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Paid Social Agency Manchester

Competition getting Paid? Social you

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When you use a Paid Social agency, you want to see results. Your ads should be front and centre with the right people, the ones who buy, sign up, or enquire. If all your current agency delivers is fancy graphs, long-winded waffling and excessive jargon, ask yourself if they’re putting your money where it counts. Chances are, they aren’t. Ad spend, impressions, clicks, conversion rate, it’s a smokescreen against what really matters: the return you get on it.

Only true Paid Social specialists know how to impact your bottom line. We deliver paid ads on social media with relentless fury. The results, the cash in your pocket, that’s what our Paid Social agency delivers. That’s how we beat the competition.

Cut the waffle and start earning.

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What is Social Media advertising?

Paid Social media advertising is a form of digital advertising that delivers specific pieces of content to a target audience, using demographics, interests, connections and other factors to determine who are the most relevant targets. This can be done on most social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and more.

More people than ever use at least one social media platform, and that means social media advertising is an opportunity to be seen and to increase profits. It can be done organically, through posting and building a relationship with the people that matter to you, but Paid Social ads are a quicker method to reach the right people from day one.

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What is Paid Social?

Paid Social media advertising targets specific audiences based on their age, location, gender and interests to get your business, products or services in front of the most relevant people.

You can measure your spend against your earnings, making it clear how much profit you’re making and what campaigns are proving the most successful.

Common media platforms include Meta – Facebook and Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Reddit, Snapchat, LinkedIn and Twitter. All are different and require expertise to maximise results.

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How does Paid Social media advertising work?

Social media paid advertising works by creating an ad on your chosen social media platform that targets those who will be most interested in your offering.

You decide what the content should be, what actions consumers should take, how long the ad should be live for and what the budget is. This will determine how many people see your paid ad over its lifetime, as your budget is used whenever a click is made.

Simply, when someone clicks on your Paid Social ads, you pay the piper. The actual cost depends on the type of advert and the targeting. The lower the cost per click, the higher the profit. Optimising paid for ads keeps you in the game for longer and a winning Paid Social media agency does this.

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Why does Paid Social Marketing matter to your business

All of this leads to one question; why should you invest in Paid Social marketing?

Paid Social marketing matters because:

  • People use social media daily
  • Targeting helps you reach the right people
  • Different ads work for different people
  • Ads can be tailored to a product, group or price

The bottom line? If your audience is on social media, then you should be too. If you’re seeing paid ads from competitors on your own social media feeds, you’re being left behind. It’s that simple. You can’t crush the competition with Paid Social media ads if you’re not even in the race.

You don’t have to do it alone, though. We’re a shadow working behind the scenes, a silent partner beating back at the mundane. Other Paid Social agencies might not care like we do, and no-one sees us coming until it’s too late.

Want to get ahead? Are there people out there you can’t find? Don’t settle for back alley deals and second-hand goods. Get the best team on your side and reap the benefits of Paid Social media.

Crush the competition

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What does Paid Social Media Advertising actually involve?

You can go out and make profiles on every social media platform and waste a ton of cash on rushed ads, or you can do Paid Social media advertising right and make money faster.

The paid ads are part of it, but you need to know who you’re targeting. Even if you have an audience, it can look different on social media. We know this. We live it, breathe it – we have to, because that’s how we find who you’re looking for.

Set your sights on a target and our Paid Social media agency will hone in with relentless determination. We won’t stop until they’re yours. They’re waiting for you, and we know how to find them.

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Facebook advertising

Ask anyone to name a social media platform and Facebook will come up often. It’s one of the biggest globally, so it’s a no-brainer to have a profile for your business and use Paid Social media Facebook advertising to reach users.

We’ll warn you now: set your paid ads up wrong and you might as well take a lighter to your hard-earned money. Poof. Gone. Get paid for ads on Facebook right, though, and you can transform your business from a side gig to an empire stretching across social media. Our Paid Social marketing team know how to get your ads in front of the right people to drive conversions and line your pockets with oodles of cash.

Instagram advertising

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Instagram advertising is the new bookshop. Hooks matter, but you’ll need more to stand out from the crowd and make your Paid Social media ads top of the class.

The glitz and glam on Instagram is designed to make you envious. You see what they want you to see, and you’re not alone in wondering “is this actually real?”. In the end, that doesn’t matter – people love it, and they eat it up day after day. Ignoring it won’t make it go away. Your rivals hate it too, but they’re there – lapping up everyone you’ve ignored.

Jump in. Make a splash. Throw your weight around. Make target audiences take notice, control your destiny. Get your Paid Social ads in their hands with interesting stories, reels and newsfeed posts. You can’t win if you don’t take part, so show them what you’ve got. Be a beacon in the dark, and let our Paid Social media team light the fire.

LinkedIn advertising

The black sheep of social media is an unsung hero. Less of the super polished, fake daily life stories on other platforms and more advice, resources and people that can help your business succeed. LinkedIn advertising uses paid for ads differently, but with the right push, delivers amazing results.

Think about who uses LinkedIn. Professionals, businesses and job seekers.

  • Want the best staff to kickstart growth? Find them on LinkedIn
  • Want to find people who need your products or services? Find them on LinkedIn
  • Want advice on how to grow your business? Find it on LinkedIn

There’s a lot of poppycock on LinkedIn to wade through. Personal branders, influencers and many others, all vying for attention, so if you have insights to share or opportunities to offer, paid ads on social media can give you a voice in the noise. There’s gold in LinkedIn. You just need to let our Paid Social marketing team wade through the rubble.

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Our Paid Social advertising team cut through the darkness, offering hope to anyone seeking help. We know that confusing words and meaningless numbers don’t help. You want real results? You want to grow from 7 to 8 figures? We deliver, and our results are the proof. Don’t settle for fake experts.

Talk to us

How much do Paid Social media agencies charge?

Your Paid Social agency should be transparent with the costs involved or you might as well flush money down the drain.

Get a breakdown:

  • Know how much your paid ads cost
  • See a clear management fee
  • Ensure the budgets are defined
  • Make sure reports are covered

Everything a Paid Social media agency does should be visible. We’ll always be transparent with you and make sure you’re getting the most profit back from your Paid Social ads as you can.

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When will you see results from Paid Social media?

Your budgets and then length of your Paid Social media campaign decides when you see results, but we have a plan. It’s the right track for victory:

  • Build for success – Understand business objectives and recommend the best platforms
  • Campaign structure – Path to conversion and audience segmentation
  • Target audience – Discover the most relevant users and provide recommendations
  • Check for integrations – Conversion API, Pixel, etc.
  • Finalise goals – Conversions, traffic, impressions, etc.
  • Content creation – Punchy copy, engaging video, eye-catching imagery and more
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Why work with Dark Horse

We don’t just jump ahead of the rest, we leave them scrambling in the dark. They won’t know what hit them.  Pick up the phone, have winners in your corner.

Launch your paid ads.

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207%

Increase in revenue, 95% increased ROAS during January

How can you measure the success of your Paid Social campaigns?
How can you measure the success of your Paid Social campaigns? - Expand

By the amount of money in your bank account. More revenue for your business is the ultimate measurement of how successful your Paid Social ads are. However, there’s other metrics the industry uses to track your performance. One key metric to track is the return on investment (ROI), which can be calculated by comparing the cost of the campaign to the revenue generated from it. You can also track engagement metrics such as click-through rates, conversions and social media interactions to gauge the effectiveness of your campaigns. Additionally, analysing audience demographics and behaviour can provide insights into which campaigns are resonating with your target audience and driving the most valuable outcomes.

Why should I use a Paid Social agency rather than do it in-house?
Why  should  I  use  a  Paid  Social  agency  rather  than  do  it  in-house? - Expand

We don’t shy away from blunt, harsh truths here: a Paid Social agency will bring a level of expertise, scalability, objectivity and cost-effectiveness that an in-house team just won’t match. We have economies of scale, meaning we can optimise campaigns at a lower cost than you can in-house. We help you get the most out of your budget and deliver better results.

How does Paid Social work?
How does Paid Social work? - Expand

Paid Social works by using social media advertising to target specific audiences based on demographics, interests and behaviours. Advertisers can create ads and choose their target audience, budget and campaign objectives. These ads then appear on the selected social media platforms where they can reach a larger and more targeted audience than organic posts. Paid Social allows businesses to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to their website, generate leads and ultimately, increase sales and conversions.

What platforms can you utilise for Paid Social advertising?
What platforms can you utilise for Paid Social advertising? - Expand

All of them. Our Paid Social agency works with any social media account to set up your ads, however, the most common ones we work with are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Snapchat.

What’s the difference between Paid Social and Paid Search?
 What’s the difference between Paid Social and Paid Search? - Expand

Paid Social refers to paid advertising on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. These ads are targeted towards specific demographics, interests and behaviours of users on these platforms. Paid Search, on the other hand, refers to paying for advertisements (also known as PPC) to appear on search engine results pages (SERPs) when users search for specific keywords or phrases. These ads appear at the top of the search results and are labelled as sponsored content. The main difference between the two is that Paid Social targets users based on their social media activity, while Paid Search targets users based on their search queries. 

Why should I use a Paid Social agency rather than a freelancer?
Why  should  I  use  a  Paid  Social  agency  rather  than  a  freelancer? - Expand

No freelancer will be well-versed across all social channels. If they are, they will charge £1000 a day so if you are not paying that – question it. We have a team of experts who know the ins and outs of Paid Social marketing across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest and Reddit, capitalising on each platform’s unique features and targeting options to reach your audience. We also have the resources and infrastructure to handle large and complex campaigns, so we can scale with you. We’re in it for the long run.

How does Dark Horse measure the success of a Paid Social campaign?
How  does  Dark  Horse  measure  the  success  of  a  Paid  Social  campaign? - Expand

Success looks different from one social channel to the next and largely depends on the type of campaign and its objective, but we judge the effectiveness of our strategies on measures like:

  • Click-through rate: How many people who see your ad actually click on it? The higher the CTR, the more relevant and appealing the ad will be to your audience
  • Conversion rate: A click isn’t enough. We know you want them to take action, make a purchase, fill in an enquiry, sign up to a newsletter
  • Cost per acquisition: Our aim is to give you the best return on investment possible. We track how much it costs to acquire a new customer or lead from a campaign, so we can keep our channel profitable and impact your bottom line
  • Reach: Reach is the number of people who saw your ad. Some may call it a vanity metric, but it helps to contextualise CTR
  • Engagement Rate: If people aren’t clicking, liking, sharing or otherwise engaging with an ad, we need to know and amend the strategy from there
  • Audience Insights: Sometimes social media platforms throw us a bone and provide insights into the audience your ad reached. We’re talking demographic, interests and behavioural insights. We can cross-reference this with your target audience to ensure we’re reaching the right people with the right content
How long is a typical Paid Social management contract ?
How  long  is  a typical Paid  Social  management contract ? - Expand

When we partner with you, we have one objective in mind: to support you towards your long-term goals. That’s why our contracts are bespoke to each client, so we can align on how to meet those objectives together, what level of support you need, and a timeline for achieving those results. Speak to us directly and we can discuss a partnership that works for you. 

What happens when I become a Paid Social client?
What  happens  when  I  become  a  Paid  Social  client? - Expand

You’ll have taken the first step towards Paid Social success!

  • Kick-off call: We start by having an onboarding call to introduce you to the full team, fill you in on our ways of working, align on your business objectives and agree on preferred ways of communication
  • Tracking: If we’ve agreed to implement any tracking, we get right to it
  • Strategy: Our Paid Social team start to build your campaign, sharing their strategy
  • Execution: This is when the magic begins. We draft copy and provide previews of your ads for sign-off
  • Optimisation: Following the launch, we collect data to optimise and adapt our content for maximum performance
  • Monthly reporting: Each month, we send out a report that’s bespoke to you and shows progress vs your KPIs
Who will be my day-to-day contact once I am a Paid Social client?
Who  will  be  my  day-to-day  contact  once  I  am  a  Paid  Social  client? - Expand

We don’t rely on account managers at Dark Horse. Instead, you have direct access to the relevant person working on your Paid Social accounts – no middleman. If you have a question, you can reach out directly to the individual looking after your account. Just email or call anytime between 9 and 5 and they’ll get back to you directly.

Does Dark Horse work with ecommerce clients?
Does Dark Horse work with ecommerce clients? - Expand

We love a good e-comm site. From luxury jewellery sellers to fashion retailers to specialist food providers, we’ve worked across a wide range of retail clients and grown their social presence. TikTok-made-me-buy-it level stuff.

Can Dark Horse work alongside our in-house social team?
Can Dark Horse work alongside our in-house social team? - Expand

Absolutely. Your Paid and Organic Social strategies should be aligned, capitalising on the strength of each medium, so we always strive to coordinate with your in-house team. If they can support with asset creation too, that’s even better.

Does Dark Horse conduct cross-channel campaigns?
Does Dark Horse conduct cross-channel campaigns?  - Expand

Every good marketer knows that a unified marketing strategy is key to success. That’s why we offer the full spectrum of Paid Social, PPC and SEO services, so we can coordinate our efforts internally to make the most impact. PPC and Paid Social provide quick results and generate data, while SEO works on building the longevity of your site through organic means. They use the keyword data from paid channels to inform their strategy, targeting queries that drive traffic and convert. Paid and earned go hand in hand. 

Can I work with Dark Horse if I’m located outside of Manchester?
Can I work with Dark Horse if I’m located outside of Manchester? - Expand

We might be Manchester born and bred, but that doesn’t mean you have to be too. We work with clients based up and down the UK, and internationally too. As long as you’re in need of exceptional Paid Social services, our door (or rather our Teams) is always open.

What is included in my monthly Paid Social report?
 What is included in my monthly Paid Social report? - Expand

We don’t use reports as an opportunity to toot our own horn or cover up missed opportunities with technical jargon and vanity metrics. Every report you get is bespoke to you. We report on metrics that matter to your business based on our agreed KPIs and provide context for those results. We’re also happy to jump on a call and run through the report, and even offer weekly catch-up calls with a 7-day dash if required. Whatever you need, we deliver.

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