Before you pick a platform for your paid ads, ask this question… Is your audience already looking for what you offer? Or do they not know they need it yet? That gives you direction to where you should spend your ad budget. In part 2 of this paid ads series, we’re covering the where: Google, Meta, LinkedIn, TikTok, and a few options you probably haven’t considered. You’ll get real industry examples of what fits where.
Enjoy the episode!
🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool. This week’s recommended tool is Google Search Console.
One of my go-to tools to find what phrases people find my (and clients’) websites on. I gotta say, Google has been stepping up their Google Search Console game. It provides a dashboard insights area, you can see where your socials appear in search results and they are even showing some AI phrases if your website comes up in the AI overviews. Definitely worth checking out to inform your SEO and AI SEO strategy.
🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is I’m Begging You to Understand Quantum Entanglement on A Changed Mind podcast. This one came up in my list of suggested listens and I was interested in it because of the title.
I recommend it for the concept. I had to think too hard to comprehend what he was saying so I doubt I’ll listen to many of his episodes but I did get one good takeaway from it. The idea that stress is a signal of not being aligned with your ideal version of you.
If you listen to the episode, let me know how you like it!
Find other recommended episodes here.
Other Resource Links
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tbdWe’re in part 2 of 3 in our Paid Ads Series. Last week I shared some ideas around how much it costs for various platforms. This week, we’re gonna talk about the where.
The default options are Google ads (including YouTube), LinkedIn and Meta. But there are more. And we’ll get into the intent of each and some questions you can ask to decide where you want to run your paid ads. Actually let’s do this, I’ll share some industry examples of where and why a particular platform is a good option.
Last week you might remember hearing me say, the decision of where to run your paid ads budget should come before the budget itself.
You want your strategy to be based on return and conversions, not where you can spend the least amount of money.
So why did I start with cost? Because that is the most common question. But the where is more effective to getting a return on that budget.
Actually, it’s also the messaging. How are you speaking to the audience in said channel.
There’s two ways to look at this. One, someone is aware of their problem and looking for the answer right now. Two, someone is unaware of their problem, or they know but aren’t actively looking.
Google ads is good for the first person. Even Bing… advertising on search engines. Even ChatGPT. I recommend Google ads because of the sheer volume of market share. I’m not recommending ChatGPT yet because there is very little control over your targeting. I hate not having control.
For the second person, social advertising, like TikTok or Meta to be exact, is a great one to get in front of people that are unaware or they know but for some reason haven’t taken the step to actively look.
The messaging can sort of twist the knife in the wound to get them to be more aware. Forgive my graphic metaphor, I’ve been watching a lot of Supernatural reruns. Plus, isn’t that what marketing is? Poor salt in the wound. Nobody goes looking for solutions when there isn’t anything broken.
The point is, the messaging is done in such a way that the audience takes notice and acts on the ad. Signs up for the webinar, downloads the newsletter or what have you.
Let me share some examples with you.
| Industry | Best Platform | Why This Platform Fits |
|---|---|---|
| Wedding & event planners, most photographers | Meta, TikTok or Pinterest (for inspiration phase), + Google Search (specific research) | Couples browse TikTok, Meta and Pinterest for inspiration and style. Once they get into planning specifics, like venues or vendors in their area, they turn to Google search. |
| Interior designers | Meta, TikTok or Pinterest | People scroll for inspiration before they realize they need to hire someone. |
| Web designers | Google Search | Business owners and marketers usually already know they need a new or updated site. They type that need into Google, so intent-based search fits best. |
| Health & wellness coaches | Meta, TikTok | People do search “health coach.” They look around and follow a few. But they buy only after they’ve followed someone long enough to trust them. That follow-and-nurture phase happens on places like Instagram and TikTok. |
| Business & brand consultants, HR & workplace consulting | LinkedIn, close second is industry publications | The buyer is a business owner or manager. LinkedIn lets you target by job title and industry. Now some might argue there’s really only people searching for other jobs there so again, you’ll have to experiment and think how this may or may not work for your business. |
Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn aren’t the only place to run paid ads.
One place I like to run ads is for my newsletter on inboxreads.co. It’s a website that helps you find newsletters and it also helps you find places to sponsor or partner with. It’s been around for ages. Kinda trippy, yeah? Advertising my newsletter on a newsletter website?
First time I did it, I got a 23% conversion rate on unique ad visits. I think the lead acquisition cost is irrelevant for me for my newsletter because I’ve gotten zero clients from it in like 8 years of business. But it’s a necessary marketing tool for most people. I know my newsletter helps people even if it isn’t driving direct revenue. I know that in my heart. But if you’re one where you get some leads and you have an active email list, this could be a lucrative marketing channel for you.
Here’s another example… you can sponsor someone’s email. Let’s say you’re in the social media industry, either managing or creating, you could advertise inside of GeekOut. Big following and ripe with people who could use the services.
And there’s even an ad platform for newsletters. I haven’t tried it yet, but it works similar to Meta where they charge per thousand impressions. So there’s a bunch of newsletters that allow various people to advertise through this platform.
I’m likely gonna give this one a try 1st quarter next year. Please remind me to report back.
Capterra, a services and platform review site, offers advertising space. Going back to the social media example, you could advertise on the pages that review social media tools. People are actively looking for your specific help.
This isn’t an exhaustive list of all the places you can run a paid ad. Google other options for your specific business, ask your favorite AI tool or reach out to me for a clarity call. I’m happy to help.
Here’s The Takeaway
Wherever you decide, know your goal. Not just get more leads or clients. Know how many you need to get a return on your spend. Commit to it for 3 months. Then re-evaluate.
Want to know more about how to increase revenue with paid ads? I’m hosting a free webinar titled How to Increase Revenue with Paid Ads. It’ll be on September 24. You’ll leave with a clear answer on whether paid ads make sense for your business right now, and what running them well would look like. Be there or be square.
About This Show
The Get More Website Traffic Podcast covers the strategies, tools, and tactics that help small business owners get more people to their website and turn that traffic into leads. Host Barb Davids breaks it down in plain language every week, with bonus episodes featuring other business owners sharing their expertise on topics that matter to running a small business. Produced by Compass Digital Strategies.
