Online Advertising Platforms, Ranked!
Online Advertising Platforms are plentiful; it’s difficult to choose the best one for your business, that’s where this blog post comes in!
It’s a common misconception that online advertising is dead. It’s all about social, SEO and getting out there, they’ll tell you, but “they” are often wrong, aren’t they? Advertising, when used with precision and in line with a solid inbound marketing strategy, can be incredibly effective in reaching your ideal audience. Of course, this list is based on experience of usage and research, and others may have varying opinions, however this is what has worked best in Emarkable HQ.
1.Facebook
Facebook comes out on top for a number of reasons. First and foremost, it is the most used platform, apart from Google, on the world wide web. This means that you are reaching out to a wider audience than on other platforms.
What makes it the best in the Emarkable books, is they way in which it effectively targets potential customers, without taking up half your marketing budget. A well crafted campaign over the course of a week with a budget of €100 should, in effect, generate a substainal sum of potential leads. The platform is easy to use, whatever your skill set, and is always likely to generate results.
2.Instagram
Instagram‘s advertising platform is the sister of Facebook’s. As Facebook now own Instagram, the latter’s advertising platform is actually embedded in the former’s, which allows for a broader campaign. One note to take on this platform, however, is that it is visual. Beautiful, eye-catching, images that draw attention and have an obvious call to action is what will grab potential leads. Stock photos, text heavy images and very corporate looking advertisements have no place on Instagram and will ultimately be ineffective. Keep it eye-pleasing, and keep it light, and watch the interactions and web visits roll in.
3.AdWords
AdWords will probably keep moving down this list, as it becomes less effective and more expensive as the years roll by. People know it’s an ad, and it’s not as relevant to them as something that specifically targets their interests on Facebook or Instagram. This results in a lower click through rate, or less relevant click through rate.
A lot of the problem with AdWords is that people aren’t using it effectively, and therefore waste money. Weak or irrelevant landing pages is typically the reason why AdWords campaigns don’t work. Despite it being an incredibly competitive platform, increasingly expensive, and harder to manage, it can still perform to great effect. For more on how to get the most out of AdWords, pay a visit to our blog post which explains some common mistakes and misconceptions.
4.Twitter
In terms of targetting, ad creatives and ease of use, Twitter would come out tops, if it wasn’t for the Social Network’s oversaturation. You can have the best ad out there, target the right people, but even with Twitter cards, I’ve found that the oversaturation of people’s timelines renders ads a little invisible. People go to Twitter for discussion, quick browses, news updates; they don’t spend as much time scrolling as they do on Facebook and Instagram, so it’s definitely more difficult to make an impact with an ad.
Unless you have the budget for a sponsored trending topic, your work will really by cut out for you on Twitter.
5.LinkedIn
LinkedIn is an exceptional marketing and networking tool, however, it’s quite weak when it comes to advertising. Aside from the fact that there is no remarketing, there is a serious lack of audience customisation, which goes against the entire thinking behind Social Advertising. There is no opportunity to encourage interaction, or to create obvious calls to action as with Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, which results in them being skimmed past. Add to this, the fact that it is an expensive platform to advertise on, it’s definitely one of the least effective ones available. I have a feeling LinkedIn will be improving their Advertising platform now that Microsoft are stepping in, but until then, it’s best to be avoided.
Do you have a favourite advertising platform? Join in the conversation on Twitter. If you feel that you need some assistance with your digital strategy, including advertising, contact Emarkable to work out what’s best for your business.
