The first digital ad was in 1994 for AT&T. It was a simple banner-style ad that pushed marketers to rethink the impact of digital advertising when Facebook came into play in 2004. Now, advertising in social media has never been more sophisticated. With today's digital landscape, marketers need to change their approach to traditional e ads to keep up with the shift in consumer behavior and the rise of technology. 

So, what are the ongoing shifts in digital ads that we're seeing?

Let’s take a closer look.

The rise of social e-commerce 

When it came to advertisements in social media a few years ago, the main goal was always to try to lure the consumer to your website. However, mobile devices have shown that getting users to leave the app to go to a landing page and make a purchase is more challenging than it looks.

Over the years, social media has become an outlet where individuals no longer need to leave the mobile app to get everything they need. With e-commerce social media, consumers can shop, save, buy, and pay for their items in one place. 

Social media e-commerce was 2.7% of e-commerce sales in 2017. This percentage jumped to 4.6% in 2022. In the upcoming years, we only expect this percentage to rise as more social platforms continue to improve their e-commerce offerings for brands. 

So what does this mean for digital ads? They can be restructured to support e-commerce social media and used to retarget potential prospects.

Businesses are increasing their spend

More and more brands are increasing their social spending for social media advertising. Whether you’re a B2C or a B2B, businesses of every kind are seeing results and capitalizing on opportunities. It’s expected that the social media advertising market will be worth $262.62 billion by 2028. That means it’s expected to expand at a CAGR of 12.4% from 2021 to 2028. 

Marketers are switching their budgets towards digital marketing and social media is a key player in these changes. With the different platform choices available, advertising ad types, accessibility options, and opportunities for retargeting: Social media advertising is becoming one of the easiest and best digital marketing channels a business can utilize. 

An ongoing shift in goals

At first, social media was simply a tool to allow businesses to connect with their audience and build a community. However, in the past years, social media has become more business-oriented. Creating new opportunities for engagement, brand awareness, and social selling. With this business-focused shift comes new goals. 

Businesses are expecting more from their social media presence. They aren’t just posting for likes and follows. They’re posting and advertising for sales and leads. Social media e ads impacts their bottom line and is turning into an invaluable asset that allows them to target different demographics and tap into niche markets.

Prioritizing a social advertising strategy 

With the new benefits come new challenges for marketers. They can no longer just post to post or run ads without a strategy. Everything needs to be treated the same way any other marketing channel advertising would be treated. 

One of the biggest hurdles is dedicating the time and energy to crafting a strategy for content, budget, and strategic targeting. Now that social media e ads are more sophisticated than ever, this has never been more essential to a company's success on these platforms.

IOS updates and changes 

Another ongoing issue companies are combating is the IOS updates that happened in 2021. IOS 14 majorly impacted social data analytics, resulting in marketers dealing with ongoing issues such as:

• 
  Options to opt-in or opt-out 
• Shorter attribution windows
• Changes in conversion prioritization 
• Smaller retargeting audiences
• Less data breakdown options

In February 2022, Facebook claimed that these IOS changes would cost companies over $10 billion in revenue. However, although these changes are limiting, they don't completely change the opportunities of social media, just a shift in our strategies. 

Choosing the right platform

With all the different platforms readily available for advertisements in social media, it can be challenging for marketers to decide which one deserves their budget. Each social platform has access to a suite of advertising solutions and a different defined audience. 

When marketers invest in the wrong platform: it exhausts their budget and sets them back with their marketing goals and KPIs. This can also negatively impact decision-makers understanding of the capabilities of advertising on social media. 

A decline in organic reach

Social media now operates on a pay-to-play model. Insights show an ongoing decline in organic search across all platforms and that advertising is the only way to get noticed by your audience. This also means the social advertising competition is fierce, and brands need to think outside the box to get noticed. 

For example, let's consider the rise of TikTok and video content. TikTok arguably has one of the best organic research TikTok has shown brands that you don't need a professional video ad to get noticed. In fact, the more organic, the better! Research shows there’s an 18% increase in users who say a brand’s organic content is relevant after viewing a social media ad on the platform. 

Upgrade your digital ads with BusySeed

Navigating the challenges and the changes in advertisements in social media is never easy, but it's the only way to stay competitive. At BusySeed, we help businesses break the status quo and see results with e ads that complement their bottom line. 

Contact us today if you're ready to get more out of your digital ads and upgrade your advertising for social media.