When it comes to advertising online, the names on everyone’s lips are Facebook and Google, with other platforms often being overlooked.
While it is essential to advertise your company on the world’s biggest search engine and social media platform, there are many other websites on the market offering advert packages that can help your business to grow and reach a receptive audience.
Google does offer an array of benefits for SEOs besides advertising, including access to innovative Google Chrome extensions, but that doesn’t mean that it and Facebook are the only platforms your business should be considering.
To help you find some alternatives, I’ve put together a list of some of the other digital platforms that offer adverts, which you might be able to use to reach a wide range of potential clients.
TikTok
This short-form video platform has become one of the fastest-growing social media websites in the world, with its app surpassing even Facebook for downloads. Popular among young users, TikTok is ideal for any company looking to promote a fashionable product or the latest trending service.
Pros
- TikTok is a popular platform, so you’ll be able to reach a wide range of users.
- The app has a global reach.
- The adverts are biddable like PPC campaigns, with various options to choose from to suit any budget or marketing goal.
- There is currently no minimum spend.
- TikTok offers a selection of advert types, including brand takeovers and branded filters.
Cons
- TikTok adverts are relatively new to the platform, so they are still being finessed.
- The site isn’t the ideal platform on which to promote services or products that require a more in-depth explanation.
- Many major brands advertise on TikTok, so you might find yourself pitted against a marketing budget far larger than your own.
- If your company doesn’t have the technical expertise to create quality video content, then it might struggle to make an impact on TikTok.
- TikTok adverts sometimes get bad press for including user content without permission or just annoying platform users.
Quora
A question and answer platform, Quora has 300 million active users every month, and the platform regularly reaches the top of SERPs thanks to its innovative format. As such, it is a valuable platform for any business looking to grow its online reach and can be a cost-effective option for advertisers.
Pros
- Quora is a popular, international platform that is used by businesses and individuals alike.
- The platform answers questions across almost every topic, meaning that it is perfect for a wide range of businesses.
- You can build backlinks on Quora if you use them correctly. As long as the backlink placement is relevant (you can learn to assess relevance in link building by reading this article) they will allow it.
- The adverts are cost-effective.
- Quora has an algorithm that can generate the topics that your advert can target.
- The platform offers a selection of options, including promoting an answer or targeting your advert at a specific audience.
- You can easily include or exclude audience members, to ensure that your advert spend is well-used.
- Quora is ideal for starting a sales funnel and leading users through from interested party to paying customer.
- Audiences on Quora are seeking recommendations, so they are engaged and ready to learn more about your company.
Cons
- Quora’s reporting function is basic.
- The platform’s question and answer function can make it limiting for some companies.
- Quora is also relatively new to offering adverts.
- It has limited reporting systems so it can be hard to assess the success of a campaign.
Bing
Hear a girl out: I know that many people think Bing isn’t a great search engine, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a good idea to advertise on it. The search engine powers Yahoo!, and is the second biggest search engine after Google, so it could be a lucrative option for some companies.
Pros
- Bing adverts reach users on Bing, Yahoo! and Microsoft’s other partners.
- PPC format is similar to Googles, so you won’t have to learn too many new skills to run a campaign on Bing.
- Bing might be a smaller search engine than Google, but Bing still has a 10.34% share of this billion-dollar market, meaning it has an impressive reach.
- Bing users are typically between the ages of 55-64, so if you target this demographic, then it could be the perfect platform to reach them through.
- Created by Microsoft, Bing is the default search engine for all Microsoft powered devices, so you can reach users of these products, including Kindles.
Cons
- Bing has faced many scandals in the past, including one that shows that it promotes and allows illegal and immoral content.
- The search engine is the less cousin of Google, and as such, some it might be hard to convince other decision-makers in your business of the benefits of advertising on Bing.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and offers a wide range of functions designed to allow individuals to network, sell, hire, find jobs and more. As such, it could be the perfect advertising platform for a selection of companies looking to target professionals and corporate clients.
Pros
- LinkedIn has a vast international reach of professional users from throughout the corporate landscape.
- The platform has a wide variety of options to choose from including sponsored content, dynamic ads and sponsored InMail.
- The platform offers a range of options for your advert including conversion type etc, so you can customise it to suit your purpose.
- Performance charts are easy to read and give you the chance to review your advert’s performance.
Cons
- Some companies might feel that the advert dashboard and setup is confusing.
- Despite setting budgets, spends can end up higher because of additions.
Conclusion
Every business is different, which is why not all of these advertising platforms will be perfect for your organisation.
By showing you a selection of different websites that offer adverts and how you can use them, I hope that I’ve given you the opportunity to find the perfect way to showcase your business and get it noticed by your target audience.
This list is just a small cross-section of the alternative digital advertising platforms on the market currently. It was designed to open the minds of SEOs, digital marketers and advertising executives, and show you that there is more to the digital advertising market than just Google AdWords.
Best of luck finding the advertising platform that suits your organisation and helps it to grow and prosper.
