Choosing an advertising platform that’s in alignment with your digital marketing strategy is anything but easy. With plenty of options available for you to choose from, it can be a challenge to select the one that’s going to drive the best results and grow your brand awareness.
In this article, we take a look at five of the most popular ad platforms to help you decide which platform is best for your unique business.
Having a paid advertising strategy is the key to extending your business’s market reach to audiences you may have not been able to reach without it. With the help of ad platforms like Facebook, Google, and Amazon you can reach wider audiences than ever before.
But, which one is the best? Let’s dive deep into your options!
1. Google Ads
Google Ads is one of the best digital advertising platforms on the market — and for a good reason. With over 5.6 billion searches per day, it’s no wonder why Google ads is the top pick for e-merchants across the world.
Here are the types of Google Ads you can launch:
- Search (Text Ads)
- Display (Image Ads)
- Video (Video Ads)
- Shopping (Product Listing Ads)
One of the biggest reasons why marketers love to use Google Ads is because Google is the place where internet users go to get their questions answered. As a business, you are always trying to look for new ways to be the answer to your customer’s problems (which makes Google perfect for eCommerce stores)!
Even though Google Ads can take some time to get used to using, Google has in-depth lessons and certifications to help you understand how to use their Google Ads platform better. (Be sure to take their certification courses before launching your first ad to ensure that you are launching the best ad possible for your business.)
Fun Fact: People are 4x more likely to click on a Google Ad than any other search engine ad.
2. Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads is another great ad platform that eCommerce stores are utilizing to get exposure and their message out in front of their ideal audience. One of the biggest barriers that marketers have to overcome is trying to find new ways to get their brand shown to people on platforms they are already using.
Facebook makes it easy for brands to launch an ad with its easy-to-use ad platform. Brands can also segment audiences out by behaviors, interests, geographic location, and age to make sure that the ad is only shown to those who fit certain criteria.
Some popular types of Facebook Ads include:
- Image Ads
- Video Ads
- Story Ads
- Carousel Ads
- Lead Ads
- Dynamic Ads
- And More!
Just like with the Google Ads platform, Facebook Ads has free tools and lesson plans for you to check out to help you out if you haven’t used their ads platform before!
Fun Fact: 93% of social media marketers use paid Facebook ads.
3. Amazon
Amazon isn’t just a place to find new cool products, it’s also a place where you can promote your products to be at the top of the Amazon search query. By using Amazon Advertising, you can target certain shopping keywords to ensure that your ad is shown to individuals looking for that certain keyword/product in the Amazon search bar.
Types of Amazon Ads:
- Sponsored Product Ads
- Sponsored Brands
- Product Display Ads
Amazon Advertising is perfect for eCommerce brands because the users on Amazon are already searching for a product to buy. Using a shopping advertising platform like Amazon can be better than using social media advertising because those on Amazon are on the site out of the intention to buy, not catch up with family and friends like they would on social media.
3. Pinterest
With over 478 monthly active users, Pinterest isn’t an ad platform you want to overlook — especially as an eCommerce business. Every day, “pinners” are finding new brands and products they might have not otherwise been able to find organically through search engines.
Pinterest is an ideal ad platform for eCommerce stores in particular because the platform is highly visual in nature. Also, promoting your products on Pinterest doesn’t seem as “salesy” as it may seem on other platforms because users expect to see new and fun products on Pinterest.
What kind of ads should you run on Pinterest? You can run ads on new product launches, images of your product in action, or video ads to get higher engagement. The opportunities with Pinterest are truly endless!
Fun Fact: 77% of pinners say they have discovered a new brand or product while browsing on Pinterest.
4. AdRoll
AdRoll is a popular retargeting advertising platform used by eCommerce stores across the globe. Retargeting platforms like AdRoll help eCommerce businesses generate more sales by putting a company’s brand message back out in front of people who have already interacted with the brand one way or another.
Whether it be that they are a past customer or they have frequently visited your site, AdRoll makes sure that your ad is placed right in front of those individuals… again and again. So, if your site has great traffic and not a lot of sales, you may want to launch a retargeting ad to help those individuals to the finish line. If you aren’t already, a lead form is another great tool to implement for generating leads on your website.
Fun Fact: The click-through rate of a retargeted ad is 10x higher than a display ad.
Conclusion
It’s no secret that the advertising world has drastically changed over the past few decades. And now more than ever, your business needs to be focused on paid advertising efforts and optimizing your older ad messaging to stay relevant with your end-customer.
We won’t tell you what ad platform is best for your eCommerce business, but we will tell you that paid advertising, in general, is the key to business success in today’s times. And if you don’t start thinking about paid advertising now, your competition will. Give your eCommerce business a competitive edge when you adopt a pay-to-play approach that will boost your bottom line.
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FAQ
Which ad platform should your eCommerce store use?
– Google ads
– Facebook ads
– Pinterest
– Adroll
What are the types of Amazon ads?
– Sponsored Product Ads
– Sponsored Brands
– Product Display Ads
What is AdRoll?
AdRoll is a popular retargeting advertising platform for eCommerce stores. AdRoll helps businesses by putting brand’s message back out in front of people who have already interacted with the brand one way or another.
