While Facebook is still the primary platform for online ads, there are many other channels where ads can take your business to the next level. The cost of ads on Facebook has increased over the years and most people use multiple social channels where they might come across brands they love. Check out our top alternatives to Facebook advertising.

Our 6 Alternatives to Facebook Advertising

Google Ads

On top of our list of alternatives to Facebook is Google Ads. When it comes to being found online, paid search can help you stand out. While other search engines have grown in popularity, Google is still the largest, fielding more than 3.5 billion searches every day.

Google ads are typically split between the search network and the display network. They are based on keywords and phrases to target your potential customers. A search network ad looks like this:

The display network allows you to place your ads on relevant websites using Google AdSense.

Some other benefits of a Google Ad strategy include:

• Excellent for retargeting
• Better for purchase intent
• Users are more likely to convert
• Larger audience
• Highly engaged audience
• Budget control
• Easy to measure performance.

It is a pay-per-click auction system where advertisers bid on keywords. You’ll want to have a solid understanding of keyword research and optimization. Get started with your first ad campaign here.

Instagram Ads

If you are running ads on Facebook, you may already be familiar with Instagram since it is owned by Facebook. There are over 1 billion people using the platform, making it second behind Facebook in terms of active users. It’s also a global app with 88% of users outside the US.

Where do Instagram users live around the world?

• India – 120 million users
• Brazil – 95 million users
• Indonesia – 78 million users
• Russia – 54 million users

Instagram continues to make shopping easy and advertisers can create shoppable ads to appeal to their target audience. Not only are customers searching for favorite products, but 130 million users tap on shopping posts every month.

Sample ad

You can run 5 types of ads:

1. Photo ads
2. Stories ads
3. Carousel ads
4. Video ads
5. Slideshow ads

If you’re looking to take your business to the next level, Instagram may be the way to go! Instagram makes it easy to set up your first ad and start targeting your customers.

YouTube

Video content has been on the rise for several years, and YouTube on mobile reaches more 18 to 49-year-olds than any cable network in the U.S. It’s one of the greatest alternatives to Facebook advertising. It has advanced targeting abilities, remarketing capabilities, and many other features.

You can also choose from a variety of objectives for your ad which include leads, traffic, product consideration, brand awareness, and reach.

Plus, there are five types of YouTube ads you can run, which gives you the freedom to create the right messaging and ad type for your audience. You can run:

• Video discovery ads
• Non-skippable instream ads
• Skippable instream ads
• Outstream ads
• Bumper ads

Getting started with YouTube ads is a fantastic way to reach more potential customers.

Pinterest

Pinterest has grown rapidly since it launched in January of 2010. The platform now has 442 million users globally. Nearly 60% of the overall audience is women.

As opposed to other ad platforms, ads on Pinterest are additive and non-interruptive. If a pinner is searching for cool t-shirts, your cool t-shirt ad is likely to pop up in their feed. Ads on Pinterest have a 2 times higher return on ad spending for retail brands compared to other social media.

You can run standard ads, video ads, shopping ads, carousel ads, and collections. You also have precision targeting tools at your fingertips as well as analytics to help you make smart decisions about your ad strategy.

Learn all about selling on Pinterest and how to grow your business with this platform on our blog.  

Twitter

Twitter was launched in July of 2006 and has grown to nearly 330 million users. While not as popular as it once was, it’s still a powerful platform for engaging users and finding your niche. If your target audience includes Millennials, Twitter might be the right platform for your ad strategy.

You’ll want to choose the right type of ad depending on your brand’s goals. You can choose from:

• Promoted tweets
• Promoted accounts
• Promoted trends
• Promoted moments
• Automated ads

You also have many campaign objectives from which to choose from. Twitter gives you options for each part of your marketing funnel including awareness, consideration, and conversion.

If Twitter is a new platform to you, consider using Twitter Promoted Mode. It allows you to tweet as usual and your tweets are automatically promoted. You can reach as many as 30,000 additional people this way.

Snapchat

Snapchat isn’t among the top social platforms, but it’s still a good alternative to Facebook if your audience is mostly under the age of 34.

You can see how social platforms stacked up in 2020 below.

Snapchat is a multimedia messaging app and social network that allows users to send friends video clips, photos, and animations. Messages disappear after 24 hours, so it’s constantly changing, making it an engaging platform.

Snapchat has 5 main ad types you can choose from:

1. Standard Snap ads
2. Story ads
3. Collection ads
4. AR Lenses
5. Filters

You’ll also find the standard objectives and targeting options when creating a Snapchat ad. Remember, research your audience before you dive into this platform. If your target audience includes mostly Gen Z or Millennials, it may be the wrong platform for your ad strategy.

Conclusion:

No matter which platforms you choose to run ads on, it’s important to do your research first and discover whether or not you’ll reach your target audience. It’s good to reach customers in a variety of places for the best results. For more information about advertising your store, visit the GearLaunch Academy.

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