Unit 308 – Principles of Social Media Advertising and Promotion
Aim of this unit
This unit is about understanding advertising and promotion within social media sites and the use of digital vouchers for a business. Principles of Social Media Advertising and Promotion.
Section One
1. Be able to plan how to use digital vouchers for marketing purposes
Digital vouchers are on the rise due to the ease and convenience of smartphones and the ability to reach your target audience within an instant. No need to post out tickets or send a communication by mail when you can instantly sign up and register for offers and deals that allow you to access anything and everything.
1.1 Define the term digital vouchers
Retailers use digital coupons to offer discounts and promotions to current and prospective customers. Digital coupons are typically used to entice customers to make a purchase on a retailer’s website by offering a percentage discount, free shipping, or other discounts.
They are available on company websites, social media outlets, texts and mailing lists that you may have subscribed to.
Examples include:
- Groupon offers discounts to users on spa days, events and services
- Wowcher provides codes to daily deals and offers covering such things as travel, furniture and household items.
- Morrisons (or any other supermarket) offer digital vouchers to receive discounts online.
- Ticketmaster uses digital vouchers in the form of QR codes to enter events and festivals.
Reasons to choose the use of digital vouchers over conventional methods:
- The entire process is much simpler – With the vast majority of people carrying a smartphone, it appears irrational to spend time and resources printing and distributing physical vouchers. A digital voucher can be sent in minutes, whereas a physical voucher can take much longer.
- Digital vouchers are more convenient for customers
- Digital vouchers are more cost-effective

1.2 Explain the potential uses of digital vouchers
Digital vouchers can be used to increase brand awareness as customers might discover your brand for the first time because of the vouchers. You can also encourage social sharing of vouchers – for example; providing students with discount codes. They can be used to promote and/or a product by offering discounts/ offers.
Types of digital vouchers:
Downloadable vouchers
Customers can download vouchers from a variety of sources, making it simple for them to obtain the voucher. This could come from a company’s website, email, or social media. These vouchers are typically mobile-friendly and can be accessed via a mobile device.
Promotional codes
Many companies have introduced ‘promo codes’ rather than downloadable vouchers to speed up the process of obtaining and using your voucher.
These codes are made up of a combination of brand-specific numbers and letters and are frequently used during the checkout process. They can be one-time use, personalised for an individual, or shared generic codes.
Digital gift cards
In today’s digital world convenience and logistics are paramount to delivering realistic and practical results. This is no better exemplified than in the world of digital gift cards. As a result, it’s no surprise that digital gift cards are becoming increasingly popular. With the individual wishing to redeem the gift online, it makes total sense to provide it in this format.

1.3 Research the current disadvantages of digital vouchers
Digital vouchers have some disadvantages. For example, sometimes people can’t use them because there is no store near them that accepts them. Or sometimes the voucher might not be worth as much as the person thought it was. Other ways include:
- Offering a discount will always cost you money and is often a risk; however, if proper research and planning have been done, it can be a risk worth taking. It is necessary to conduct research to determine whether the discount will benefit the business by introducing new customers and bringing back old ones.
- Regularly providing vouchers and discounts may lead to your audience only interacting with the business when there are discounts available. This could be disastrous for the company, resulting in massive losses.
- Customers frequently look online for vouchers, which can result in false, ineffective vouchers that frustrate the customer and cause problems for the company.
- If you run too many offers then this can diminish your profit over the long term.
- Digital vouchers are prone to abuse from target audiences sharing the voucher with family and friends whom it was not intended for. Thus reducing its effectiveness and reducing profit.
1.4 Explain how to overcome the barriers to using digital vouchers for the acquisition and retention of customers
There are some things that can stop people from using digital vouchers to get new customers or keep old ones. Find out what these are and how to solve them. Examples include:
- Being able to personalise the digital voucher can ensure only that person uses it and prevents it from being misused. This is being trialled within the festival and events niche to prevent brokers from profiteering by bulk buying tickets and selling for inflated prices.
- Adding a time restraint can encourage the user to use the voucher by a set date. Thereby encouraging the user to value it more and prompt the desired action that you originally required. For example, get 20% when you spend £100 this weekend only.
- Create a sense of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) by adding certain calls to action. For example, limited period only or whilst stocks last or the first 100 customers.
- Acquiring new customers can benefit from an enticing opening offer if they subscribe. For example, get 15% off your first order when you sign up for a particular brand.
- Developing and building a loyal customer database can be achieved by allowing only registered users to have access to VIP offers and loyalty discounts.
- Tracking the effectiveness and success of a campaign can be achieved by prompting a digital voucher to be entered at the checkout phase to receive a 5% discount or receive something for free. Doing so allows you to monitor the number of those using the system and its success in helping convert users into customers.
- To reward loyal customers you could send them on the anniversary of having signed up a personalised email with extra discounts or offers only available to them.

1.5 Plan a SMART digital voucher campaign for a business
When planning a digital voucher campaign for a business, it is important to make sure that the campaign is SMART. This means that the campaign should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This will help ensure that the campaign is successful and achieves its goals.
Some things to keep in mind when planning a digital voucher campaign:
S -The campaign should have a clear and specific goal. What does the business want to achieve with the campaign? The target audience for the campaign should be clearly defined. Who is the business trying to reach with the campaign?
M -There should be a way to measure the success of the campaign. How will the business know if the campaign is successful?
A -The campaign should be achievable. Is the goal of the campaign realistic and achievable?
R -The campaign should be relevant. Is the campaign relevant to the business and its goals?
T -The campaign should be time-bound. When does the business want to achieve the goal of the campaign?
By keeping these things in mind, businesses can create a successful digital voucher campaign that meets their goals.
For example:
Do you want to “increase sales by 20%,” “increase retention by 30%,” or “increase sales by 25%”?
Once you’ve decided what you want to accomplish, you can start planning how you’ll get there.
It is always a good idea to understand the current climate and how your competitors are using similar discount schemes, so research will be required.
Observing what your competitors do will also afford you insight into what could be a good fit for your future campaigns too.

1.6 Explain methods of managing a digital voucher system
As with any other marketing campaign, it is critical to track and analyse relevant data to determine the campaign’s effectiveness and success. This analysis must be completed in accordance with the overall campaign goal.
There are numerous online tools that can be used to manage your digital voucher campaign.
It is nearly impossible to understand the impact of these campaigns on overall sales without monitoring them. By tracking data from your voucher campaigns, you can track return on investment while also identifying changes/improvements that could be made for future campaigns.

Methods to manage your digital voucher campaign include:
1 – You may realise halfway through your campaign that you are not receiving the level of interest you had hoped for. In this case, the best thing to do is to make the campaign more exciting and urgent, which is often accomplished by adding a limit to the discount code.
2 – Creating a sense of urgency can often make the offer appear more exciting, and those who don’t want to miss out will be eager to participate.
3 – You could number the voucher codes so that each person has an individual code which cannot be used more than once. This would help to keep track of how many people are using the codes.
4 – Publishing a code or URL on social media platforms manages the number of people who use the code as it would only be available to those who follow the accounts
5 – An online database could be used to monitor the voucher codes used as you can allocate an individual voucher code tailored to each customer.
As stated earlier in this unit, it is impossible to calculate the effectiveness of a campaign without first analysing its metrics.
One significant advantage of working with digital platforms is the ability to track data in real time as well as over time.
Voucherify, for example, provides an analytics platform that will track and capture data for you and provide a simple, user-friendly dashboard view of the data.
You can split-test your campaign designs by running a few variations of voucher campaigns to see what leads to higher levels of audience interaction.

1.7 Explain how to measure the effectiveness of a digital voucher campaign
There are many ways to measure how effective a digital voucher campaign is. Some of the most important ways include looking at how many people redeemed the vouchers, how much money was spent using the vouchers, and how likely people were to return after using a voucher. Additionally, it can be helpful to compare digital voucher campaigns to other marketing efforts to see which is more effective.
When looking at the redemption rate of digital vouchers, it is important to consider both the number of people who redeemed the vouchers and the total value of money spent using the vouchers.
The redemption rate can be a good indicator of how successful the campaign was in getting people to take action.
For example, if a high percentage of people who received the voucher redeemed it, then the campaign was likely successful in getting people to take action. However, if only a small percentage of people redeemed the voucher, then the campaign may not have been as successful.
The total value of money spent using the vouchers can also be a good indicator of the success of a digital voucher campaign. If people are spending a lot of money using the vouchers, then the campaign was likely successful in getting people to take action. However, if people are only spending a small amount of money using the vouchers, then the campaign may not have been as successful.

Section Two
2. Be able to plan the implementation of Social Networking site advertising campaigns for Marketing purposes
You can use social media to advertise your company to potential customers. Decide which sites you want to use, and then create ads that will attract people’s attention. Make sure the ads are interesting and relevant to your target audience, and that you track how well they’re doing so you can make changes as needed.
When you’re using social media to advertise your company, it’s important to remember that people are there to interact with other people, not just to see your ads. Make sure you’re responsive to comments and questions, and that you engage with your audience in a way that feels natural. If you’re constantly pushing your products or services, people will tune you out.
And finally, don’t forget to have a call to action in your ads! Tell people what you want them to do, whether it’s visiting your website, buying your product, or signing up for your newsletter. If you don’t tell them what you want them to do, they’re not likely to do it.
With these tips in mind, you can create social media ads that will really reach your target audience and get them to take action. So get out there and start advertising.

2.1 Explain the factors to consider when creating Social Networking site adverts
When you are making an advert for a social networking site, think about what kind of people will see it. You want to target the right people so they might be more likely to join your site. Also, think about what you want them to do when they see the ad. Do you want them to click on it? Or do you want them to learn more about your site?
Your ad should be short and to the point. It should be attention-grabbing and make people want to learn more about your site. Make sure it is relevant to the site you are advertising, and that it is something that people will actually be interested in.
Also, make sure you test your ad before you put it live. Show it to a few people and see what they think. Get their feedback and make changes if necessary. Then, put it live and see how it does.
Factors to consider when creating adverts for Social Networking sites:
- Ensure you have a clear understanding of your target audience
- Decide which social media networking site to use
- Ensure consistency with your branding (e.g. logo, colours, fonts etc.) with creative design
- Deliver clear and consistent content that can be adapted to different platforms
- Incorporate an integrated message to drive the traffic to your target with a call to action
- Ensure the marketing teams work together well to increase creativity and productivity
- Incorporate a time constraint if this will help the urgency of the campaign
- Ensure you have an adequate budget to provide sufficient frequency and reach
- Track your campaigns to see what is and isn’t working.

2.2 Justify the use of Social Networking site advertising campaigns
There is no doubt that Social Networking site advertising campaigns are a great way to reach a large number of people. By creating ads that are targeted to specific audiences, businesses can ensure that they are getting their message in front of the right people.
Additionally, social media platforms provide businesses with a way to connect with customers in a more personal way, which can lead to more loyalty and customer satisfaction.
However, social media advertising campaigns can also be very costly. In order to create an effective campaign, businesses need to put a lot of time and effort into planning and designing their ads. Additionally, they need to pay for ad space on various social media platforms. This can add up quickly, especially for small businesses.
Another downside of social media advertising is that it can be very difficult to track the results of your campaign. There is no guarantee that people who see your ad will actually click on it and purchase your product or service. Additionally, social media platforms are constantly changing, which means that your ad might not be seen by as many people as you would like.
Despite these drawbacks, social media advertising is still a great way to reach a large number of people. If you are planning on running a social media ad campaign, it is important to remember to set a budget and track the results of your campaign so that you can make adjustments as needed. Additionally, consider using other marketing channels in addition to social media to reach even more potential customers.
Some of the reasons to use social networking site advertising campaigns include:
1 – It can boost your site’s SEO by having additional touchpoints which increase your visibility
2 – It helps you connect with your target audience and allows you to have a two-way conversation
3 – You can target your posts to a specific audience
4 – It helps you keep up with your competitors
5 – Posts can be used to drive traffic to your website
6 – It helps engage with your customers and over time increase retention
2.3 Explain the importance of identifying the required outcomes from the Social Networking advertising campaigns
It is important to identify what you want to achieve from your Social Networking advertising campaign so that you can work on achieving those goals. Once you have a goal or two in mind, you can begin to design your ad campaign around those goals.
For example, if you want to increase brand awareness for your company, you might consider running ads that feature your company logo or slogan. If you want to generate leads, on the other hand, you might create ads that encourage users to sign up for your email list or contact you for more information.
No matter what your goals are, it is important to keep them in mind as you design your ad campaign so that you can ensure that your ads are effective. Additionally, you should also consider the demographics of the users who will be seeing your ads so that you can target them effectively.
Once you have designed your ad campaign, you will need to choose a budget for your ads. The amount you spend on your ads will depend on a number of factors, including the goals you have set for your campaign, the demographics of your target audience, and the platform you are using to run your ads. You should also consider the frequency with which you want your ads to be seen by users; if you only want your ads to run occasionally, you can save money by running them less often.
Finally, you will need to monitor the results of your ad campaign so that you can make changes as necessary. You can do this by tracking the number of clicks or impressions your ads receive, as well as the conversion rate of those clicks into leads or sales.
By monitoring your ad campaign, you can ensure that you are making the most of your investment and achieving your desired results.

2.4 Explain the advantages of creating more than one advertising campaign running in parallel on the same social networking site
If you have more than one advertising campaign running on the same social networking site at the same time, it will be easier to attract more customers. This is because potential customers will see your ad more often, and they might be more likely to respond to it because it will seem like your company is doing well.
Also, if you have different campaigns running on different social networking sites, it will allow you to target a wider range of potential customers and increase your visibility.
Advantages of creating more than one advertising campaign to run in parallel on the same social networking site
1 – Running more than one campaign can encourage customers to follow more than one of your social networking sites so they can keep up to date
2 – It also gives your social media networking site a variety of content rather than just reposting the same campaign repetitively
3 – You could run different campaigns over different social networking sites to target different audiences and vary the content you share. This will keep your customers interested in your posts.
2.5 Explain why a Social Networking advertising campaign might fail
There are many factors to social networking advertising campaigns failing. Some of these include:
- Over-exposure to a campaign can cause the audience to become disconnected from the brand and therefore fewer clicks.
- Lack of commitment in identifying a target audience and engaging with them.
- Not creating the right type of content – it is important to create a piece of content that caters to how your audience will want to view it.
- Potential customers might not be interested in what they are selling. In this case, the company should try to focus on a different marketing strategy that will be more effective.
- Poor timing as it is important to analyse your audience and find out when the ideal time to put something in front of them is. Is your audience, local, global etc? Because times of day have a part to play in when content is read and digested too.
- Poor customer experience leads to customers moving away from your brand and ignoring your marketing message. Therefore, you have diminished customer loyalty.

2.6 Plan parallel Social Networking site advertising campaigns for a business
Follow our step-by-step guide to planning parallel social networking site advertising campaigns.
1. Define your goals: What do you want your social networking site advertising campaign to achieve? Whether you want to increase brand awareness, website traffic or registrations, you need to be clear on your objectives.
2. Research your competition: What are other social networking sites doing with their advertising campaigns? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Try to learn as much as you can so that you can develop a strategy that sets you apart.
3. Set a budget: How much money are you willing to spend on your social networking site advertising campaign? Keep in mind that you may need to allocate funds for research, creative development, media buying and other associated costs.
4. Create a strategy: Now that you know what you want to achieve and what it will cost, it’s time to create a plan of action. Who will be responsible for each task? What media will be used? When should the campaign start and end? All of these details need to be ironed out before work can begin.
5. Execute the plan: Once the strategy is in place, it’s time to put it into action! Make sure everyone involved is aware of their responsibilities and keep track of progress so that you can make necessary changes along the way.
6. Evaluate the results: Once the social networking site advertising campaign is over, take some time to assess how successful it was. What worked well? What could be improved upon? Use this information to help plan future campaigns.
2.7 Explain methods of monitoring Social Networking site advertising campaigns
There are different ways to keep track of how well your advertising campaign on Social Networking Sites is doing. One way is to use a tool that will tell you how many people have seen your ad, and another way is to look at how many people have clicked on the.
Additionally, it is important to consider the conversion rate of your ad campaign. The conversion rate is the number of people who take the desired action after seeing your ad. For example, if you are selling a product, the conversion rate would be the number of people who purchase the product after seeing your ad.
There are a number of different factors that can affect the conversion rate of your ad campaign. One factor is the quality of your ad. If your ad is well-written and relevant to the product or service you are selling, it is more likely that people will click on it. Another factor is the target audience. If you are targeting your ad to a group of people who are interested in what you are selling, they are more likely to click on it.
There are a number of different ways to increase the conversion rate of your ad campaign. One way is to offer a discount or promotion. This will encourage people to click on your ad and purchase your product or service.
Another way is to create a sense of urgency. For example, you could include a countdown timer in your ad, or you could offer a limited-time sale. This will encourage people to click on your ad and take action quickly.
You can use analytical reports as one way to monitor a campaign. They provide numerical data and can show patterns of improvement/ deterioration. Google offers a service that can do this (google analytics) as well as Facebook for pages.
Another option to monitor a campaign would be to track the hashtags used to see how popular it’s becoming. This would be useful if you are striving for increased brand awareness.
By following these tips, you can create an effective advertising campaign on Social Networking Sites that will generate leads and sales for your business.

2.8 Identify changes that might be required for a Social Networking advertising campaign based on monitoring results
First, you need to acquire an understanding of how your social networking advertising campaign is performing. This can be done by monitoring the results of your campaign and making changes based on what you learn.
For example, if you notice that a particular is not performing well, you can try changing the text or the image used in the ad. By doing this, you can improve the chances that people will click on your ad and ultimately convert into customers.
Another important aspect of social media advertising is to make sure that you are targeting the right audience. This can be done by identifying the demographics of your target market and then creating content that appeals to them.
For example, if you are targeting young adults, you will want to create content that is relevant to their interests. By doing this, you can ensure that you are reaching the people who are most likely to be interested in your product or service.
Finally, it is also important to keep your social media advertising campaign fresh and up-to-date. This can be done by regularly adding new content to your pages and by keeping your ads current. By doing this, you can ensure that your target market will see your ads and be more likely to click on them. Ultimately, this can lead to more sales and a higher return on investment for your business.
For example:
By monitoring the results, you could identify changes such as the times of day you post, your target audience and content.
For example, if your posts were aimed at other organisations you most likely want to post between 9 am -12 pm and 1 pm – 5 pm as these are typical office hours. Whereas if it was targeted at young people you would post at 7 am – 9 pm, 12 pm – 1 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm. When they are not all in school, college etc. You will be able to identify the changes in the number of interactions your campaign attracts depending on if you are posting the correct content and at a reasonable time.

3. Understand the use of promotional campaigns on social networking sites
Promotional campaigns on social media networks are a great way to increase awareness of your product or service. By creating targeted ads and posts, you can reach a large number of potential customers who may be interested in what you have to offer. Additionally, social media networks provide a great way to interact with current customers and keep them informed about your latest products or promotions.
3.1 Define promotional campaigns on social networking sites
There are many different types of campaigns that are designed to have specific outcomes such as to raise awareness. To target existing customers, new customers or just to send content viral.
Promotional campaigns on social networking sites can be very effective in reaching a large number of people. Some ideas for promotional campaigns include:
1. Posting a teaser trailer or sneak peek of the game on YouTube and Facebook.
2. Hosting a contest on Facebook or Twitter where people can enter to win free copies of the game.
3. Issuing a press release about the game release that includes information about where people can buy it and how much it costs.
4. Creating a custom landing page for the game on your website that includes an overview, screenshots, and videos.
5. Running ads on social media targeting gamers who are likely to be interested in your game.

3.2 Compare different types of promotional campaigns on social networking sites
There are many different types of promotional campaigns that can be run on social networking sites in order to see which delivers the best outcomes and is most effective in achieving the desired goals. These can include:
- Contests can be a great way to engage users on your site and can generate a lot of buzz.
- Giveaways are also a great way to engage users and can generate a lot of excitement.
- Sales are always a popular way to promote products and services online.
- Promotions can be used to drive traffic to your site or to increase sales.
Additionally, if a digital voucher campaign is more successful in getting people to spend money, then it may be a more effective way to get people to take action.
Digital voucher campaigns can be measured in many ways, but some of the most important ways include looking at the redemption rate, the total value of money spent using the vouchers, and how likely people are to return after using a voucher.
Additionally, it can be helpful to compare digital voucher campaigns to other marketing efforts to see which is more effective. By measuring the success of digital voucher campaigns in these ways, businesses can learn how to improve their voucher campaigns and make them more successful in the future.
Example campaigns:
A competition campaign is a great way to gain attention and improve interactions, followers and shares of your posts because everyone likes free things. The people sharing your campaign might not know what your company does but because they want to win the competition, they will like your page anyway.
Whereas a coupon/voucher campaign might not increase social media followers but could result in a rise in sales. People who see a voucher/coupon post might tag a friend to share the discount with however may not necessarily like the page. They will just use the coupon/voucher to purchase your products or service.
3.3 Explain why to use promotional campaigns on social networking sites
Using promotional campaigns on social networking sites is a great way to get your business in front of more people. You can reach more customers this way, and it’s a cost-effective way to market your products or services. But before you start using social networking sites for your business, there are a few things you need to know.
First, it’s important to understand how social networking sites work. Each site has its own rules and regulations, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the terms of service for each site before you start using it. For example, on Facebook, you need to be sure that you’re not violating any of the site’s terms of service by posting too much promotional material.
Second, you need to create interesting and engaging content. If you’re just promoting your products or services, people will quickly get bored and move on. But if you’re providing valuable information or entertainment, people will stick around and keep coming back.
Finally, you need to be active on social networking sites. Just creating a profile isn’t enough. You need to interact with other users, post updates regularly, and join in on conversations. Otherwise, people will quickly lose interest in your business.
Reasons for using promotional campaigns on social networking sites
- It encourages social media amplification as it entices people in and encourages them to find out more by clicking on your website link.
- It drives in new customers who may not be in your target audience previously
- It can change the perception of your company by giving more information about what your company do
- It’s a cost-effective & simple way to boost brand awareness as your brand’s name will be popping up on lots of people’s newsfeeds.
- It’s an effective way to keep your current & regular customers up to date with any news/ updates about your company
Promotional campaigns are a great way to increase sales and increase social media interactions and followers to raise brand awareness. Also, social media is a free and easy way to reach new audiences.
Millions of people around the world use social media every day so it’s easy to get your products or services out there if you market them right. Promotional campaigns are a good way to push a specific product or service and there are a variety of different and creative ways to do it.

3.4 Explain the limitations imposed by social networking sites on promotional campaigns
Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter have rules about how much advertising you can do. This means that you can’t just put a lot of advertising for your product or service on these sites. You have to be careful about how much you promote your company, or you might get in trouble.
There are also some things that you can’t promote on social networking sites. For example, you can’t promote alcohol or tobacco products. You also can’t promote anything that is illegal.
So, if you want to use social networking sites to market your business, you need to be careful about what you do. You need to make sure that you are following the rules and guidelines as set out on each of the applicable platforms.
Limitations that may be imposed by social networking sites on promotional campaigns for things such as:
1 – Uploading images to social networking sites can decrease their quality (e.g. Facebook)
2 – Some social networking sites (like Twitter) have limitations on word/ character counts so this can prevent you from writing a long post for the campaign. Currently set at 140 characters.
3 – It can be difficult to direct your posts to a specific audience as anything can be shared across social media networking sites. This just means that you should be careful what information you include in your posts.
4 – The length and size of videos can be restricted due to them consuming precious storage space. Twitter also limits video lengths to 20 seconds. So, if you plan to use videos as part of a social media campaign, they will need to be short and on point.
5 – Another limitation is the Facebook image size. A lot of companies hire professional photographers and videographers to capture content for their promotional campaigns however just about all images or videos that are uploaded to Facebook lose a lot of quality because Facebook has its own image compressor.
3.5 Explain how to comply with restrictions on promotional campaigns on social networking sites
When you are using social networking sites for promotional purposes, there are often restrictions on what you can do. Make sure to read the terms of service carefully so that you know what is and is not allowed. Generally speaking, you should avoid posting anything that could be considered spam or that would violate the privacy of other users.
Additionally, it is important to be aware of the tone of your posts. Social networking sites are meant to be fun and social, so avoid coming across as too sales-y or pushy. Instead, focus on creating interesting and engaging content that will encourage people to want to learn more about your business.
When used correctly, social networking sites can be a great way to connect with potential and current customers. Just remember to keep your posts relevant, interesting, and within the guidelines of the site. With a little effort, you can use social networking sites to your advantage and boost your business in the process.
For example:
1 – Twitter’s guidelines state that you cannot create multiple accounts and post the same tweet(s) repeatedly.
2 – Facebook has strict rules for what campaigns you can and cannot administer and promote on their platform. These rules include that Facebook offers must be available for a limited time. You may only run an offer if you are the merchant or manufacturer of the product or service you are promoting.

3.6 Explain the factors which could cause negative PR when running a promotional campaign
There are some things that could go wrong during your promotional campaign, especially if it has not been planned and implemented correctly.
Factors which could have a negative impact when running a promotional campaign can include:
1 – Incorrect information shared across your promotional campaign could result in bad press.
2 – If you have a team of people working on the campaign, you could end up with contradictory posts which could confuse customers and lose their trust in your services.
3- Using PR to undertake vote rigging and unfair preferences. If you are running a competition you should give all entries a fair chance of winning.
4 – If your campaign uses incorrect content such as the wrong time, the wrong price or even a false image – it could be a breach of the trade description act and someone could sue your company resulting in bad press/media coverage.
5 – Your product or service is poor quality and customers may not wish to purchase it. This can lead to bad reviews and poor customer feedback which can be widely publicised.
6 – Not enough customers participate in your campaign as a direct result of a poor promotional mix of marketing across multiple touchpoints.
4. Understand current national and international legal and organisational guidelines for a social networking advertising/promotional campaign
There are a number of national and international legal and organisational guidelines for social networking advertising/promotional campaigns. For example, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has a set of guidelines for online advertising, which includes rules for disclosure, timing, and placement of ads.
Similarly, the UK Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has rules about what constitutes fair and misleading advertising, including specific guidance on social media marketing.
Organisations like the International Chamber of Commerce also have standards for responsible marketing practices, which include guidelines on how to protect consumer privacy and avoid deceptive or misleading advertising.
It is important to familiarise yourself with these guidelines before launching any social media marketing campaign, in order to ensure that your advertising is compliant with applicable laws and regulations.
When it comes to paid social media advertising, there are a few key things to keep in mind. First, you need to make sure that your ads are relevant and targeted to your audience. You can do this by using demographic information and interests to create ad groups that are likely to be of interest to your target consumers.
Second, you need to make sure that your ads are properly disclosed. This means that you need to include a disclosure statement in your ad copy that clearly states that the ad is an advertisement, and not something else. For example, if you are promoting a new product, you would need to include a disclosure that says “Advertisement: New Product” at the beginning of your ad copy.
Third, you need to pay attention to the timing of your ads. Social media users are more likely to be online at certain times of day than others, so it is important to target your ads accordingly.
Finally, you need to make sure that your ads are placed in locations where they will be seen by as many people as possible.

4.1 Explain the current national and international legal and organisational guidelines relating to the use of social networking site adverts
There are laws and rules that people must follow when they advertise on social media. Different countries have different laws, so it is important to know what the rules are in the country where you are advertising. There are also organisations that set rules for how social media should be used, and these organisations can help you follow the law and stay safe online.
When you are creating your ads, you need to make sure that you are not breaking any laws. You should also think about the kind of message you are sending with your ad. Remember that people of all ages use social media, so your ad should be appropriate for everyone who might see it.
There are a few things to keep in mind when you are creating your ad:
- Make sure your ad is not misleading. For example, don’t say that a product is free if it isn’t.
- Don’t make false claims about your products or services.
- Don’t use offensive language or images in your ad.
- Don’t use someone else’s copyrighted material without permission.
If you are not sure whether your ad is breaking the law, you can ask a lawyer or an advertising standards organisation for help.
When you are creating your ad, you should also think about the kind of message you are sending. Remember that social media is a public platform, so your ad will be seen by lots of people. Think about how your ad might make other people feel. For example, if you are selling a weight loss product, you should make sure that your ad does not make fun of people who are overweight.
Some organisations have rules about what kind of ads can be shown on their platforms. Below we look at some of the most important ones to be aware of.
Marketing to minors
1 – Both national and international guidelines share the view that minors should not be exposed to harmful or inappropriate material.
2 – Advertisements that could result in a child’s harm (physically, morally or mentally) will be banned as soon as they are found.
Alcohol
1 – Alcohol advertisements must not be marketed to anyone under the legal drinking age (for the UK this is 18 but this can differ for different countries)
2 – Adverts for alcohol cannot be played in/ around programmes or films that are directed at anyone under the legal age limit
Religion
1 – Advertisers should avoid using images or symbols central to faith, especially if it’s to promote something that runs contrary to belief or practice.
2 – Humorous references to faith are allowed to a certain extent but it’s a grey area as some people might be offended by an ‘innocent joke’.
Decency
1 – Advertisements that contain nudity or sex can be banned if it has no relevance to the product.
2 – Advertisements should not contain anything that is likely to cause serious/ widespread offence.
Discrimination
1 – Advertisements are banned from containing and discriminating based on: sex, religion, nationality/ ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age or belief.
2 – Advertisements must not encourage any behaviour that could harm anyone’s health or safety.

4.2 Explain the importance of following current national and international legal and organisational guidelines for a social networking advertising/promotional campaign
When you are making an advertising campaign for social media, it is important to follow national and international laws and rules. This will help make sure that your campaign is fair, legal, honest and decent. Additionally, you should also consult with a lawyer to make sure that your campaign does not violate any trademark or copyright laws.
Additionally, it is important to remember that when you are using social media for advertising, you are still subject to the same laws as other forms of advertising. This means that you need to be careful about making false or misleading claims in your ads.
You should not use social media to engage in illegal activities such as spamming or phishing. If you do engage in these activities, you could be subject to legal action from the social media platform that you are using.
It’s important to follow current national and international legal and organisational guidelines for a social networking advertising/ promotional campaign
1 – Not following the rules could result in large fines and your advertisements being removed.
2 – Another downside would be the bad press your company could get from breaking the rules, this could damage your brand’s perception.
If your content breaks any rules of the advertising standards, the content will be taken down and your company could be fined. This could result in a loss of money and sales rather than an increase. It can also give your company negative PR.