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How to justify your social media ad budget to your boss

Are you part of the marketing team at a startup app company? Perhaps you ARE the team. If so, today’s discussion on why you should budget for social media advertising (and how to justify it to your boss) is for you.

Meeting your marketing objectives with social media advertising

Using social media to get your app in front of a large audience isn’t a new idea. Social media advertising has been around for years, and Intuit’s Bryan Cytron recently shared five social media strategies to promote your app. His fourth strategy? Employ social media advertising.

According to Statista, an estimated 3.81 billion people are using social media today and 3.74 billion are active via mobile social media. Nowhere else can you find billions of potential customers in one place like you do on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and YouTube.

Social media ads, also known as app install ads, are placed strategically in social media feeds. They redirect potential customers you can target by demographics, industry, or behaviors to your app in the app stores. Increased downloads and an increased customer base are two major benefits.

But, it’s important that you don’t choose your social media platform or platforms randomly. As Bryan writes in his post, “Take a look at the different social media platforms and assess which ones are best for your specific app. Find your place on social media to deliver the kinds of messages that resonate with your customers and prospects.”

Let’s use Facebook as an example.

Facebook is second only to YouTube as the most widely used online platforms among U.S. adults, according to the Pew Research Center. The Facebook for Business page explains how Facebook can help you promote and grow your app, as well as track and measure app installs through their free Facebook SDK.

Does this sound like the right platform and audience for your app? If not, then look to the other platform options. It’s worth your time and effort to research which one (or ones) would be a good fit for you and your app.

You’ll be happy to know that apps are often discovered outside the app store and social media advertising prompted 49% of consumers to download an app, according to Google’s Mobile App Marketing Insights report. In addition, Hootsuite’s 43 Social Media Advertising Statistics that Matter to Marketers in 2020 (written before COVID-19) says 27% of internet users say they find new products and brands through paid social ads.

LinkedIn is a great platform if you’re able to squeeze out a little more budget. It’s the preeminent B2B platform because it really is the one true professional social platform. When you interact with users in a professional setting they’re much more receptive to your marketing messages.

LinkedIn’s advanced targeting options include job title, company name, industry, job function, company size, degree, and much more. This level of targeting allows your business to refine your audience and avoid junk clicks. While they don’t offer ad campaigns optimized for app installs (yet), the fact that members are constantly updating their academic and professional backgrounds means your audiences will be much more authentic.

Justifying social media advertising

So, let’s review:

  • Using social media advertising puts you in front of billions of potential customers.
  • The ads are found within social media feeds and seamlessly direct people to your app in the app stores, increasing installs and your customer base.
  • You can advertise on multiple social media platforms (make sure to assess them for a good fit).
  • Paid social media advertising persuades customers to download apps, like yours.

These are some solid justifications for a social media advertising budget – and here’s one more: Ad costs are lower right now due to COVID-19. While the cost may rise as businesses reopen and the economy improves, the cost is worth it as social media use continues to climb.

Bottom line: It may be time to stop spreading yourself thin by trying to organically hit multiple marketing channels. Start focusing on social media advertising as an effective high-growth strategy.


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