The first thing you need to do as a new PPC advertiser is choose which advertising platforms to work with. This can be overwhelming if you’ve got no previous experience but choosing the wrong ad networks is going to get you off to the worst possible start – so it’s important to get this right.
We’ve written about this topic in-depth before, comparing Google Ads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube as ad platforms. However, in this article, we’re going to quickly sum up each network to give you an overall standing of what they have to offer.
What makes a good advertising platform?
All of the networks we’re looking at in this article are solid advertising platforms but they suit different needs. The two key things to consider when you’re choosing PPC platforms are: the target audiences available and the kind of leads you can generate.
Some networks like Google Ads and Facebook allow you to target every kind of audience imaginable while Instagram has a slightly narrower user base, for example, and LinkedIn only connects you with working professionals.
You need to choose the platforms that connect you with the right audiences.
The other thing to consider is what kind of leads you’re looking to generate and there are four basic types of lead you need to know about at this stage:
- B2C leads: These are consumers who buy from you directly.
- B2B leads: These are businesses rather than consumers.
- Low-intent: Low-intent leads have an interest in what you’re selling but aren’t ready to buy yet – so you’ll need to work on them more.
- High-intent: High-intent leads are ready to buy now or in the very near future.
With this in mind, let’s take a quick look at each PPC platform to see how they compare.
A summary of PPC advertising platforms
Once again, for a more detailed look at these networks, take a look at our in-depth post Should you advertise on Google, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn? In this article, we’re going to quickly summarise them, which should give you a good idea of which platforms you need to learn more about.
Google Ads
Target audience: With keyword targeting you can reach every audience you need to.
Lead types: Google Ads is great for both B2B and B2C leads but it’s the only ad platform where you can target incredibly high-intent leads from people who are ready to buy now.
Facebook Advertising
Target audience: Facebook’s massive user base means you can target just about every audience you’ll ever need.
Lead types: Facebook is excellent for B2c leads and solid for B2B as well although it’s more geared towards generating lower-intent leads that you can nurture along the buying process.
Instagram for Business
Target audience: Instagram has a smaller user base than Google and Facebook but it is growing. Users are also slightly younger on average and the network is geared towards visual content.
Lead types: Instagram is best suited to for generating B2C leads in fashion, cosmetics, travel and other highly-visual niches.
LinkedIn Ads
Target audience: Working professionals.
Lead types: Strictly B2B leads, mostly low-intent.
Twitter Ads
Target audience: A relatively small but active bunch of news and content-hungry users.
Lead types: Excellent for both B2C and B2B leads although mostly low-intent and you’ll have to work on keeping them engaged.
YouTube Advertising
Target audience: Another network that allows you to target just about every target audience.
Lead types: More geared towards B2C leads but YouTube is still a useful B2B platform and you can get a good mix of low-intent and high-intent leads, although targeting them accurately can be tricky.
What are the right advertising platforms for you?
There’s no single answer to this question because each PPC strategy needs to meet the needs of each unique business. That said, we can safely say 99% of brands engaged in PPC advertising will want to use Google Ads because it’s the only platform that really lets you capture leads at the final stage of the buying process – people who are looking to buy now.
No other platform really gives you this kind of lead like Google Ads.
All of the other platforms are solid choices for generating lower-intent leads and it all comes down to the audiences you want to target. Facebook gives you the widest target audience while Instagram gives you a slightly younger and more consumer-orientated audience to work with. Meanwhile, Twitter is surprisingly powerful for B2B lead generation but LinkedIn always takes the crown in this niche.
So our advice is to start with Google Ads and then choose another platform or two, based on the target audiences you’re after.