As a writer and creative lead, I’ve worked on a ridiculous number of social media ads and campaigns in my career. I know that advertising can feel like the coolest, highest-impact part of your marketing and brand strategy. If we’re being honest, we all kind of want to be Don Draper.
But ads—especially social media ads—can feel like a tough nut to crack, especially if you don’t have a creative background.
Why use social media ads?
The short answer: you need to meet your audience where they spend their time. And in almost every industry, you audience spends time on social media.
Use automation to share, engage, and cross-post without lifting a finger
To add to that, we’re in the midst of a generational shift in how people use social media. Millennials and Gen Z tend to use social the same way previous generations used Google: as a search engine to find what’s trendy. There’s a huge opportunity to create branded social content that pushes your products and services out to an audience that’s already searching for what you’re offering.
What makes an effective social media ad?
From both a creative and strategy perspective, the most successful social ads have a few things in common:
- They stand out when you scroll. People are absolutely inundated with ads, and social feeds are meant to be scrolled through quickly. Explore ways to make your ads stand out—whether it’s with cheeky copy, great motion design, gorgeous video, or by amplifying organic branded content.
- They speak to what keeps your audience up at night. We’ve all done it before: you see an irrelevant ad on social media, and you scroll on by (unless it’s for industrial-grade glycine). Avoid this same pitfall with your own social ads by speaking to the greatest challenges your audience faces.
- They use the right platform to reach the right audience. This is also called channel mix, and it’s a crucial part of making sure your ads get seen by the right audience. If you’re a B2B company targeting tech decision-makers, for example, you might find that LinkedIn ads perform better than TikTok ads.
- They reinforce your overall brand. Like so many things in life, consistency truly is key with advertising. Make sure all your ads feel cohesive in terms of design, tone of voice, and messaging—so that repeat encounters build brand awareness and equity with your audience.
- They feel authentic. There’s nothing more cringe-worthy than a social ad that feels forced, but it’s also important not to hide the fact that you’re a brand. Find that balance.
- They have a clear CTA. Maybe you’re just looking for lots of views and likes, or maybe you want folks to fill out a signup form. Based on your anticipated audience and targeting, you should be really strategic about whether an ad is aimed at growing awareness or conversion—and if it’s the latter, craft a strong CTA to match.
These criteria are good to keep in mind when planning your next social advertising campaign, but the ways you can bring them to life are honestly infinite.
10 social media ad examples that landed
Here are ten social ads that hit the mark, from traditional ad buys and sponsored content to fully-fledged social activations.
1. A product-focused Instagram ad from Aday
If you want to successfully sell your product, you have to speak to what keeps your audience up at night. What challenges make them sweat? What do they fixate on in the wee hours?
