How Social Ads Support Relationship-Based Marketing

Do you put your customer relationships first? You should. It’s one thing to convert a customer once — but it’s much more valuable to cultivate a relationship with that customer (and their connections) for the long term. Social ads can help you do that well and at scale.

“It is critical to note that to maintain loyalty with your customers is not something you do once but it is a chain of events involving positive interactions with your customers; it should be handled in a manner that they get used to expecting a great service quality from your enterprise.” –Steve Olenski

There are countless ways to engage in relationship-based marketing — email, direct mail, customer service, events, and special promotions are a few of them — but social ads are an excellent way to get in front of your customers with specific messaging and relationship-building content to make sure they stick around. Most social platforms offer some soft of individualized targeting and these tools can help you craft the perfect message that resonates with each user.

“In my opinion, custom audiences are the most powerful aspect of paid social.” –Larry Kim

Reach Your Audience Directly

Social advertising platforms offer more customized targeting options than ever, and help you reach your customers where they already spend time — in their social feeds.

Facebook & Instagram Custom and Lookalike Audiences

Facebook still offers the gold standard of Custom Audience tools — and they are now available on Instagram, too. Upload a customer list and reach those specific users on Facebook or users just like them.

Twitter Tailored Audiences

Twitter’s Tailored Audience tool works similarly to Facebook Custom Audiences and includes a remarketing feature as well.

LinkedIn Targeting Options

While you can’t target individual users on LinkedIn just yet, you can target certain job roles at each company — so you can get very close to individualized messaging with LinkedIn Ads.

Google Customer Match & Similar Audiences

Google announced its new Customer Match feature recently. Since Google owns a large percentage of the email share in the U.S., this could be a boon for advertisers seeking specific users at different points in their buying process when they are logged into a number of Google’s properties, including YouTube.

Engage & Educate for Results

Once you reach your customers online, what will you offer them? Personalized social ads can be excellent tools to:

• Make an Announcement or Special Offer
• Promote Your Content or Follow Up On Previous Content
• Build a Referral Program
• Run a Contest
• Encourage Event Registration

The options are almost endless to help you manage your customers’ interactions with your brand. You can share a new piece of content on one of their preferred topics. You can offer a special deal to your early adopters. Thank someone for attending an event. Promote a new feature. By customizing these experiences, you’ll foster a familiarity and level of care for your customers that will propel these relationships beyond the initial sale, ultimately improving customer lifetime value and boosting brand loyalty. It’s also possible that your ads will earn organic lift too — helping you reach a new audience while pleasing your current one.

Originally published at blog.accomplice.io on December 16, 2015.