Ranking Best Platforms for Running Ads

One of the biggest problems facing business owners who have part or all of their business online is where to actually run their marketing campaigns.

The first part to fixing that is understanding what your business category says about where your focus needs to be. I touched on that in my article, "B2B vs B2C: Where You Should Run Your Ads."

However, that is just a part of the entire story. In that article, I noted that B2C businesses excel with Meta Ads, and we know the Meta Ads platform includes Facebook, Instagram, Threads, Messenger, Audience Networks, and, recently, WhatsApp.

Each of these platforms has its own ‘spirit’ or ‘vibe’, whichever you wish to call it. 

As a result, you can’t simply place your ads on all of these platforms simply because you wish to increase your ad margin. Please remind me to enlighten you on ‘Audience Network: Pros and Cons’

That brings us to the best platforms for your business.

Facebook: This platform is best for B2Cs whose intended customers don’t require excessive or motion visual appeal to buy. While having ad creative (image or video) is super important and can significantly affect your ad performance, which I recommend you do, there are businesses that don’t operate in highly stimulating sectors. i.e., you are promoting a book, or a Facebook group, or a page.

Instagram: Closely related to Facebook, and in most cases, combined with Facebook (advisable, but not a must). Running your marketing campaign on Instagram is highly beneficial for your ad spend if your business operates in a highly engaging media space, especially when you go beyond static images. You own a bakery? A medspa, you own a catering service, etc, etc. you get? TikTok falls under this category too.

The other Meta platforms are often merged together; I am going to make a separate post on Audience Networks, okay?

LinkedIn: B2Bs, here is your place. B2Cs are welcome here too, but it thrives well for the B2Bs. If your business uses corporate jargon, speaks with professionals, or sells products and services primarily used by structured businesses, then LinkedIn is where you have to be. It is not as cheap as Facebook or Instagram, I must warn you, but if you can, you should do it here. 

The reason for LinkedIn is simple: The audience is small, but concentrated. That is what sets it apart from Meta, where you can get literally anyone. But on LinkedIn, those there are already targeted. Hehe.

X: Now, this one is special. Looking for virality? Head to X. While it works for almost any business, I think if you are in media- or technology-related businesses, X is the place you may want to focus on.

Google: You didn’t expect that I would mention this, yeah? Well, I did. Have you ever searched online for something and seen ‘sponsored’ on some websites? Well, those are running Google ads, climbing the SEO ladder to the top pages, even with very low Page Authority. If your business requires some level of corporate finesse, or you serve high-demand needs in person or even virtually, and need solid, quick trust, then Google Ads is an ideal place to be. There are also YouTube ads via AdSense.

Now that you know, which would you love to try out based on your business structure?