Step-by-Step Marketing Strategy Using Social Media and Google Ads with a $500 Budget

Step 1: Define Your Goal

Before you start, clearly define your campaign’s goals. Examples include:

• Increase brand awareness.

• Drive traffic to your website.

• Collect leads (e.g., email addresses).

• Boost engagement on social media.

For this example, let’s say the goal is to collect leads.

Step 2: Identify Your Target Audience

Understanding your audience helps in tailoring your messaging and ad placement.

• Demographics: Age, gender, location.

• Interests: What are their hobbies, media habits, and pain points?

• Platforms: Where do they spend time online? Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or Google?

For a $500 budget, focus on one or two primary audiences. You can define them based on:

• Interests in your product/service niche.

• Behavior patterns such as people who follow certain influencers or similar businesses.

Step 3: Choose Social Media Platforms

Select platforms that are most effective for your target audience. Here's a breakdown:

1. Instagram/Facebook Ads:

   • Great for visual products and services, engaging stories, and organic discovery.

   • Use Facebook Business Manager to create and manage ads on both platforms.

   • Focus on creating a carousel ad or story ad to visually capture attention.

2. Google Ads (Search & Display Network):

   • Target users who are actively searching for related terms. Google Display Network also shows visual ads across partnered websites.

   • Use keyword targeting or remarketing ads.

Step 4: Allocate the $500 Budget

For a 2-week campaign, you can allocate your budget like this:

• Google Ads: $200

  • Google Search Ads: Focus on high-intent keywords that users might search for related to your product or service.

  • Google Display Network: Use this for visual banner ads or retargeting those who visit your site but haven’t converted.

• Social Media Ads: $300

  • Instagram/Facebook Ads: Boost your posts or create direct ads promoting lead magnets like exclusive content, discounts, or giveaways.

  • Divide this across stories and feed ads for variety.

Step 5: Create Lead Magnet and Call to Action

Offer something of value in exchange for email addresses or engagement:

• Lead Magnet Ideas:

  • Exclusive discounts.

  • Free content (e.g., e-book, how-to guide).

  • Contest giveaways.

  • Access to a community.

For example, “Join our community and get 20% off your first purchase!”

Step 6: Design Engaging Creatives

High-quality visuals and copy are essential. Some tips:

• Social Media Posts: Design eye-catching visuals with clear messaging.

  • Use tools like Canva to create polished, professional posts.

  • Include a direct call to action like “Join Now” or “Sign Up Today”.

• Google Ads: Design banners or simple text ads with strong headlines.

  • Keep text concise but compelling.

Step 7: Set Up and Optimize Campaigns

Google Ads:

1. Google Search Ads:

   • Use high-intent keywords relevant to your product.

   • Example keywords: “buy X in [location]” or “best [service/product] deals.”

2. Google Display Network:

   • Target users who have visited similar websites or your own.

   • Use display ads with visuals to remind them to take action.

Instagram/Facebook Ads:

1. Create an Ad Campaign:

   • Choose Lead Generation as your campaign objective if collecting emails is your goal.

   • Target audience: Use custom audiences like people who visited your website or lookalike audiences based on past customers.

2. Ad Placement:

   • Run ads on both Instagram and Facebook, but prioritize Instagram Stories and Feed for engagement.

   • Choose automatic placements if you're unsure where your audience spends the most time.

Step 8: Test and Optimize

After launching your campaign, you need to track the performance and make adjustments:

1. Track Metrics:

   • Use Google Analytics and the Facebook Ads Manager dashboard to measure success.

   • Track CTR (Click-Through Rate), CPC (Cost Per Click), and Conversion Rate.

2. A/B Testing:

   • Test different ad creatives, headlines, and targeting options.

   • Identify the top-performing ad and shift the budget to that.

3. Adjust and Scale:

   • If you see positive results in one ad set, consider moving more of your budget there or extending the campaign.

Step 9: Follow Up with Leads

Once you've gathered leads, follow up:

• Send personalized emails to convert them into customers.

• Share more valuable content or offers to keep them engaged.

Step 10: Post-Campaign Review

At the end of your campaign, review performance:

• Calculate the Cost Per Lead and evaluate how many converted into paying customers.

• Look for opportunities to refine your targeting, messaging, or creative approach for future campaigns.

By following this step-by-step strategy, you can create an effective marketing campaign, even with a budget of $500.