Services

It is by far the biggest advertising platform in the Social Media world. It has the most precise targeting options and this makes it one of the most efficient ad distribution channel there is. It is rivalling Google Search which is the ultimate etalon for media efficiency at the bottom of the funnel. So Facebook delivers conversions. That is a fact, it works. Despite the many privacy related challenges it goes through it still maintains its top spot on the pedestal. The platform is so big that every business no matter how large or small can find its customers there. Now precisely because its size it is very easy to waste a lot of impressions on people that are not your potential customers. So mastering the Facebook algorithm in order to manipulate it to match the right people with the right message at the right time is vital. And there is no manual on how it actually works and its background logic. You have to feel it to steer it. It has to run in your DNA. Wee feel it in ours.

Google is and advertising behemoth that you cant overlook. If anything it is the only channel you would advertise on if you would have to pick just one. Google search is known for its efficiency and highest conversion rates. It is where people go to find information and buy. Nobody knows all the brands and all the products or all the solutions to a problem. They need someone to do the research work for them and surface a list of options to chose from. So people turn to google for just that and over the years it became the most trusted search engine. The advantage that google search has relative to other publishers is that people go there by their own will when they intent to buys or think of buying. Basically your ad will be shown to people who actively look for stuff. So they provide the demand and the advertiser provides the supply. Google just facilitates the match. And it does it very well. No matter what you sell or do (be it retail, B2B, app downloads etc) you just cant afford not being on Google. It’s ad products is just getting better and better. It’s algorithm is unbeatable. Universal app campaigns is one example of how it managed to bring all placements under one umbrella and automatically optimise for most cost effective app installs.

Along with Facebook this is a veteran in social media platforms. Nowadays it almost diverted from its “social” roots and is becoming more of an instant news channel where people can get involved and contribute or debate. For certain advertising goals Twitter is a great platform. It generates lots of engagement and is good for branding. Unfortunately these guys didn’t manage to make it work for direct response goals. This is not to say that it is not worth a try for some businesses but very few manage to make it work for them. It could be good for app downloads for some clients but again just for very few. So if you are looking for conversions off the bat without committing resources and investment in Twitter specific advertising campaigns then this platform is probably not for you. It requires a “personal” approach and adaptations from your other media channels will not do here.

Facebook is by far the biggest social media networks out there but Instagram is the fastest growing and guess what? It is owned by Facebook. The algorithm that is governing the advertising mechanism on Instagram is the same as Facebook’s is with some tweaks here and there. So knowing how Facebook works helps a lot with understanding how Instagram works. Instagram is much more image heavy but to be fair Facebook is redesigning itself towards becoming image first as well now. Anyhow images are at the core of Instagram advertising and copy is much less relevant. So the challenge here is to tell the story using visuals and no body copy. Little bit of text overlay is good given it is used creatively and scarcely. Another big part of Instagram is stories ads. They are becoming exponentially popular and they are overtaking the traditional feed ads. This comes from the the tendency of people to consume more content in less time and stories offer just that.

Spotify recently released its self-serve platform as well and it is called Ad Studio. The ads here are served to the users that are not yet on the premium subscription. The main selling point of the premium subscription is that it is ad free so the free version of the app comes with ads by default and the users are well aware of that and that is what they expect. I guess the point here is that they are more open to adverts and don’t perceive them as intrusive but rather are mentally prepared to listen to them. A very cool feature that Spotify offers is the voice-over which is free. You just write the content and choose the voice you want to use and you have an ad. The music streaming platform allows you to target by genre and playlist which is pretty cool.

Snapchat is the new kid on the block (well it’s heydays have passed). The platform is perfect for those clients that want to reach a young and engaged audience. The primary age group here is 18-25 but it works very well for under 30s as well. Snapchat invest a lot in their advertising products and in their algorithm which is actually not bad. Yes the scale you are going to achieve is limited but it is worth investing in it a small portion of your budget. We could argue that Instagram is a Snapchat killer but it is not quiet so. Yes Instagram is an obstacle in Snapchat’s growth but Sanpchat is here to stay. It has it’s dedicated users that it is unlikely to lose and it will always have its niche. Like Twitter it will tick along but unlike twitter it actually generates marketing results.

Pinterest is one of those platforms that grow steadily but go under the radar. It si a stable and a solid platform where people come and get their inspiration from on a regular basis. It is the ultimate idea discovery platform that all the rivals are trying to steal a market share of but nobody has managed to pose a serious challenge to it yet. It is the best in its niche: idea discovery. Pinterest is a great platform for clients looking to be there when users are in their research phase, when they are looking for what to look for. The platform is investing heavily in its direct response ad products now and is worth considering for different objectives from branding to DR.

LinkedIn is a platform that is social but it is not “social”. It has a very specific purpose and feels more like a platform where one would have a very formal presence or brand or at least where one would present the professional self. Its all about jobs and business. Some would argue that it is platform for B2B marketing and it is. It definitely is the right platform for branding activity and leads generation but again it needs a very thoughtful approach and it needs a carefully designed approach specifically for LinkedIn. It definitely has the most advanced targeting capabilities when it comes to specific job titles or industries or academic fields.

The question and answer platform is becoming more and more popular with advertisers these days. Its quality content and the growing number of users makes it very attractive. Also it is very quickly catching up with other players on the market in terms of its self-serve biddable platform and offers solutions and products on par with the likes of Pinterest and Snapchat. Quora’s targeting options are pretty attractive. Although it is not possible to target by demographics if a user is not signed in, it is possible to target by specific question which amounts to a very precise way of reaching potential customers. For example if someone is looking at a questions about “what device is the best fitness tracker now” it is very probable that that person is in the market for fitness tracker devices and is looking to make a decision on which brand to go with. So that would a great opportunity to influence his decision.

This is a relatively new self serve advertising platform created by apple to monetise the search demand on its app store. It was released in 2016 in US and in April 2017 in UK. It was instant success. The conversion rate is just insane reaching 50% conversion rate on average. Its ad platform is not as advanced as Google search is and is much more inferior but it has all the basic tools that you need to get efficient results from your budget. It keeps improving and new features are added regularly but Apple is known for its cautiousness and wants to make it perfect before releasing. Having said so it offers all the main feature of a self serve platform: keywords, Device, demographics and Geo-targeting. So if you have an app for iOS you might want to be on apple search to ensure your visibility and growth.