Blog Post

5 Reasons Why Advertisers Use Social Ads Over TV Ads

by: Mike Opera February 2, 2019

Table of Contents

This year, the world will spend more time on the internet than on TV. As time passes, this gap will only grow larger. Pretty soon, TV advertisers won’t be able to ignore social ads, but the benefits in social ads may make you consider adding budget to your campaigns.

Lower Cost

A TV ad can cost thousands to millions of dollars to run. And that’s not including production costs. Want to get the most bang for your ad buck? Social ads are the way to go. Depending on your goal, you can get an inexpensive start and scale your ads as you see a return.

Targeting Precision

Social networks know us. They know what content we consume, ads we engage with, and which ones we skim over. You can dial in on the targeting to make sure only your best prospects see your ads. After all, social platforms want to show the most relevant content.

On the other hand, simply producing a commercial and putting it on cable television doesn’t mean you’ll get in front of the right eyeballs. It’s a gamble and we’re doubling down on social advertising.

Tailored Messaging

Television ads have one shot at making an impact. If the ad doesn’t resonate, you wasted thousands of dollars and have nothing to show for it. Unlike social ads, you can’t tailor the advertisement to speak to the audience. So you’re left sending a general message in hopes that the right people will buy from your brand.

With social ads, you can tailor the messaging depending on the user’s relationship with the brand and their stage in the buyer’s journey.

Commercial Blindess

If you’re like me, you look at your phone while watching TV. Whether browsing Facebook, checking email, or playing games, your undevoted attention is not on the TV. This causes blindness to commercials. We’ve conditioned ourselves to divert our attention from the TV during commercials to our phones.

Platforms Available

Audiences allow you to narrow in on who sees your ad. Messaging speaks to your audience, but the platform has a lot to do with the type of content the person wants to see. On Pinterest, you want to see beautiful photos. On Facebook and Instagram, you want to be entertained. And on Linkedin, you want to learn information tidbits.

You catch my drift. Each platform offers users a unique reason to be there and therefore, the user is in a certain mindset when browsing. With social ads, you can tailor your advertisement to the user intent on the platform.

As we move forward, keep in mind ad quality. Just because you can get a campaign running faster than before doesn’t mean you should throw up bad creative with a confusing offer and expect conversions. Maximize your ad spend by aiming for catchy creative, thoughtful messaging, and tactical optimizations.