What Advertising Platform is Best for You?

Are you starting an online business or trying to get more visibility online? When building your digital marketing strategy, you have to look into advertising. And once you start looking into advertising you may get overwhelmed. Why? Because there are so many digital advertising platforms available and it can be hard to choose which ones to invest in.

Before you make the decision, you need to know your options and what your advertising needs are.

What to look for in an advertising platform

Comparing and contrasting platforms without your needs in mind is a waste of time. Before you start researching platforms, define your advertising goals and know your audience. When you look at your potential platforms, consider the two points below. 

Purpose of the platform

People use different platforms for different purposes, so consider the purpose of every platform you look into. Google, for instance, is a platform that specializes in giving people answers and solutions for every kind of question. Therefore, the chances of someone searching for your solution on Google are high. For this reason, Google is one of the best advertising platforms in the world.

On the other hand, people go to Facebook and Instagram for fun and are not searching for answers. These platforms are mostly for pushing ads into people’s feeds so that they can be aware of your business.

Target audience

Your target audience will determine the platform you advertise on. If you are targeting clients in the age range of 45 to 60 years old, then using a platform like Instagram may be futile since most people in that age range do not have Instagram accounts. Choose a platform your audience spends time on because that is where the money is.

Now let’s look at the different advertising platforms that exist. Keep in mind the advice above as you compare the different platforms. You need to know your goals, and your audience to choose the right platform.

Google search ads

One of the most popular advertising platforms is Google search ads. Using Google to advertise your business will help you reach people who are searching for something similar to what you offer. It is one of the easiest ways to advertise your business because Google brings people to you. Google search ads are ads in search results that are triggered based on the user’s search query.

The ad you place on Google will appear to potential clients on whatever devices they use: laptops, desktops, smartphones, or tablets. Google search ads are great because they show up when people need what they offer. For example, someone will only see your ad when they search for it. Whereas on Facebook, your ad will show up in their feed even if they don’t want it. Your audience on Google has specified that they are interested in your offer.

Google display ads

Unlike the Google search ads, Google display ads appear randomly on Google Display Network sites. That means there are certain sites that allow Google to show display ads on their sites. When you see a display ad on a site, it is not because you searched for something similar, it is because the ad relates to the site content.

When you run a Google display ad, you may not reach people who are actively on the lookout for what you offer. This should not discourage you since your ad will still reach a specific target group that may have an interest in your services or products. Google display ads help you to reach a larger audience.

Facebook and Instagram ads

Facebook and Instagram are among the most popular social media platforms, making them a great place to advertise. The platforms are visual, so your ads need to be creative, attractive, and also simple. Ads on these platforms help build brand awareness. They reach people who may be interested in your business based on what they interact with online.

On Instagram and Facebook, you can get lots of insights into your ad performance. This includes feedback from your potential clients through comments, likes, messages, shares, tags, and reviews.

Criteo

This advertising platform is best for retargeting. You can get a higher ROI because they are targeting people who have engaged with your brand before. If you are not looking to build brand awareness and have a large enough audience to retarget, Criteo is right for you.

Bing

Bing is a search engine designed for Microsoft users. Before using Bing to advertise, you need to know if your audience is on Bing. To do so, look in your Google Analytics to see if you receive traffic from Bing. If you do, then Bing may be the right choice.

The Bing platform limits your advert to Microsoft users. If you run an ad on Bing, you should also run it on other platforms so your audience is not limited.

Takeaways

Using any of the above advertising platforms will help to boost your business and once you have decided where to advertise, it’s time to learn how! There is no limit on the platforms you can use to advertise. When choosing a platform remember why people use that platform, who uses that platform, and what your advertising goals are.