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Glossary – Advertising on social media

Advertising on social media

Nikiforov Alexander
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Social Media Advertising

Social media advertising involves placing ads on popular platforms. In Russia, one of the most popular social networks for business is "VKontakte." According to Mediascope data, as of November 2023, the number of users on "VKontakte" reached 88.9 million, making it the most visited social network in the country. An effective format for social media ads is often a post with an offer and a call to action.

The situation on other platforms, such as Instagram and Facebook, changed after their blocking in Russia in March 2022. Access to them is only possible through a VPN. As a result, the daily audience of Instagram dropped from 31% to 6%, while Facebook's audience decreased from 7% to 2%. Targeted advertising is no longer available here, but the possibility of promotion through bloggers and influencers still exists.

Some marketers also consider the messaging app Telegram and the video hosting service YouTube as social networks. Telegram allows for advertising, while this feature has been disabled for Russian users on YouTube.

Who is Social Media Advertising Suitable For

Social media offers effective promotion tools for many business segments, including:

  • Mass market: clothing, footwear, accessories, gadgets, toys, furniture.
  • Beauty industry: cosmetics, skincare products, beauty salons.
  • Food service: cafes, restaurants, delivery.
  • Thematic goods: products for fishermen, hunters, music lovers, athletes.
  • Online products: services, games, apps, cinemas, educational platforms, courses.
  • Services by private specialists: photographers, psychologists, designers, marketers.
  • Unique gifts, souvenirs, handmade products.
  • Fitness clubs, dance schools, stretching studios.
  • Flower shops.
  • Financial services and other niches.

For example, the furniture hypermarket Hoff actively uses targeted advertising on "VKontakte." However, large B2B companies operating in narrow profiles may find it challenging to locate their audience on social media, making targeting business owners less effective.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Advertising

Most companies use social media advertising due to its numerous advantages:

  • Large reach: Millions of users log into their accounts daily.
  • Targeting: The ability to finely tune the audience by gender, age, geolocation, and interests.
  • Parsing: Quick collection of information about competitors' followers.
  • Cost: Accessibility of advertising for small and medium-sized businesses with minimal budgets.
  • Multiformat: A variety of placement formats, from text posts to artistic integrations.
  • Convenient analytics: The ability to track the effectiveness of advertising campaigns.

However, there are also disadvantages:

  • High competition: Many companies post ads, making it difficult to stand out among competitors.
  • Financial risks: High advertising costs in competitive niches.
  • Legislation: New requirements for ad labeling may create additional challenges for marketers.

Types of Advertising on Social Media

Advertising on social media is divided into two main categories:

  • Targeted advertising: Shows creatives to users with specific characteristics.
  • Seedings: Posts placed in blogs and communities, visible to all subscribers.

Features of Advertising on Different Platforms

Let's consider how advertising tools work on the largest platforms:

  • "VKontakte": Ads can be placed in the news feed, sidebar, communities, videos, and stories.
  • "Odnoklassniki": Targeted ads are also placed in the news feed and videos.

On the "VKontakte" platform, for example, ads can be automatically adapted in the advertising cabinet, simplifying the process for users.