Local advertisers want to spend money on social media campaigns. They just might not know how all of it works and why it’s not like programmatic ad buys.
Social media is such a normal part of everyday life in the U.S., and businesses want to capture this attention. Social media ads can perform really well in terms of brand awareness and specific promotions. However, your customers may not understand the mechanics and how they differ from programmatic tactics.
To level set, you can explain how social media campaigns are different and manage expectations. A single ad on Instagram isn’t a one-way ticket to revenue. In general, social media should be part of a broad media plan that includes digital and radio to meet a specific goal.
Local Advertiser Social Media Ad Perceptions
The latest benchmarking for radio digital sales illustrates how local businesses think about social media campaigns. They answered that they would spend more on these ad types and believe them to be one of the most effective.
Keep in mind that this is what they believe, not true performance. It has much to do with overall perceptions about social media engagement. It could be more of a bias based on what they see as consumers — a feed of ads.
This is not to sway you from selling social, but you need to offer insights on how performance differs from programmatic advertising.
Social Media Campaigns vs. Programmatic
Many differences exist between social media and programmatic ads. First, social ads only run on the platforms defined and on partner sites, white programmatic ads can run across many different websites and apps.
Creating a social media ad campaign involves targeting just like programmatic ads. It varies across platforms. Here’s a resource on social media targeting options. There are many areas of overlap, but there may be unique targeting factors for each.
The cost models and impressions for each ad type also differ. Programmatic typically uses a CPM (cost-per-thousand) model. It’s the cost an advertiser pays per 1,000 impressions.
Social campaigns use media spend (the specific budget for the time frame). They also must have a goal, which includes brand awareness, website traffic or lead generation. The goal influences the total number of impressions served, but impressions aren’t really the metric that matters.
An example would be an advertiser looking to increase website visits. The ad is optimizing for clicks to drive people to the site. Thus, the metric that’s crucial here is CTR (click-through rate) rather than serving as many impressions as possible. If brand awareness were the goal, impressions would matter more.
Social sites use the media spend model to maximize ad spend, tying it directly to the campaign goal.
These distinctions are crucial in setting expectations. They’re especially vital if advertisers are used to CPM models. If they’re just starting to advertise on social, they need to know how it works. Sharing this knowledge makes them more informed and sets expectations transparently.
Social Media Campaigns Can Be Effective for Local Businesses
Social media ads can help your customers find and connect with the right audience. Targeting and defining the right goal are crucial for success. It also helps if they already have a good organic presence. Making these ads part of an integrated campaign usually delivers the best results.
For more on social, check out these posts:
2025 Local Social Media Advertising Trends
Boosted Social Posts Aren’t True Digital Advertising: How to Talk to Businesses About the Difference
Selling Niche Social Media Advertising to Local Businesses
