What event organisers need to know about paid advertising campaigns

What you need to know about Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn paid advertising.

Paid advertising campaigns come in many forms, including Google and Microsoft ads, not to mention paid social advertising on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

While each offers event organisers opportunities to increase brand awareness, generate new leads, and drive attendee registrations, deciding where and how to spend dollars across these platforms is extremely challenging.

The good news is that one of the biggest pros of paid advertising campaigns is they can easily be tracked and measured. However, with any marketing investment, the goal is to maximise the investment and generate quality traffic with a likelihood to convert.

To help event organisers and marketers understand the available paid advertising opportunities, we’ve put together a list of what you need to know about advertising on Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Google Ads

As Google is the world’s largest search engine, Google Ads reach billions of people every day, giving an organiser or marketer big potential to reach new audiences.
Multiple ad formats options include search, display, video, and apps.
Audience targeting options include contextual tools that match ads to relevant web pages or audience tools to match ads to people who are likely to be interested in what you’re selling.
Advertisers only pay when a user clicks on their ad – maximising budget spent.
Buyer intent – which refers to phrases people use in search that provides insight into where they are in the buying process – is typically high, and Google ad campaigns that target these phrases can lead to increased conversions.
High-value keywords are competitive, which means you typically pay more for popular terms.
It takes time to learn the ins and outs of how to create high-performing ads and understand available analytics.
While Google ads cost less than a lot of other types of advertising, it can still add up – especially if you’re not carefully monitoring and adjusting based on campaign results.

Microsoft Ads

Just like Google ads, you can bid on certain keywords to have your ads appear.
Microsoft ads can have a lower cost-per-click compared to Google ads.
Also like Google, Microsoft ads come in a variety of forms, including the recently introduced responsive search ads.
The reach of the Microsoft ad network has been growing…

Facebook Advertising

1.59 billion people on average log onto Facebook daily, providing a large active audience to reach.
Facebook offers multiple targeting options, including the ability to create custom audiences based on the information you provide or from information generated through Facebook.
Facebook ad formats include photo, video, carousel, Stories, and Messenger.
Minimum ad spend is $1 per day, meaning you can have a minimal spend and still generate impressions.
Advertising on Facebook has become increasingly popular, making it important to have a well-designed and targeted campaign to reach intended audiences.
The Facebook Ad Manager is also complex, with a steep learning curve to understand all of the available tools.

Instagram Advertising

Pew Research found Instagram remains especially popular among those 18 to 24, making it appealing to organisers and marketers trying to reach younger audiences.
Because of Instagram’s formatting, potential customers click once to access a sales page to begin the purchase process.
In our experience, the cost per impression on Instagram tends to be lower than on other channels.

LinkedIn Advertising

With LinkedIn’s focus on professional audiences, this type of reach can be especially appealing to event organisers and marketers.
Specific targeting abilities include job titles, company size, and more.
With many using LinkedIn to discover new business opportunities, network, and improve their knowledge and skillsets, intent can be high on this platform.

The final decision on where to advertise depends on your goals, desired audience reach, targeting needs, ad budget, and creative ad style.

Talk to the Tag Digital team to see how different ad platforms fit into your event PPC campaign strategy and learn how we can optimise your investment for the best return.