Local social media advertising continues to be a channel of much interest. Many consumers head to social media profiles to discover brands, with many making purchases within the platform.

The local level of social media advertising has unique attributes versus national or direct-to-consumer brands. As you work with businesses on these campaigns, you can improve performance and ROI by applying some of these trends.

Consumers spend considerable time on social media sites. So much so that eMarketer predicts that there will be more social media users than TV users in the U.S. in 2025.

A high CTR (click-through rate) usually indicates strong campaign performance. Your advertisers would be happy to see all the impressions leading to clicks. If that were the end of the story, it would have the happiest ending, but it’s not. Sometimes CTR can be high, but conversions are low.

So, why does this happen, and how can you provide insights to advertisers to boost conversions?

Short-Form Video Wins

Video ads can interest and convert audiences. With the right message, advertisers can increase website traffic, brand awareness and sales. Data backs those results, according to Wyzowl. Their study notes that videos have helped people understand their products and services, generate leads and boost awareness.

As a short-form format, brevity is the key to its popularity and importance. Attention spans keep shrinking, so you only have a few seconds to capture attention.

Some best practices for this include:

  • Focusing on one topic, feature or pain point
  • Highlighting how the product or feature delivers value
  • Including a compelling call-to-action (CTA)
  • Choosing the right platform for the audience

Fine-Tuning Targeting

Organic reach across most platforms is waning. Depending on the site and algorithms, very few followers or fans see content from brands they follow.

For example, on average, Facebook posts now reach just 2.2% of followers, and Instagram is only slightly better at 9.5%. 

Organic posts don’t get the impressions they once did. Ads can fill this gap, but they need to be very targeted. They may reach more people if targeting is too general, but many seeing them won’t find these ads relevant.

While it’s not feasible to deliver a direct personalized message, your clients can reach those most likely to have an interest. With narrower targeting, responses can substantially improve.

Review our post on social media targeting options for more insights.

Using Hashtags More Intentionally

Adding 20 hashtags to a local social media advertising post has very little impact. Hashtags are part of social SEO, and they can help searchers find posts. In ads, they are tags that could catch a user’s eye.

The best ways to use hashtags are to:

  • Be consistent.
  • Don’t over-hashtag; three to five is plenty.
  • Add trending hashtags only if they are relevant.
  • Focus on hashtags that describe a user as well as the product or service.

Combining What Users Want

Local social media advertising is, after all, an ad. They don’t have to look or sound like one, and that’s what users want. According to SproutSocial, the most important brand content traits are authenticity, relatability and entertainment.

These elements work together for storytelling, and those ads resonate with audiences.

  • How can ads be authentic? It could showcase actual employees or customers telling their stories, demonstrating social proof.
  • How can ads be relatable? The same tip from above applies here, too. If you use an influencer, the person should be local and an actual expert. Relating messaging also can include defining pain points and delivering solutions.
  • How can ads be entertaining? Businesses can achieve infotainment (information + entertainment) by answering questions, telling stories, using humor or being unique with creative.

Creating More Social Ads for Events

On the local level, social media is an excellent channel for event promotion. With specific targeting, your customers can reach their intended audience. It works for in-person and virtual events. Social ads can be a great complement to email marketing, radio and geofencing ads.

For example, a local boutique could highlight a trunk show. Depending on the items and audience demographics, such an ad would be great on Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat. If it’s a B2B webinar, LinkedIn would be a great option.

Memes As Ads

Social media has become a meme-rich environment. Many use humor to make a point, so why not carry that over to ads? It won’t be an appropriate strategy for everyone, but it could be a winning campaign for some!

An analysis of meme usage in advertising concluded that people respond more favorably to these ads than others. Memes also increase engagement.

The first rule of memes in advertising is to ensure no copyright issues. You can create a list of five to 10 well-known memes. Then, consider how they could apply to an advertiser’s goal.

For more ideas, check out our post on memes in ad campaigns.

Share These Local Social Media Advertising Trends

Social media ads can be a central part of local advertising. They work best when part of an integrated campaign that uses multiple tactics. If your advertisers are ready to try something new, these trends can help!

Get insights and ideas just like these by subscribing to Aspire today!