How to Choose the Right Advertising Channel

So, you’re running a marketing campaign, but not sure what advertising channel to choose?

Advertising means bringing attention to a brand’s product or service and implementing specific tactics to achieve campaign objectives, such as increasing brand awareness or driving more sales. An advertising medium is how your brand’s message is delivered to your target audience.

Popular advertising mediums are differentiated between traditional and digital.

In this blog, we’ll touch upon what traditional advertising is but will mainly focus on digital advertising to give you a better idea of which advertising channels are right for you.

What is Traditional Advertising?

• Broadcast (TV or radio)
• Outdoor (billboards)
• Print (magazines)

How do you track how many people saw your billboard from the street? What if people took a bathroom break when your TV commercial was airing?

Enter: digital advertising.

What is Digital Advertising?

Digital advertising is the delivery of advertisements on online channels like social media, websites, search engines, videos etc. Digital advertising is flexible when it comes to budget and is full of potential for ad reach. You can and choose which channels work best for your target audience. You won’t be casting a wide net, instead, you’ll have more precision in selecting your demographic, and the placements of your ad serving.

When it comes to the digital landscape, there is so much variety.

Don’t make the rookie mistake of spreading yourself thin and going after a huge range of platforms to reach as many people as possible. It will be a waste of your time, resources, and precious ad dollars. You need to pinpoint your objectives and take a more focused approach: one that gets you in front of the right people that will convert.

In this blog, we’ll break down digital advertising channels by what they are, a few statistics of demographics or fun facts and what types of marketing objectives the channel is great for.

Which Digital Advertising Channel Should I Use?

Here’s a list of the digital advertising channels we will cover:

• May 2022 Updates
  • Weather
  • SMS
  • Performance Max
  • Discovery
  • Twitch
  • Telegram

• Paid Search
  • Google Ads
  • Microsoft (Bing) Ads
  • Quora
• Display
  • Display Retargeting
• Video
• Native
• In-App Advertising
• Apple Search Ads
• Digital Out-Of-Home
• Social
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • TikTok
  • Pinterest
  • Snapchat
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
• Shopping Ads
  • Google Shopping
  • Amazon
• Chinese
  • WeChat
  • Baidu
  • Weibo
  • Douyin
  • TMall
  • JD
  • Youku
• Audio
  • Spotify
  • Pandora
• Hotel / Metasearch Ads
• Online Travel Agencies
• Tips for Choosing the Right Advertising Channel

Weather

Depending on the weather, consumer’s behavior, needs and responses may vary. For example, if it’s pouring rain, perhaps people are more inclined to order food delivery than dine in at a restaurant. By deploying weather-targeted ads, you can boost visibility and anticipate better results.

• Weather ads are a type of targeting ad, and can be served Search, Display, Social and other programmatic platforms

• Great for these industries: Travel & Hospitality, Food & Drink, Apparel, Leisure & Entertainment, Home & Garden, Energy, Insurance etc
• When it’s a lower temperature outside (cold, wet, or snowy), people have an increased desire for psychological warmth. Activities or services that have a social element might perform better!
• Warmer weather & exposure to sunlight increases peoples’ willingness to spend money up to 56%.

• Increasing Engagement
• Driving Conversions
• A healthy Return on Ad Spend
• Delivering a more Personalized Ad Experience
• Boosted Visibility During Key Moments

SMS

In a world where people are bombarded with emails and online ads, SMS ads are a cost-effective way to cut-through the noise and drive visibility with high open-rates. It’s a channel that would complement your other digital marketing efforts, such as email marketing and social!

An SMS ad is 160 symbols. You can use them to send messages for:

• Notifications (like, launch of new product)
• Exclusive deals for your loyalty program members
• Text-To-Win competitions
• Discount codes
• Promotion for sales on your website or stores

• It usually takes a user to respond to an SMS ad within 90 seconds
• Response rates can be as high as 45% (in comparison to email responses, which averages around 6%)
• Click-Through Rate (CTR) is around 19%

• Driving higher Open Rate
• Boosted Visibility
• Promoting Deals and Discounts
• Complementing other Marketing Channels

Performance Max

Performance Max ads utilize machine learning to automate the audience targeting and ad delivery format, based on the information provided when setting up the campaign. Based on the creative assets you provide, the creation of the actual ad will be automated too. Then, the ad platform will run your campaign based on your specified conversion goals.

Performance ad placements will be served across different channels dynamically. It greatly complements PPC Search Ads.

You can choose to set up Performance Max Ads based on these conversions:

• Sales
• Leads
• Website Traffic
• Product & Brand Consideration
• Brand Awareness & Reach
• App Promotion
• Local Store Visits & Promotions

• Beneficial for any type of business
• Potential to reach up to 3 billion users worldwide

• Driving Higher Conversions (whether it be lead generation, purchases etc)
• Acquiring More Data Insights
• Attributing Data to proper channels to get a better understanding of the Customer Journey
• Optimizing Campaign Performance

Discovery

Here are some examples of Discovery Ads the brand, Ugg had ran:

• Single Image Ads
• Multi-Image Carousel Ads

• 86% of online consumers say they’re on the lookout for shopping ideas as they watch videos or explore content across the web
• Potential audience reach of 3 billion users

• Driving Engagement
• Delivering Scalable Ads
• Reaching New Audiences
• Retargeting

Twitch

This Amazon-owned platform has a highly active, social, and engaged userbase. It’s a great ad channel to serve visual ads (especially video).

• Banner/Display
• In-Video Ads

• Homepage Headliner
• Homepage Carousel
• First Impression Takeover
• Twitch Premium Video
• Super Leaderboard
• Medium Rectangle

• 30 million daily users around the world
• Almost 50% of Twitch users are between the ages 18 to 34
• The core demographic of 65% male users (73% are under 35 years old)
• 62% of viewers in eSports/gaming personalities on a daily basis
• 56% of users tend to buy brands they see advertised

• Connecting With a Younger Audience
• Expanding Audience Reach
• Generate Brand Engagement
• Driving Brand Awareness

Telegram

Telegram ads are delivered like a chat message called Sponsored Messages, which can be personalized and the platform has a strong emphasis on user privacy.

• 500 million monthly global active users

• Delivering Contextual-Based Ads
• Preserving User Privacy
• Connecting with Your Target Audience

Paid Search Ads and are typically found at the top of the search results page once a user types in a keyword. The ad format is Pay-Per-Click (PPC) and captures people who are actively looking for a product or service. In fact, PPC visitors are 50% more likely to make a purchase compared to organic visitors!

The two biggest search ad platforms are Google and Microsoft Bing.

Google Search

There are 6 types of Google Search Ads:

• Text
• Dynamic Search
• Call-Only
• Shopping
• Image
• Video

• On average, internet users conduct 3-4 Google searches on a daily basis
• Google owns 76% of the search engine market
• The average Click-Through Rate (CTR) of the paid ad in first position on Google search is 7%
• 96% of brands are spending money on Google Ads

• Increasing qualified website traffic
• Driving conversions
• Increasing sales

Microsoft Advertising (Formerly Bing Ads)

Types of Microsoft Ads:

• Expanded Text Ads
• Dynamic Search Ads
• Responsive Search Ads

• Bing owns 34% of the worldwide desktop search engine market share
• Bing Ads can reach 63 million users that cannot be reached by Google Ads
• Bing has an older demographic, the average age of user base is 45 years old
• 1 out of 3 Bing users have a household income of $100,000+

• Targeting an older audience
• Targeting an audience with bigger purchasing power
• Increasing website traffic
• Driving conversions

Quora

Types of Quora Ads:

• Images Ads
• Text Ads
• Promote an Answer

• 54% of Quora audiences have an average annual household income of $100k+
• 65% of Quora users have a college degree
• 37% more likely to be a manager
• Businesses see 4x more conversions with Quora Ads

• Reaching an audience with strong purchasing power
• Driving high-quality traffic
• Boosting brand authority
• Increasing conversions

45% of people seeing Display Ads are in the middle (or the “Consideration Stage”) of their Customer Journey. Great visuals can boost interest in your products and services and push them onto the next stage (which is “Conversion”)!

Display ads are visual banners that can be found across the internet with specific placements on websites.

Types of Display Ads include:

• Static Banner
• Animated
• Interactive
• Video
• Lightbox
• Interstitial
• Interactive
• Social Display

• Google’s Display Ad Network reaches 90% of internet users worldwide. It serves more than a trillion impressions served to over 1 billion users every month
• Online Display Ads will make up 21% of the total global ad spend in 2021

• Building brand awareness
• Increasing website traffic

Display Retargeting

• Text
• Dynamic Search
• Call-Only
• Shopping
• Image
• Video

• People are 70% more likely to purchase a product when a brand runs retargeting ads
• Website visitors who are retargeted are more likely to convert by 43%

• Improving brand recall
• Driving conversions

Video is the 2nd largest search method online, which is why 87% of digital marketers are using video content in their digital marketing strategies. Aside from text ads like Paid Search and Display Ad images, video ads are the most visually engaging ad format. Youtube is by far the biggest video advertising channel.

Types of Video Ads:

• Bumper
• In-Stream
• Out-Stream
• Interstitial
• Masthead
• Over-The-Top (OTT)
• TrueView Video Discovery

• Youtube has a monthly active user base of 2 billion people
• Compared to other TV networks, YouTube reaches the most 18-34 year olds
• 1 out of 3 Boomers search on YouTube to learn more about a product/service
• Over 70% of YouTube videos are watched on mobile devices

• Targeting audiences from all walks of life
• Expanding brand awareness

Native is a form of paid advertising that blends in with the look, feel, and function of its displayed platform. It is non-intrusive and typically content-rich. You typically find Native Ads in online news sites’ advertorials, social media feeds, and recommended content on webpages.

Types of Native Ads:

• In-Feed
• Branded Content
• Content Recommendation
• Promoted Listings
• In-Ad with Native Elements

• Native Ads are viewed 53% more frequently by consumers than Display Ads
• Native Ads increased purchase intent by 18%
• 32% of people said they would share Native Ad content with friends or family
• 70% of people say they would rather discover products/services through content versus traditional ads

• Educating people on your brand offering
• Building trust with consumers
• Creating brand awareness
• Increasing website traffic

Types of In-App Advertising:

• Mobile Banner Ads
• Interstitial Ads
• Rewarded Video Ads
• Mobile Native Ads

• Smartphone users spend 89% of their total mobile device time in mobile apps, VS 11% on the mobile browser
• Mobile app Click-Through Rate is 0.58% and Mobile Web is 0.23%
• In-app ads perform 11.4 times better than regular banner ads

• Reaching highly engaged audiences
• Increasing clicks
• Connecting with users on mobile devices

• Mobile Banner Ads
• Interstitial Ads
• Rewarded Video Ads
• Mobile Native Ads

• 70% of App Store visitors use the search bar to find apps
• 65% of app downloads occur directly after a search on the Apple app store
• 50% average conversion rate

• Boosting brand exposure
• Increasing mobile app downloads

• Mobile Banner Ads
• Interstitial Ads
• Rewarded Video Ads
• Mobile Native Ads

• 82% of survey respondents recalled seeing a DOOH ad in the past month, and the majority of them viewed the format in a favorable light
• Because DOOH ads are served in person, they cannot be blocked out by AdBlock
• This is one digital advertising channel that does not track actual ad impressions or reach

• Creating brand awareness
• Maximizing ad reach
• Reinforcing brand recall
• Driving foot traffic
• Increasing conversions

• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• TikTok
• Pinterest
• Snapchat
• Reddit
• Tumblr

Facebook

Types of Facebook Ads:

• Image
• Video
• Carousel
• Instant Experience
• Collection

• 2.7 billion monthly active users
• 65% of users are between 18 and 34 years old
• Users from the Silent Generation (born in or before 1945) have doubled and the number of Baby Boomers has increased exponentially

• Building brand awareness
• Targeting audiences from all walks of life
• Driving engagement
• Generating conversions

Instagram

Types of Instagram Ads:

• Stories ads
• Photo ads
• Video ads
• Carousel ads
• Collection ads
• Explore ads
• IGTV ads
• Instagram Shopping ads

• Instagram has 800 million active users
• More than half of the global Instagram population worldwide is aged 34 or younger
• 60% of people say they discover new products on Instagram
• 1 out of 3 most viewed stories are from business Instagram accounts

• Reaching a younger target demographic
• Driving brand awareness
• Increasing website traffic
• Generating conversions (leads)

LinkedIn

Types of LinkedIn Ads:

• Sponsored Content
• Direct Sponsored Content
• Sponsored InMail
• Text Ads
• Dynamic Ads

• Ad exposure on LinkedIn can increase purchase intent by 33%
• The largest age group is 46-55 year olds
• 4 out of 5 LinkedIn users drive business decisions
• 2x the buying power of average web audiences

• Reaching business professionals
• Prospecting
• B2B lead generation
• Boosting purchase intent
• Driving sales

Twitter

Types of Twitter Ads:

• Promoted Ads
• Follower Ads
• Trend Takeover

• 1 out of 3 of Twitter users are 25-34 year olds
• 68% of Twitter users are male
• Degree-holders make up 42% of Twitter’s user base
• In a survey, 73% of Twitter users found the ads in their feed informative and 67% said the ads were relevant and not intrusive

• Expanding brand awareness
• Growing a social following
• Driving engagement
• Increasing impressions and clicks

TikTok

Types of TikTok Ads:

• In-Feed Ads
• Brand Takeover
• TopView
• Branded Hashtag Challenge
• Branded Effects

• TikTok reaches 1 billion monthly active users in 2021
• 41% of TikTok users are between the ages of 16 and 24 (Gen Z)
• People spend an average of 52 minutes a day on the app

• Reaching Gen Z audience
• Promoting your brand in an engaging manner
• Driving awareness
• Increasing website traffic
• Increasing ad clicks

Pinterest

Types of Pinterest Ads:

• Standard Pin
• Carousel Ad
• Video Pin Ad
• Shopping Pin
• App Install Pin

• Shopping is the top priority for 48% of Pinterest users
• Women make up 60% of the Pinterest user base
• 80% of moms in the United States are on Pinterest
• Pinterest users are 3x more likely to click through to a brand’s website compared to any other social channel

• Reaching a female audience
• Boosting brand awareness
• Driving website traffic
• Increasing sales
• Promoting an eCommerce business

Snapchat

Types of Snapchat Ads:

• Image Ad
• Video Ad
• Filter
• Lenses
• Story Ad
• Product Catalog Ad
• Commercials

• 229 million daily active users
• More than half of US internet users between the ages of 15 and 25 use Snapchat
• Snapchat users are 60% more likely to make impulse purchases
• Millennials and Gen Z have a direct spending power of $1 trillion. Snapchat is great for engaging with an audience that is ready to shop

• Connecting with Gen Z and Millennials
• Generating brand awareness
• Driving sales

Reddit

Types of Reddit Ads:

• Promoted Post
• Promoted Video
• Category Takeover
• Front Page Takeover
• Trending Takeover
• Reddit Takeover

• Compared to regular consumers, Redditors have on average: conducted 4x more research and are 9x faster in making purchase decisions
• Reddit is the 7th most popular website in the United States
• 430 million monthly active users worldwide
• 1 in 4 US adults age 25-29 uses Reddit

• Generating brand awareness
• Increasing website traffic
• Driving conversions

Tumblr

Types of Tumblr Ads:

• Sponsored Posts
• Sponsored Video Posts
• Sponsored Day

• 70% of users say the Tumblr dashboard is their favorite place to spend time online
• User base consists of teens and young adults

• Generating brand awareness
• Connecting with a younger audience

Google Shopping Ads and Amazon Ads are the two biggest eCommerce advertising channels.

Google Shopping

• 70% of smartphone users research online before making a purchase
• 60% of clicks for paid Google Ad campaigns retailers run are Shopping Ads
• Google Shopping Ads make up 76% of all US retail search ad spend
• Google Shopping ads average Cost-Per-Click (CPC) is $0.66

• Increasing website traffic
• Driving direct purchases
• Showing up at the top of Google search results

Amazon

Amazon dominates the worldwide eCommerce landscape. With more than 2.5 million active sellers on the Amazon marketplace, cut through the noise by promoting your brand and its products with Amazon ads.

Types of Amazon Ads:

• Sponsored Product Ad
• Headline Search Ad
• Amazon Product Display Ad

• 90% of buyers agree that they are more likely to purchase Amazon products than other eCommerce sites
• 23% of online shoppers go to Amazon for product inspiration
• 80 million American households have an Amazon account
• 4000 items are sold per minute in the United States on Amazon

• Increasing Amazon sales
• Expanding product reach

WeChat

Types of WeChat Ads:

• Moments Ad
• Article Banner Ad
• Mini Program Ad
• One-Click-to-Follow Ad

• One billion monthly active users
• Daily average of app use is 90 minutes

• Driving brand awareness
• Boosting audience engagement
• Increasing app usage

Baidu

Baidu offers:

• Paid Search Ads
• Display Ads

• Baidu owns over 66% of the Chinese Search market share
• 202 million daily active users

• Targeting Chinese users with high purchase intent
• Driving website traffic
• Promoting brand products or app

Weibo

Types of Weibo Ads:

• Display
• Search Engine Promotion
• Fan Headline
• Fan Tunnel

• 500+ million monthly active users
• 68% of users follow official brand accounts with the intent to receive promos

• Boosting brand awareness
• Driving brand engagement
• Improving brand reputation
• Stimulating sales

Douyin

Types of Douyin Ads:

• Open Screen Ads
• Feed Ads
• Sticker Ads
• Music Advertising
• Key Opinion Leader (KOL) Ads

• 68% of Chinese social media users use Douyin
• More than 400 million daily users in China
• Estimated to reach 555 million users in 2023
• 98% of the user base is under 40 years old

• Reaching young, affluent Chinese audiences
• Increasing brand engagement
• Stimulating sales

TMall

Types of TMall Ads:

• Zhi Tong Che (Keyword Search Ad)
• Pin Xiao Bao (Keyword Search Ad)
• Zhi Zuan (Display Banner Ads)
• Super Recommendation (Algorithm-Driven Display Ads, shows relevant recommendations)
• Ju Hua Suan (Flash-sale Display Ads)

• 3rd most visited website in the World
• Biggest cross-border eCommerce marketplace in China
• Owns 50-60% of the Chinese eCommerce market share

• Reaching Upper Middle-Class Chinese consumers
• Gaining brand recognition
• Driving eCommerce sales

JD

Types of JD Ads:

• PPC Search Ads
• Display Banner Ads

• Owns about 30% of the Chinese eCommerce market share
• In 2020, active customer accounts increased by 30% to 472 million people
• 80% of users are aged 18-45
• 65% of users have university degrees

• International Brands to sell products
• Breaking into the Chinese market remotely
• Reaching a Chinese audience base that’s young, educated & digitally-savvy

Youku

Types of Youku Ads:

• Top Page Banner Ads
• Mid-Page Banner Ads
• Bottom Banner Ads
• Pre-Roll Ads
• Mid and Post-Roll Ads
• Pause Ads

• 500 million active users
• 60% of users are under the age of 30
• The monthly User Retention rate is 60%

• eCommerce brands looking for local ad placement
• Delivering visual ads to engaged audiences
• Boosting brand awareness

Did you know that Audio Ads have a 24% higher recall rate than traditional Display Ads?

Brands can use audio advertising to deliver hyper-targeted, relevant ads anytime and anywhere.

• 1 out of 5 audio ads will be programmatic by 2022
• 60% of podcast listeners made a purchase after listening to an audio ad

Spotify

Types of Spotify Ads:

• Audio Ads
• Video Ads
• Podcast Ads
• Custom Experiences

• Spotify estimates to reach 400 million monthly active users in 2021
• Millennials make up 55% of Spotify’s user base
• Spotify has over 30% of the music subscription global market share
• Daily average listening time in Europe is 99 minutes and North America is 140 minutes

• Reaching engaged audiences at anytime
• Boosting brand awareness
• Increasing direct traffic

Pandora

Types of Pandora Ads:

• Audio
• Video
• Display
• Content
• Experiential Events
• Studio Resonate

• The daily average listening duration is 2 hours and 15 minutes
• Largest user demographic is 35-44 years old

• Reaching the middle-aged demographic
• Boosting brand awareness
• Increasing direct traffic

There are two types of travel-related ads, one is Metasearch, which is also known as hotel ads; the other is Online Travel Agencies (OTAs).

Metasearch

Metasearch engines are websites that are hotel databases. It allows hotels to save on commission fees by encouraging customers to book directly and bypassing the middleman, OTAs (known as Online Travel Agencies).

People are able to search for specific accommodations on metasearch engines, read reviews, and book directly. Metasearch Ads typically operate as a Pay-Per-Click (PPC) model.

The biggest Metasearch Engines are:

• Google Hotel Ads
• TripAdvisor
• HotelsCombined

Metasearch Ads guarantee a 25-50% increase in visibility in search listings

• Maximizing presence in search results
• Advertising hotel inventory
• Driving direct bookings
• Saving on commission fees from OTAs

Online Travel Agency (OTA)

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) are a one-stop-shop for consumers to plan and book their travels, including services such as hotels, airlines, tours, cruises, and other activities. They are like a hybrid of a travel agency and an eCommerce platform.

It’s a cost-effective way to reach international audiences which otherwise would be expensive to advertise through other channels.

Pro-Tip: Combine with Metasearch, Display, and Search Ads to maximize your ad reach!

The biggest Online Travel Agencies are:

• Expedia
• Kayak
• Orbitz
• Priceline
• Travelocity

• OTAs collectively own 40% of the global travel market share
• 76% of users book hotels online via OTA
• 47% of users prefer OTAs because they’re easy to use

• Growing brand awareness
• Increasing bookings
• Testing out promotions
• Reaching international audiences

Phew, that was definitely quite a bit of information to take in!

• Review your brand’s advertising objectives and build a strategy accordingly
• Don’t put all your eggs in one basket — think about where your target audience spends their time online and diversify your ad channels to reach them through multiple touchpoints, which makes for effective retargeting!
• Set your budget then allocate your funds to different channels
• Research industry benchmarks to predict the range of your Return On Ad Spend

As a marketer, it can be overwhelming to manage multiple channels, consistently monitor the campaigns, and make real-time adjustments to optimize ad performance. It takes time and expertise. That’s why “programmatic” is an emerging type of advertising that brands are starting to use!

Programmatic ad tech automates a lot of the process with machine learning. An example is War Room’s programmatic platform, Kedet, which gives direct access to 90,000+ ad publishers’ inventory, conducts real-time ad buying and so much more. It also has the capabilities for hyper-targeting audiences and data integration, which enables in-depth analysis and a holistic, advanced approach to advertising.

Programmatic ad agencies combine cutting-edge technology with human expertise for building customized digital strategies for brands. We definitely recommend looking into this option if you want multi-channel advertising!