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MBA Module: Digital Marketing

Week 5

Paid Social Media Strategy

Creating demand. Reaching people before they know they need you.

Today's Agenda

  • Search Intent vs. Demand Generation: The Key Difference
  • Meta Ads Ecosystem Overview
  • Meta Pixel & the Data Foundation
  • Audience Types: Cold, Warm, Hot
  • Campaign Objectives & the Full Funnel
  • Ad Creative Strategy & A/B Testing
  • Reading Meta Ads Manager Reports
  • Lab: Build Your First Meta Ads Campaign

Part 1: Demand Capture vs. Demand Creation

The philosophical difference between search and social advertising.

Search vs. Social: The Mindset Divide

Google Ads (Search)

The user ALREADY has intent. They're asking a question. You're answering it.

"I want to hire a digital marketing consultant."

Meta Ads (Social)

The user has NO intent yet. You're interrupting their scroll and creating desire.

"Wait, maybe I DO need better marketing for my business..."
This is why creative quality matters 10× more on social than on search.

Part 2: The Meta Ads Ecosystem

Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp — one ads platform.

Why Meta Remains Dominant

  • 3.2+ billion daily active users across the Meta family of apps
  • The most sophisticated behavioural targeting data in advertising history
  • Powerful creative formats: Feed, Reel, Story, Carousel, Collection
  • Lowest cost-per-reach for B2C compared to almost any other platform
  • Retargeting capabilities: reach people who visited your site, watched your videos, or engaged with your page

Part 3: The Meta Pixel

The data foundation that makes targeting intelligent.

What is the Meta Pixel?

The Meta Pixel is a small piece of JavaScript code placed on your website that tracks visitor actions and sends that data back to Meta. It is the bridge between your website and the Meta Ads platform.
  • Tracks: Page views, add-to-cart, purchases, form submissions
  • Enables: Retargeting campaigns, lookalike audiences
  • Powers: Meta's AI to optimise who sees your ads
  • Post-iOS 14.5: Use Conversions API (CAPI) for server-side tracking to supplement

Part 4: Audience Strategy

The difference between wasting money and printing it.

The Three Audience Temperature Tiers

Cold (Top of Funnel)

Never heard of you. Target by: Interests, Demographics, Behaviours, Lookalike Audiences

Goal: Awareness & Engagement

Warm (Middle)

Engaged with you. Target: Video viewers, Page engagers, website visitors

Goal: Consideration & Lead Gen

Hot (Bottom)

High intent. Target: Cart abandoners, lead form submitters

Goal: Conversion & Purchase

Lookalike Audiences: Meta's Superpower

How it works: Give Meta a "source audience" (your best 100–1,000 customers). Meta's AI analyses their behavioural and demographic patterns, then finds millions of people who look just like them.
  • 1% LAL = Closest match, smallest, most expensive
  • 5–10% LAL = Broader, cheaper, for scale
  • Best seed audiences: Purchasers > Leads > Email list > Page fans

Part 5: Ad Creative Strategy

Creative is the variable. Everything else is the same for you and your competitors.

The Hook-Story-Offer Framework

The Hook (First 3 Seconds)

Stop the scroll. Bold statement, surprising visual, or relatable pain point.

The Story (Middle)

Build connection. Problem → Agitation → Solution. Keep it short.

The Offer (CTA)

One clear action. What should they do right now?

Creative Formats by Objective

Objective Best Format Why
Awareness Video (Reels/Stories) High reach, low cost, watchable
Traffic Single Image with Strong CTA Simple, fast-loading
Lead Generation Lead Form Ad User never leaves Facebook
Product Sales Carousel / Collection Ad Show multiple products or features
Retargeting Dynamic Product Ads Auto-shows the exact product they viewed

Reading the Metrics That Matter

Metric What It Tells You Benchmark
CPM Cost per 1,000 impressions — audience efficiency $5–$15 for most markets
CTR (Link) % of viewers who click — creative effectiveness > 1% is good
CPC Cost per click — combined efficiency signal Depends on niche
ROAS Revenue per $ spent — the north star > 3x for most businesses
Frequency Average number of times a person sees your ad > 4–5 = audience fatigue

Lab: Set Up Your First Meta Campaign

In Meta Ads Manager (Sandbox Account)

  1. Set up a Facebook Business Manager account
  2. Install the Meta Pixel on your sandbox landing page
  3. Create a traffic campaign targeting a cold audience
  4. Write a headline + primary text using the Hook-Story-Offer framework
  5. Design a simple static image ad (use Canva)

Deliverable for Week 5

Meta Ads Campaign Setup Document

  • Screenshot of campaign structure with audiences defined
  • Ad creative (image + copy) with Hook-Story-Offer labelled
  • Audience hypothesis: Why did you target this audience?
  • Define your success metric and target CPA

Due before the start of Week 6.