Creating a paid social media strategy for your business

Social media is one of the most effective ways to reach your audience, but organic reach is limited. A paid social media strategy helps businesses cut through the noise by promoting content to a targeted audience. Whether you're looking to increase brand awareness, drive traffic, or boost conversions, a well-planned strategy ensures you spend your ad budget wisely.

Below, we’ll cover how to build a paid social strategy, key content rules to follow, different ad formats, and potential downsides to consider.

How to Build a Paid Social Strategy

A strong paid social strategy starts with clear objectives and careful planning. Here’s how to structure yours:

Define Your Goals

Do you want to increase brand awareness, generate leads, or drive sales? Each goal will shape your approach.

Know Your Audience

Use demographic, behavioural, and interest-based data to refine your targeting. Most platforms allow you to create highly specific audience segments.

Choose the Right Platforms

Facebook and Instagram work well for B2C, while LinkedIn is better for B2B. TikTok and Snapchat suit younger audiences, while Pinterest is strong for lifestyle brands.

Set a Budget

Decide how much you're willing to spend daily or monthly. Start small, test and scale based on performance.

Create Engaging Ad Content

Eye-catching visuals and compelling copy make a difference. Video ads generally perform best.

Monitor and Optimise

Regularly review your ad performance and tweak targeting, creatives, or budgets to improve ROI.

Remember, paid social is less about throwing money at ads, and more about constant testing and refinement to maximise results.

The 50/30/20 Rule for Social Media

Paid social works best when balanced with organic content. The 50/30/20 rule helps structure your content mix:

50% Value-Driven Content

Posts that educate, entertain, or inspire. This could be tips, infographics, or user-generated content.

30% Curated Content

Sharing relevant articles, industry news, or influencer content to build credibility.

20% Promotional Content

Directly advertising your products or services. This includes paid ads and sales-driven posts.

This balance prevents your audience from feeling like they’re constantly being sold to while keeping engagement high.

Examples of Paid Media Strategies

There are different ways to approach paid social, depending on your goals. Here are two common strategies:

Always-On Paid Media

A continuous ad strategy where brands run paid ads all year round to maintain visibility. This works 

well for e-commerce brands and SaaS companies looking to stay top-of-mind.

Campaign-Based Paid Media

Short-term, goal-driven ad campaigns, such as promoting a new product launch or seasonal sale. These ads are high-intensity for a set period before being paused or adjusted.

Most brands combine both approaches, using always-on ads to maintain presence and campaign-based ads for special promotions.

Paid Media Target Audience & Formats

The success of your paid social strategy depends on targeting the right audience with the right ad format.

Paid Social Media Target Audiences

Platforms allow you to segment audiences based on:

• Demographics – Age, gender, income, education

• Interests & Behaviours – Shopping habits, hobbies, device usage

• Custom Audiences – Based on website visitors or email lists

• Lookalike Audiences – People similar to your existing customers

Paid Media Formats

• Each platform offers different ad formats to match your objectives:

• Image Ads – Simple but effective for brand awareness

• Video Ads – High engagement, best for storytelling

• Carousel Ads – Multiple images in one ad, good for showcasing products

• Lead Generation Ads – Forms built into the ad to collect customer data

• Stories & Reels Ads – Short-form vertical video ads designed for quick engagement

Choosing the right combination of audience targeting and ad format makes your campaign more effective.

Final Thoughts

A successful paid social media strategy is built on clear goals, smart targeting, engaging content, and ongoing optimisation. Whether you're running always-on campaigns or short-term promotions, balancing ad spend with organic content helps maintain engagement without overwhelming your audience.

Test different ad formats, track performance, and adjust your strategy based on data. Paid social is constantly evolving, so staying flexible is key to long-term success.