For businesses seeking immediate leads and sales, paid digital ads can deliver instant, "I need it NOW" outcomes.

Understanding Digital Advertising

Digital advertising campaigns, including Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising (previously Yahoo! / MSN Bing), Meta Ads (previously Facebook / Instagram Ads), TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and LinkedIN Marketing are:

Paid results that appear:
- above or below the organic search results,
- on the side of the page;
or, in the case of sponsored social media platforms, the paid ads/posts are:
- dispersed throughout the newsfeed,
- videos inserted between posts.

For instance, Google Ads are typically labeled "Ad" or "Sponsored" at the top and bottom of the search results.

Regardless of the platform, be it Google, Facebook, or others, all "Ads" are paid and marked with something akin to "Sponsored Link" or "Ad" to clearly indicate it's a paid advertisement.

Most commonly, paid ads are bought on a PPC (Pay per click) or CPI (Cost per impression) basis.

PPC is frequently used to pay for ads that prompt a user to take action, and click through to buy a product or service.
CPI is typically used for generating awareness and exposure; usually appearing as syndication ads within 3rd party site content on a related topic or interest.
Both PPC and CPI can be used for remarketing campaigns; remarketing ad campaigns typically appear on 3rd party sites; reminding the user of previously visited ads, content, promotions, products, or services.

For instance, syndication and remarketing ads are seen when visiting 3rd party sites. Syndication ads appear on sites with related content (a golfing site may show golf related ads in syndication). Remarketing ads appear on 3rd party sites reminding users of previously visited ads, promotions, products, services, etc.

Is Paid Advertising Superior To Natural/Organic SEO?

Natural website optimization will always be crucial for achieving the best long-term results for search engine ranking.
Paid digital ads & posts are effective for immediate results.
The most successful outcomes usually occur when paid ads are used alongside organic SEO, ensuring maximum exposure.
Natural optimization avoids the PPC or CPI cost associated with paid ads.
Natural optimization seldom provides immediate results; search engines need time to index website content for inclusion in search results.

If immediate ad sales are required, (for an event, Black Friday, Christmas or holiday sales, etc), using paid digital ads are typically best for instant results.

Which Search Engine Or Social Platform Is Ideal For Paid Ads?

As with any campaign, selecting the right platform depends on the target market and demographic. Almost all search engines and social platforms offer some form of paid advertising.

Google is the undisputed leading search engine with around 83% of searches taking place on Google, compared to others like Microsoft.

When advertising on search engines, there are usually several methods to use:

Paid ads on search result pages
Syndication on related content partner sites
Remarketing to previous visitors as they navigate 3rd party sites

For advertising on social media platforms, there are some important guidelines to follow for the best return on ad dollars spent.

Facebook (owned by Meta Ads) typically provides the best return as Facebook's user base spans all ages (B2C), and business industries (B2B).
LinkedIN Marketing is growing, but has a market geared towards businesses only (B2B), versus other social platforms (like Facebook, Twitter) which are usually consumers across all age groups and walks of life.
Instagram (owned by Meta) tends to have a user base of mostly 18-24 followed closely by 25-29 year olds. Meta Ads running on Instagram can also simultaneously run on Facebook.
X (formerly Twitter) offers advertising opportunities for businesses with the majority of users ranging from 18-29 followed closely by 30-49 year olds.
Snapchat also provides advertising, and is most popular with audiences in the 18-24 age group.
TikTok has become a powerhouse of advertising opportunities for business. Surprisingly, their user base spans various ages, covering many demographics and industries across the board.
Pinterest has been heavily promoting their advertising opportunities for business ads and promoted Pins.
Other social media platforms, such as Alignable and Nextdoor, are quickly developing their own versions of ads and sponsored posts. It will take some time to see how these others compare to Meta and Google Ads.
Depending on each business and its associated industry, advertising on other sites, social platforms, directories, and traditional mediums may be relevant and necessary for ongoing success.

Generally, Google and Facebook are leaders in their respective ad mediums, and probably the safest investment for most companies new to digital advertising.

How Simple Is It To Setup & Advertise Online?

Today, most digital advertisers operate similarly to Google Ads offering no commitment, "cancel when you want" service.

By using digital ad platforms, one can typically setup campaigns within minutes; thus allowing for "RIGHT NOW" marketing campaigns and advertising.
Most programs function similarly to one another:
- Most allow the creation of an ad, or the promotion of a post.
- Others only allow promotion of posts.
- Often each provides a Promote option to boost recent Posts or Status Updates.
Paid promotional "boosts" allow businesses the opportunity to increase visibility of posts and updates with a Call to Action improving the likelihood for user interaction.

The initial research and setup of any online or offline ad campaign is the most important step. Often success or failure of a campaign hinges on the quality of the initial research and setup.

Whenever possible, take advantage of free professional performance audits to help ensure effective results for the best possible return on investment.

How Much Should I Budget to Spend?

The budget required for any digital ad campaign varies greatly on targeting factors. Some of the factors affecting cost the most are:

industry,
number of competitors,
sponsored keywords & phrases,
location & geographical market.

Thankfully, most paid advertising programs allow one to set a desired budget to control cost and spending.

For example: $2 per click (or impression) with a limit of $200 per month or chosen time period.

While many services allow budgets as low as $1 per day; depending on the industry and market, there are often minimums that must be met to be effective and successful.

As a general rule, to generate effective and worthwhile results, experts recommend the following average minimum ad spend per campaign:

Local Ads: Minimum $250 per month
Regional Ads: Minimum $500 per month
National Ads: Minimum $1,000 per month

While every business and industry differs, and the results will be affected by the quality of the ads; the average Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) ratios are 2.87:1, or $2.87 for every $1 spent. Some industries in more vertical markets see ROAS upwards of $5 per $1 spent.

What Tools Are Available To Help Get The Best Return On Advertising Spend (ROAS)?

There are numerous industry tools and tutorials to help choose relevant, effective, keywords and phrases for paid ads.

Google's Keyword Selection Tool can estimate cost per keyword for ads; including potential traffic for a particular keyword or phrase.
Google uses historical data and search statistics to assess the best keywords and phrases to sponsor for a campaign.
Most advertising services offer analytics to assess the effectiveness of a campaign.
Expect to spend a minimum of a few hours for initial research, analysis, and setup of appropriate keywords & phrases to use in each campaign.
Determining the target audience and demographic, as well as writing ad content can take just as long.

Once the necessary research and content creation is completed, ads can be live and generating leads or sales within minutes, or hours at most!

How To Start An Online Ad Campaign

Each advertising service is slightly different with unique requirements. Below are links to each respective advertising service section:

For effective results, often professional experience is best. For help with online marketing campaigns, Advertising Solutions offers custom and unique online marketing campaigns for each business.