Social Media Advertising: Maximising reach and ROI for growing brands
Discover data-driven strategies to boost your brand’s reach and return on investment through social media advertising. Targeted tips tailored for digital marketers and business owners.
Social media advertising: Maximising reach and ROI
Scroll. Like. Share. Buy. In mere seconds, your customer could journey from curious clicker to loyal brand advocate – if your social media advertising hits the mark. But let’s be honest: with algorithms constantly shifting and campaigns evolving daily, it’s easy to get stuck boosting posts without seeing real results.
Whether you’re a digital marketeer building lead funnels or a brand owner on a mission to scale, social media ads offer unprecedented opportunities to connect, convert, and grow. But grabbing attention is just the start. The true game-changer? Getting return on investment (ROI) that makes the effort worth your ad spend.
Let’s break down how to maximise your brand’s reach and ROI with precision, purpose, and a few clever tricks Otter Labs relies on ourselves.
Why social media advertising still (really) matters
The average person now spends more than 2.5 hours per day on social media. That’s ample time to find your ideal customer — or lose them to a savvier competitor.
In the UK alone, over 80% of the population actively uses social platforms. For sports and wellness brands looking to scale or digital marketers chasing punchier performance metrics, these platforms are goldmines.
Done right, social ads offer:
Unmatched targeting precision
Immediate analytics and feedback loops
Scalable campaigns
Full-funnel reach – from awareness to conversion to loyalty
Done wrong? You pour ad money into the void.
Key Insight:
Whether your audience is sweating it out in a yoga studio or polishing their sales pipelines, they live on social. But showing up is one thing. Driving demand is another.
Let’s explore exactly how to dominate both.
Understanding Platform Dynamics to Maximise Reach
It starts with knowing where your customers spend time and what kind of content resonates on each platform. Your campaign’s success hinges on choosing the right channel for your audience and objective.
1. Facebook & Instagram (Meta Ads)
Audience: Broad reach; powerful for both B2B and B2C. Perfect for sports clubs, wellness coaches, and dynamic digital campaigns.
Why It Works: Meta’s targeting is top-tier. You can drill down into interests and behaviours. Plus, with Instagram’s visual punch and Facebook’s diverse user base, you’re tapping into storytelling gold.
Pro Tip: Use Meta’s 'Lookalike Audiences' to reach people identical to your top customers – proven to lower cost-per-click by up to 60%.
2. TikTok
Audience: Ideal for lifestyle, fitness, wellness, and high-energy brands.
Why It Works: TikTok users engage. Brands with short, authentic, creative video content thrive. And with a 1,000% growth in ad reach in the last 18 months, early-mover advantage is still in play.
Pro Tip: Raw wins on TikTok. Ditch the polished graphics – focus on storytelling, humour, and value-driven posts.
3. LinkedIn
Audience: Professionals and B2B decision-makers – a stronghold for digital marketeers.
Why It Works: LinkedIn offers high-quality traffic. Sponsored content and lead gen forms have higher conversion rates in B2B than any other platform – if the messaging is on-point.
Pro Tip: Use LinkedIn’s Job Title and Company Size filters to refine who sees your ads. Great for high-ticket or service-driven offers.
4. YouTube
Audience: Wide-reaching; ideal for educational, inspirational, or product-based content.
Why It Works: As the second-largest search engine, YouTube isn't just a content platform – it's a discovery engine. Perfect for evergreen ads that educate and convert over time.
Pro Tip: Combine Google Ads and YouTube targeting for an integrated video funnel strategy.
Key Insight: One-size-fits-all doesn’t cut it. Tailor both creatives and copy to platform norms – it can increase engagement rates by up to 80%.
Crafting ads that actually convert
Eye-catching doesn’t always mean effective. The highest-performing ads combine strong visuals with laser-focused messaging aligned with user intent.
Three core elements of high-ROI ads:
1. Thumb-stopping creative
You’ve got under 3 seconds to capture attention. Use movement, faces, and bold contrast. A/B-test static images vs videos – in most verticals, video ads lift conversion rates by 20-40%.
2. Compelling copy
Headline: Clear > Clever.
Body: Focus on benefits, not features. Solve a problem or spark a desire.
CTA: Use action verbs. “Book now”, “Learn how”, “Start your 7-day trial”.
3. Consistent landing experience
Don’t drop the ball after the click. Your landing page should echo your ad in message and design. Fast load speed. Minimal distractions. One goal. Just one. Remember: Confused users don’t convert.
Analysing key metrics to optimise return on investment
Fancy metrics don’t pay the bills. Focus on these ROI-centric performance indicators:
Cost per Click (CPC): Tells you how expensive traction is. Lower CPC = better initial engagement.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): Measures interest. Average CTR varies – but anything over 1.5% is a decent start for awareness campaigns.
Conversion Rate (CVR): THIS is the money-maker metric. Indicates how persuasive your funnel truly is.
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): The ultimate metric – it defines actual revenue versus ad spend. A ROAS of 4:1 means for every £1 spent, you earned £4. Aim for at least 3:1 to scale profitably.
Pro Tip: If ROAS is low but CTR is high, your creatives work – but your offer or landing page may need refining.
Three proven strategies to maximise ROI starting today
1. Leverage retargeting to reduce wasted spend
70% of people won’t convert the first time. Retargeting brings them back – and it’s cheaper. Build audiences based on video views, abandoned carts, or page visits.
Best Channels for Retargeting:
Meta (including Instagram)
TikTok’s custom audiences
Google Display Network
2. Use funnel-friendly content
Match content to customer journey stages – it increases funnel conversion rates by up to 57%.
TOFU (Top of Funnel): Say hello. Use brand awareness content – short, engaging, problem-oriented.
MOFU (Middle of Funnel): Build trust. Think testimonials, demos, expert Q&As.
BOFU (Bottom of Funnel): Close the deal. Discounts, case studies, compelling CTAs.
3. Automate, but don’t set and forget
Use tools like Meta’s Advantage+ or TikTok's Smart Performance Campaigns to streamline ad delivery — but always track, test, and tweak weekly.
Use rules-based automation in Meta Ads Manager. For example: if CPA exceeds £15, pause ad & notify via Slack.
Biggest mistakes to avoid
Going all-in on one creative: Variety is not vanity – it’s validation. Always run 3-5 versions.
Ignoring metrics that matter: Vanity metrics (likes, shares) might stroke the ego – but they don’t pay bills.
Leaving out mobile optimisation: Over 90% of social media use is on mobile. Ads must look great vertically, load fast, and minimise taps.
Skimping on testing: A/B testing headlines, images, CTAs, and audiences is the closest thing to guaranteed performance uplift.
Final takeaway: Build smarter, not louder
You don’t need to outspend competitors – you need to outsmart them.
Social media advertising isn’t about flooding platforms with spend. It’s about strategic storytelling, pixel-perfect targeting, and ongoing optimisation backed by data and creativity in perfect harmony.
When armed with the right insights and tools, both digital marketeer’s and ambitious brands can outperform even the biggest players by being more nimble, focused, and nuanced.
From reach to ROI, the smartest advertisers are the most experimental – and the most informed.
Need a second pair of eyes on your next social campaign? Otter Labs helps brands like yours scale smartly, without waste. Let’s chat – we’ll build your next campaign together.
Ready to maximise ROI with social ads that convert? Get in touch with Otter Labs to build a personalised advertising strategy tailored for your goals.
Otter Labs: Strategy, creativity & results – without the fluff. Let’s talk.
