appear higher in the newsfeed. The higher your post is, the more likely it will be seen and read. Yes this will cost more, but chances are you’ll see more results using this technique. Plenty of Advantages All in all paid social media marketing is something that can reap huge results and successes that completely justify the price you have paid to place the ads. Cresconnect has been in the business of building websites and providing web services for its clients for many years now. The company takes a personalised approach with its clients giving them exactly what they want in terms of marketing, a user-friendly site, and helping your site be seen. – See more at: https://www.cresconnect.co.uk/blog/paid-social-media-marketing-whats-in-it-for-me/#sthash.8BqGcBeT.dpuf