The best ad platforms that aren’t Facebook or Google

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Jul 31, 2020 / by
The best ad platforms that aren’t Facebook or Google

Sometimes, to reach a new audience you need to actually find a new audience and when it comes to online paid advertising, that can mean expanding outside the reliable comfort zones of Google and Facebook.

Of course, those platforms are incredibly powerful and are popular for a reason, but there are dozens of other ad platforms out there that can help spread your brand to internet users that you might otherwise never breach.

We’ll focus on just a few of the top alternatives here (we could be here all day otherwise)  but know that we’re just scratching the surface of the surface here.

Microsoft

Yes, we all know that Bing is still seen in some circles as a bit of a joke, but did you know that it still welcomes millions of users a day.

It might pale in comparison to Google’s reach, but when paired with the results from Yahoo and AOL (both properties now owned by Microsoft) it represents 116 million users per day and just over 36% of the desktop search market in the US. The features it offers are also remarkably similar to Google, so transitioning over to the platform should be nice and easy for most online marketers. Note, however, that Bing is only really effective for targeting the US market, as performance in the UK is rather poor.

Amazon

The other heavy-hitter on this list, advertising on Amazon should be a no-brainer, particularly if you use Amazon to sell your products and, let’s be honest, if you’re running an online business then you probably have a least a few toes in the deep waters of the Amazon river.

Of course, advertising on Amazon is a different game entirely to Google, Facebook or even Microsoft, so you’ll certainly need to adapt your strategies. But with its in-depth targeting features, and excellent reporting systems, it’s a platform that you can’t afford to ignore.

Instagram

It might be owned part and parcel by Facebook, but Instagram is a completely different beast when it comes to advertising. The platform has over 500 million daily active users, so why has it not been heavily utilised as an advertising platform? Simple – the links.

Until recently, linking directly from an Instagram post was impossible, which led to the now ubiquitous “link in bio” adage. But that’s not the case anymore if you use the platform for advertising. Now that Instagram has partnered with Shopify, it’s even easier and more powerful to use. And that’s even before you breach the concept of using influencers to help ply your wares.

LinkedIn

As the main social media hub for B2B commerce, if your organisation wants to reach business leaders and engage in B2B advertising then there really is no better place to advertise your wares.

LinkedIn Ads allow for everything from text and video ads to sponsored content and offers features like lead generation and conversion tracking. Also, note that because Microsoft now owns LinkedIn, you’ll also have access to all their juicy data, which is perfect for targeted ads.

YouTube

With 1.8 billion monthly active users and most teenagers spending more time on it than watching TV, YouTube seems like a natural home for advertisers trying to claim a slightly younger audience. There’s also the powerful Find My Audience tool, which allows you to reach viewers based not just on age, gender, and location but on their interests and viewing habits.

Better yet, with TrueView Ads, you only pay for an ad when it’s been watched for longer than 30 seconds. You’ll need to actually produce a video, of course, but we guarantee it’ll be worth the effort.

Snapchat/TikTok

Finally, this is perhaps only one to consider if you’re targeting a younger audience (because 70% of Snapchat’s users are under the age of 25), but if you are trying to reach that audience then Snapchat and TikTok could be your best bet.

These are platforms used every day by quite literally billions of teenagers and young adults and whilst TikTok’s ad platform is still nascent (much like the brand itself), Snapchat includes some pretty unique tools, such as setting goals based on website visits or app installs. It’s an audience that might not be able to be reached any other way and it’s one that certainly should not be overlooked.