Using Social Media Advertising

Written By Alicia Vial

Today we are diving into a topic that has become crucial for businesses of all sizes: social media advertising. With recent changes to algorithms across platforms like Facebook, Instagram and even TikTok, organic reach has become more challenging to achieve. Social media ads can be an effective way to stay visible and connect directly with your ideal audience.

Social media ads can help increase your reach by connecting you with audiences beyond your followers, helping you tap into new customer segments. With social media ads, you can target specific demographics, locations, interests and behaviors, making it ideal for reaching the right audience. Social media ads work for any budget, from small businesses to large brands, with adjustable spending options. 

Social media ads are ideal for announcing new products or services to quickly build awareness and excitement. During the holidays or peak times, ads are perfect to grab customers’ attention when they are actively shopping. Ads are effective for event promotion, helping you reach attendees, sell tickets or increase RSVPs. Ads are also effective in times of advocacy, if you are trying to relay a message or call to action to a specific target audience you can achieve this more effectively by supplementing your organic content – content you post and own – with paid ads or even paid boosts to your content.  

Ads can be run in different campaigns, running in bursts for specific campaigns or goals, such as a product launch or seasonal promotion. For continuous exposure and to help build brand awareness, consider “always-on” ads that run at a low spend to maintain brand awareness. Businesses can also use ads to reconnect with previous visitors or customers with retargeting, especially if they didn’t complete a purchase. 

Choose platforms where your target audience is most active (e.g.,, TikTok for Gen Z, Facebook for older demographics). You should also consider the type of ad you want to run. For example, Facebook and Instagram are best for visual content, LinkedIn for business connections and TikTok for highly engaging, creative videos. 

Alicia Vial

Alicia Vial is a New Orleans native with more than a decade of experience elevating client stories and leading crisis response. As the senior director of strategy, Alicia acts as a leader within the Gambel Communications team ensuring each agency team member is positioned to deliver strategic public relations services that meet the highest standards of the industry. In addition to supporting the agency’s long-term business growth and development, she coordinates day-to-day account services and oversees strategic direction while staying abreast of best practices and industry trends to provide innovative solutions to meet client’s needs.

Before joining Gambel Communications, Alicia served as the communications director for the Louisiana SPCA, the oldest and largest animal welfare organization in Louisiana that impacts more than 74,000 animals per year. During her nearly eight-year tenure, Alicia oversaw numerous crises, served on national communication taskforces, oversaw all aspects of internal and external relations and worked alongside the development department to raise critical funding. Prior to that, she worked in the fast-paced New Orleans hospitality industry focusing on digital public relations for multiple hotels.

Alicia is a member of the Public Relations Association of Louisiana (PRAL), Southern Public Relations Federation (SPRF), a board member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) New Orleans Chapter and a member of the New Orleans Regional Leadership Institute. An accredited public relations practitioner (APR), Alicia is also certified in crisis communications, organizational leadership, content marketing and social media.

A well respected and trusted public relations practitioner, Alicia has been recognized by SPRF as a ‘Senior Practitioner of the Year’. Dubbed early on in her career as one to watch, she also received the ‘Rising Star’ award by PRAL and was profiled in St. Charles Avenue Magazine as part of their Young Bloods series. Most recently, she was recognized at PRSA’s annual Fleurish Awards and received four Awards of Excellence for her work along with the ‘Plate Spinner’ award for her efforts on the board of directors for the chapter.

An LSU graduate, Alicia received a bachelor's degree in mass communications with a concentration in public relations and minors in business administration and leadership development. She is a frequent speaker and presenter on public relations topics, most recently presenting at the Jefferson Economic Development Commission and SPRF annual conference.

When Alicia is not at work, you can find her at the ballpark with her three boys or cheering on the Tigers in Death Valley.

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