6 Alternatives to Google Ads
Generating around $150 billion (yes, that’s billion with a “b”) from ad sales, it’s safe to say that Goggle ads have dominated the paid advertising industry for quite a while now.
But with rising price per click costs, Google ads are becoming too high for many local and small businesses marketing budgets.
Whether you just don’t have the extra marketing dollars to put into the higher Google ads costs or are looking to revamp your overall advertising strategy, there are other options to help grow your business and enhance your return on investment.
Why should you consider Google ads alternatives?
70,000 Google searches every second. 227 million an hour. 5.4 billion per day. Any way you want to break it down, there’s no doubt that your target audience is searching for what you have on Google, and one or more of your competitors are advertising there as well.
But thanks to intense competition for clicks, the cost of Google advertising has become really expensive. How expensive, you ask? Depending on your niche, some clicks on your ad will set you back as much as $100 or more per click! Yikes!
But these high costs aren’t the only reason to consider other advertising options.
Google ads can take a while to master
Account setup, budgeting, and keyword research are just a few of the steps to get your Google ads up and running. Unless you hire an advertising team with proven results to do it for you, you can expect a lot of your time and money to go into Google Ads before seeing any ROI.
Google ads aren’t just ‘set and forget it’
If your ad strategy needs options that don’t include any or a lot of follow-ups, cross Google ads off. They require attention and optimization. What do both of those equal? Time. Something you, as an entrepreneur, might not have a lot of with everything else that goes into running a business.
Ads only run on Google and its partners’ websites
There’s no denying that Google’s network of partners is massive. But, believe it or not, your target audience most likely uses other search engines and online spots as well.
Other options for online paid advertising
Facebook Ads
Who it works best for:
- Businesses with target audiences.
- Entrepreneurs of any level.
- Companies looking to run both short-term and long-term digital marketing plans.
Why we love it:
- Smartphone, computer, laptop…whatever your audience views Facebook, your ads are run across all devices.
- They offer both simple ad solutions (Boosted post, page ad, website ad, promoting CTA button) and advanced ad solutions (ads created in Ads Manager for lead generation, brand awareness, and conversion)
- Options to retarget those who have already interacted with your business. (Some people just need a few pushes to buy 🙂 )
- The sky is the limit when it comes to Facebook analytics. No, really, we aren’t kidding! You never have to guess if your ads are working.
- You get a lot of bang for your buck if you know who to target.
What else you should know:
Around 81% of adults in America have a Facebook account, and there are over 2.85 billion users worldwide who access the social media platform every month. Right now, more than 297 million people in the US use Facebook, and that number is expected to rise to at least 324 by 2026.
Instagram Ads
Who it works best for:
- Those whose target audience is younger.
- Businesses that sell lifestyle products/services.
- Digital advertising beginners and experts.
- Visual storytellers.
Why we love it:
- Instagram ads allow the opportunity for you to develop unique campaigns for users at all funnel stages and track how well the campaign is doing in real-time!
- They simultaneously build brand awareness while driving conversions.
- Your ads aren’t limited to just those that are following you. So even if you don’t have a lot of followers, you can still get your ad in front of numerous people.
- You can integrate Shopify into your ads and instantly sell your products/services. Add to cart!
- Ads fit a wide range of budgets.
What else you should know:
Instagram and Facebook are connected, making it that much easier to market to your audience using data from Facebook. All ad setup, scheduling, and budgeting are also done through Ads Manager on Facebook.
Twitter Ads
Who it works best for:
- Event targeting
- Hashtag targeting
- B2B
Why we love it:
- Engagement, website conversions, or whatever your marketing objective is, you only pay when you achieve it! That’s code for not wasting any money!
- You can target people based on specific words or hashtags in their Twitter updates. #thatsprettycool
- Costs per click tend to be much lower than Facebook and Instagram.
What else you should know:
Twitter has slightly fewer active users than Facebook. By fewer, we mean 325 million compared to Facebook’s billions of monthly active users.
But don’t let their smaller size fool you. What Twitter lacks in users, they make up for in engagement opportunities. Since Twitter is a social media platform based on events happening in real-time, you can expect higher engagement rates, which can be a win for your marketing strategy.
LinkedIn Ads
Who it works best for:
- B2B
- Those targeting high-level professionals
Why we love it:
- Offer three different ad types: sponsored content, sponsored InMail, and text ads.
- 80% of B2B leads come from LinkedIn
- You have the flexibility to target your ads based on industry-specific variables, like job title, industry, company size, etc.
- The LinkedIn lead-accelerator component allows you to track your high-value prospects and offer more targeted ads directed towards them.
What else you should know:
LinkedIn has over 750 million members worldwide. But let’s break that number down a little more, shall we? Members include:
- more than 65 million decision-makers (4/5 members can make business decisions for their company)
- around 90 million senior-level influencers
- at least 55 million businesses
TikTok Ads
Who it works best for:
- Brands marketing to those 35 and under
- Businesses targeting women, especially those 18 to 25
Why we love it:
- TikTok ads offer four options; top view ads, brand takeover ads, in-feed ads, and branded hashtag challenges.
- Keep this our little secret but, TikTok is actually an unsaturated platform. That’s right; many marketers are still focused on Facebook and Instagram. So you might want to take advantage before word gets out!
- Great for all those anti-advertising advertising strategies. TikTok’s ads can be less invasive and make users feel more involved than targeted..
- Allows you to showcase your company, brand, products, and services authentically
What else you should know:
While 41% of TikTok’s target audience are between the ages of 16-24, the other 59% are over 25. That means you shouldn’t rule it out as an option, even if your potential customer isn’t younger, as the platform allows you to reach a diverse audience through your ads.
Reddit Ads
Who it works best for:
- Experienced digital markets.
- Companies that produce high-quality content regularly.
- Reaching millennials and gen-z
Why we love it:
- Allows you to target users who are highly engaged and thus have more conversions
- Two ad placement options; right-hand sidebar and in feed.
- In addition to ads, you can promote your business, products, and services simply by being a valuable contributor.
- Around 3 million subreddits, communities dedicated to specific topics
- You can launch ads for a minimum of $5, so it’s budget-friendly.
What else you should know:
To be successful in advertising your business on Reddit, you have to understand the platform and users. (More so than any other social media channel)
If you aren’t familiar with where to place an ad, you risk getting negative feedback from the community. As a result, the effectiveness of the ad will be severely limited. You should also always focus on being authentic and posting beneficial engagement when on the site.
Final thoughts
While there’s nothing wrong with Google ads (they are on top for a reason!), it just doesn’t always fit into every businesses’ marketing budget or strategy.
What’s that saying? Don’t put all your eggs in one basket! So get out there into the online advertising world and try something new.
Ready to explore what advertising strategies work for you? Here at Firon Marketing, we partner with small to mid-size businesses to create individual digital marketing efforts that get results!
