I’m 42 years old, and I’ll hold my hand up and say that I’m slightly addicted to social media. I definitely have that neurodiverse, ADHD, dopamine hitting, doom scrolling concept, along with negative procrastination, which for me is probably more closely linked to my mental health than my neurodiversity.
But I also look at social media in a different way. I’m fascinated by how it works, how algorithms work, how content is shared and how organisations and companies use different platforms to create awareness and reach audiences. I’ve grown up with the social media bubble. I’ve had Facebook for many years and I’m on most social media platforms, both personally and for business.
One of the things that fascinates me most is how advertising has changed. We’ve gone from a world where reaching a national or international audience could be difficult and expensive to one where businesses and individuals can potentially reach people around the world relatively easily and cost effectively.
This week, something unusual happened. I reacted to two Meta adverts delivered through Facebook or Instagram and actually followed through with the action both adverts wanted me to take.
Normally, my marketing brain takes over. I want to know how the advert is set up, who it is aimed at, where the link takes me, what happens after I click, what emails I receive and how the whole journey works. I might download a guide or sign up for something simply because I’m being nosy and want to understand the process. That doesn’t necessarily mean the advertising has convinced me to take meaningful action.
But this week was different.
The first advert was about workshops and how they can be used within the coaching industry. I signed up for the live webinar, attended it and then went back and listened to it again because there were ideas I wanted to understand and explore further.
The second was about positioning and delivering your services as an expert within your industry or niche. That advert led me to sign up to EveryExpert, where I can now share my expertise and give people the opportunity to book and engage with some of the services I offer.
These weren’t simply two adverts that made me click. They made me take action. Both connected with where I am right now, thinking about my personal development, how I use the knowledge and experience I’ve built over many years, how I package that knowledge and how I develop workshops, coaching, consultancy and resources around what I know.
Neither advert suddenly gave me the answer to what comes next, but both made me stop and think. One gave me a learning experience that I’ve already returned to. The other gave me a new platform where people can discover my expertise and access my services.
Perhaps that is what good social media advertising is really about. It isn’t simply about impressions, clicks or getting somebody onto a landing page. Sometimes it is about putting the right message in front of the right person at exactly the right time.
For me, these two adverts did exactly that. They helped me take two practical steps forward and made me think differently about workshops, expertise, coaching and how I package what I know.
Maybe the most successful advert isn’t the one that makes you click. It’s the one that makes you do something afterwards.
