Social media platforms have become a hub for communication, entertainment, and most importantly, shopping. Today, consumers worldwide spend their time on an average of seven platforms a day, GWI research shows. And many, if not all, of their shopping touchpoints take place on social media, per Meltwater. To thrive in today’s competitive landscape, brands need to deliver relevant and engaging experiences to meet their customers where they are: on social.

Benefits of shopping ads

Shopping ads provide a convenient and interactive shopping experience, allowing users to explore, learn about, and purchase products or services without leaving the platform or app. This streamlined shopping experience eliminates the need to visit multiple websites or applications, saving time and effort and increasing the likelihood of purchase.

Additionally, shopping ads provide brands with an effective and targeted way to reach their desired audience. By leveraging the user data available on social media platforms, businesses can deliver personalized ads to individuals who are more likely to be interested in their products or services, leading to higher conversion rates and increased sales.

Moreover, shoppable ads create a direct connection between the ad campaign and sale. Advertisers can easily track shopping ad performance, offering a clearer understanding of ROI. This data-driven approach empowers businesses to fine-tune their campaigns and more effectively allocate their advertising budget.

Shopping ads bridge the gap between businesses and consumers, fostering a seamless and engaging shopping experience while driving growth and profitability for brands.

3 steps to success

Here’s how you can achieve success with shopping ads no matter which social media platform you advertise on:

Step one: Define your target audience

To create and run successful shopping ads, you need a solid strategy that considers the demographics, preferences, and behaviors of your potential customers at each stage of their buying journey: awareness, consideration, and decision. This allows you to customize your ads and messages to truly connect and make a meaningful impact with each target audience.

Step two: Prepare your creative assets and templates.

Aim for visually captivating and attention-grabbing creative assets, such as images or videos, that effectively showcase your products. To make life easier, create templates that can be easily populated with your product information, ensuring consistency and efficiency in your ad creation process.

Step three: Optimize and test your ads

To run successful shopping ad campaigns, it’s crucial to continuously test and optimize. Experiment with different ad variations, visuals, copy, calls to action, and targeting options to find the most effective combinations that resonate for your different target audiences. Don’t forget to analyze the performance of each variant and make data-backed decisions. This way, you can constantly refine and improve your campaigns for the best results.

The winning brands of the future don’t just serve ads to customers wherever they’re scrolling—they connect with them on a deeper level. Building long-lasting customer relationships relies on engaging content and seamless digital experiences that make shopping easy and enjoyable.

Check out Smartly.io’s new ebook, “Trending: Video and Creative in Social Media,” to learn more about harnessing the power of creative to connect with consumers and achieve success in the era of social commerce.