The seeding format of advertising on social networks is still relevant in 2024. However, due to the lack of an advertising account, seeding has to be analyzed and optimized manually, and many neglect this, which reduces its effectiveness. In this article, a social media management agency shows how to optimize and analyze seeding, and get more return on investment.
First, about what seeding is and why it is needed
Seeding or advertising purchases is an advertising tool that allows you to promote your product through the purchase of advertising from certain blogs and bloggers. Seeding can be in various social networks, allowing you to broadcast to a wide audience.
What is it for?
The goals of this online advertising format are standard:
- Increasing brand awareness;
- Increasing product or service awareness;
- Increasing sales;
- Reaching a new target audience.
Pursuing a specific goal, further optimization of the campaign and the direction in which to move are determined.
Advertising through seeding is often a long-term job. Here it is important to track each stage of the funnel, think through the advertising post, offers and USP, and through careful analysis broadcast to the audience that will find your service or product relevant.
What are the seeding formats
Advertising is carried out through thematic channels or bloggers, in the form of a post with or without pictures. In this advertising format, it is impossible to predict the success of the campaign; regular tests and hypothesis checks are necessary. A thorough analysis of the channel on which the placement is planned is very important.
Seeding on YouTube
Such advertising usually goes through integrations and thanks to sponsors, and is placed in bloggers’ videos. A specific timing is dedicated to advertising, during which the blogger voices the advertising text and calls for attention to the brand.
Seeding in Telegram
Advertising goes through thematic channels or bloggers, in the form of a post with or without pictures. In this advertising format, it is impossible to predict the success of the campaign, regular tests and hypothesis checks are necessary. A thorough analysis of the channel on which the placement is planned is very important.
Native seeding
Advertising that does not look like advertising. It shows itself effectively, but is difficult to create. Such advertising often becomes viral, and does not contain a direct hint of sales.
Each type of seeding, of course, must be accompanied by a well-thought-out sales funnel, leading to a specific post, product, service. And each seeding also needs an analysis of efficiency and optimization.
Performance indicators and how to track advertising results
As in regular online advertising, there are certain indicators and metrics by which you can evaluate the effectiveness of advertising:
- Impressions – this indicator shows how many users have seen the advertisement;
- Reactions – these can be likes, reactions, comments, saves, reposts. This indicates how relevant the advertising in the blog is and whether it has reached the target audience;
- Transitions – by links to a channel, product, service, website. Do not forget to mark links with UTM tags to know the exact number of touches and actions;
- Number of conversions – conversions can be registrations, purchases, subscriptions, etc.;
- CPM – cost per thousand views;
- CPA – cost per target action;
- CPL – cost per customer acquisition.
It is important to control and track each of the indicators, and then optimize and improve the indicators. But how to do this?
We track the results throughout the entire advertising period. When the advertising time comes to an end, we record all the results in the reporting table, in which we summarize the data.
Impressions, reactions, transitions – you can find out from the statistics of the advertising post/story/reel, etc.
Such metrics as “number of conversions” can be noticed thanks to the UTM tags placed in the links, then we go to Metrica and summarize the conversions.
CPM – is determined by the formula: Advertising cost / Number of impressions * 1000.
CPA – Advertising costs / number of completed target actions.
CPL – Advertising costs / Number of attracted leads.
Thanks to the calculations of the necessary metrics through formulas in the reporting tables, the results are calculated automatically.
Improving the indicators
Next we will tell you about ways to improve the indicators of efficiency and optimization.
1. Analysis — analyze the results of advertising campaigns, measure the indicators and track whether they are improving. If the indicators are at the same place, it is likely that you are either not showing up to the target audience, or it is worth reworking the advertising text and delivery.
2. Tests — test different directions of blogs and channels, even the most unobvious ones, but those that are related to the topic of your brand. Analyze the interests of your target audience, and based on this, determine indirect interests, which you also test in advertising. Start test launches in new directions with small channels.
3. Budget optimization — redistribute the budget towards those directions of channels and blogs that give the best results. Such budget optimization will be useful in order not to waste the budget in vain. For example: you are testing several channel topics, and you get more conversions from the “Marketing” topic, the subscription price is also cheaper, and from the “Copywriters” topic — there are no applications, and the subscription price is very high. In this case, it is recommended to direct most of the budget to successful areas in order to avoid draining the budget.
Of course, it is worth allocating a budget for test launches of advertising, because thanks to them you can find new sources of traffic.
4. Competitors — analysis of the brand’s competitors is an important part of optimization. View, using special platforms or monitoring, where competitors are shown, what offers they use and what their advertising looks like. This way you will not lag behind them, and will be aware of what advertising others use and whether it is successful.
5. Combine seeding formats – this way, you will reach not only users of one social network, but will also be visible, increasing brand awareness.
6. Check channels – it is important that the channel is not inflated, otherwise the statistics will be corrupted and incorrect, which means that the effectiveness of the advertising cannot be assessed.
So, by measuring the results of your advertising campaigns, you will be able to accurately determine whether it is profitable to advertise on a particular advertising channel, you will understand whether the advertising text is effective and can be scaled, or whether it is worth optimizing. By testing different approaches and formats in seeding, it will be easier to find new target channels and get the necessary results. You can always get more valuable information about SMM marketing on the website of our social media advertising agency.