Letting the world know about your products and services is nothing less than imperative. From the get-go, building brand awareness is every business’s main battle cry. Otherwise, you run the risk of seeing your company sink into oblivion. To help you achieve skyrocketing success, you need digital advertising. Here are the top online advertising channels you should be using today.
Table of Contents
- The Shift from Traditional to Digital Advertising
- The Best Online Advertising Channels for 2025
- How Penji Can Help with Your Online Advertising
The Shift from Traditional to Digital Advertising
Over the past decade or so, the advertising landscape has dramatically shifted. It has indeed undergone a significant transformation as traditional channels are no longer the primary means of reaching consumers. Print, radio, and television have now been overshadowed by digital advertising as it offers a more targeted and measurable approach to marketing.
In addition, online advertising has allowed businesses to reach a global audience. You can now track your campaign’s effectiveness in real-time, allowing you to optimize your strategies for optimum results. Below are a few of the latest advertising platforms and types of online advertising you need to know about:
- Social Media Advertising: Besides those mentioned above, TikTok and LinkedIn are also available.
- Search Engine Advertising: Google and Microsoft Ads allow you to showcase on search engine results pages. These target users based on search queries, displaying ads relevant to their interests.
- Display Advertising: These are ads you can find on websites, apps, and social media in the form of banners, videos, and images.
- Video Advertising: Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are excellent for showing engaging videos that capture attention better than static images.
- Influencer Marketing: This is where you collaborate with influencers in your niche to leverage their followers to reach a wider audience.
Extend Your Creative Team the Affordable Way
Boost your business with unlimited digital advertising design
The Best Online Advertising Channels for 2025
There is a myriad of online advertising platforms you can go to to promote your brand. The bigger question is, which ones should you use? There are no set rules as to which channel as this depends on your products, target audience, and other factors.
If you’re still in doubt, here are the top places to use for online advertising. We’ve listed their pros and cons to help you make an informed decision:
With over 2.8 billion monthly active users, Facebook remains a titan in social media. According to their website, over 200 million businesses use Facebook’s family of apps to connect with their customers, making it an unparalleled platform for reach and engagement.
Why Facebook Ads?
Facebook’s advertising platform allows you to promote your brand and strategically place your ads in front of the right audience. With tools to help you schedule and target your ads, there’s no guesswork involved in reaching your desired demographic.
Ad Formats Facebook offers a variety of ad formats to suit your marketing needs:
- Image
- Video
- Carousel
- Instant Experience
- Collection
Placement Options
You can place your ads across Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and Audience Network in the following areas:
- Stories
- Feeds
- Search
- In-stream
- Messages
- Apps
- In-article
Campaign Objectives
To make your campaigns more effective, Facebook provides several advertising objectives to choose from:
- Generate traffic and leads for your website
- Increase sales for your product or service
- Boost engagement for your Facebook page
- Drive mobile and desktop app installations
- Promote events and physical store visits
The Pros
Facebook’s massive reach alone is a compelling reason to leverage this platform. As of the third quarter of 2021, Statista confirms its position as the world’s largest social media network. Additionally, Facebook offers several beneficial features:
- A/B testing
- Microtargeting
- Conversion measurement
- Cost-effectiveness
The Cons
However, Facebook’s vast reach can also be a double-edged sword. With such extensive competition, organic visibility without paid ads can be challenging. The crowded space means your ads must stand out amidst a flood of personal updates and entertainment content. Your social media graphics must be eye-catching and memorable to capture attention.
Instagram is another powerhouse platform for reaching a massive audience. With more than 2 billion active users, advertisers are increasingly recognizing the potential of advertising on Instagram, and for good reason.
A study by Digiday reveals that ad spending on Instagram is 23% higher than on Facebook, and this trend shows no signs of slowing down. This highlights Instagram as one of the best online advertising platforms for promoting your brand in the current year.
Why Instagram Ads?
Instagram’s highly visual nature makes it an ideal platform for showcasing products and services through captivating images and videos. The platform is particularly popular among Millennials and Gen Z, making it a perfect choice if your target audience falls within these age brackets. With Instagram Stories, you can reach over 500 million daily users, creating opportunities for high engagement and brand visibility.
Ad Types Instagram offers a variety of ad types to suit your marketing needs:
- Stories
- Photo
- Video
- Carousel
- Collection
- Explore
- IGTV
- Instagram Shopping
Target Audience
If your target audience falls within the Millennial and Gen Z age brackets, Instagram is the platform for you. It’s highly visual and perfect for showcasing your products, mainly through Instagram Stories, which are viewed by over 500 million Instagrammers daily.
The Pros
Given that Facebook owns Instagram, it’s no surprise that the two platforms share many similarities in their advertising offerings. Instagram’s paid ads allow you to target your specific audience based on location, interests, and other demographics. The platform’s unique ad formats enable you to promote your products in visually appealing ways. Key advantages include:
- A/B testing
- Microtargeting
- Conversion measurement
- High engagement rates
The Cons
However, Instagram is best suited for brands with visually appealing products. If your advertising relies heavily on text, this may not be your ideal platform. Additionally, Instagram’s user base primarily consists of younger individuals aged 18 to 29, which may limit your reach compared to Facebook.
Google Ads
Most of us turn to Google when looking for a product or service. A Clutch survey found that 75% of internet users believe that paid search ads make it easier to find information, with 63% having clicked on a Google ad. This makes Google Ads an essential online advertising channel for any business.
Why Google Ads?
If you want your brand to appear at the top of the most-used search engine, Google Ads is the way to go. The platform offers a wealth of features, allowing you to target your ads based on geography, behaviors, demographics, and even the device your audience uses.
Ad Objectives Like Facebook, Google Ads will ask you for your ad goals or objectives. These include:
- Get more calls to your business
- Increase visits to your store
- Drive people to your website
Flexibility
You can advertise locally or expand your reach by going global. Google Ads offers flexible targeting options to refine your searches and reach the right audience. Additionally, you can set your ad budget by limiting the amount you want to spend on keyword clicks.
Related Post: Online Advertising: Facebook Ad vs Google Ad
The Pros
If you want to quickly drive traffic to your site, Google Ads is the best channel. Creating a campaign is quick, and you can see results instantaneously. According to Internet Live Stats, Google processes around 40,000 searches each second, providing unparalleled exposure.
Another significant advantage of Google Ads is the analytics they provide. You can easily measure the results and gain insightful data to create more effective online advertising campaigns.
The Cons
Advertising on Google using Pay-Per-Click (PPC) can be costly. Whenever someone clicks on your ad, you must pay Google for it, whether it leads to a sale or not. Additionally, ad space is limited, with many advertisers competing for visibility on the first page of search results.
X (formerly Twitter)
While X has been the subject of much debate, it remains one of the best online advertising channels. With 330 million monthly active users, including 145 million monetizable daily active users, it offers a significant audience for your ads.
Why X Ads?
X’s unique platform allows advertisers to reach and engage with users in real-time conversations. It’s especially effective for brands looking to build awareness and interact with customers more directly and timely.
Ad Formats X ads come in various formats:
- Promoted Tweet
- Video
- Cards
- Brand
Promoted Tweets are particularly effective as they can be seen by users who don’t follow your brand. These ads function like ordinary tweets, allowing people to retweet, like, and reply, which is excellent for engaging prospects and generating leads.
User-Friendly Interface
X’s user interface makes it easy to create ad campaigns, even for those without technical know-how. Defining your audience is straightforward, using a variety of parameters. Additionally, X offers retargeting features to remind prospects of your brand.
The Pros
Aside from the advantages mentioned above, X ads offer a high level of interactivity. Eye-catching content can lead to retweets, replies, and likes, increasing your brand’s visibility. X ads are also cost-effective compared to traditional advertising channels.
Furthermore, X provides robust reporting on your campaign performance, helping you optimize your ads for better results. The dashboard displays organic and paid impressions, as well as engagement metrics.
The Cons
X’s targeting capabilities can sometimes be less reliable compared to other platforms. While often relevant, there are instances when targeting can feel unrelated. Additionally, the possibility of ads being ignored due to cluttered posts and intertwining content is higher on X.
Microsoft Ads (formerly Bing Ads)
If you haven’t used Microsoft Ads as an online advertising platform, the new year is the perfect time to start. While Google is the king of search engines, Microsoft Ads is an excellent second option that shouldn’t be overlooked.
According to its owner, Microsoft, Microsoft Ads processes 13.9 billion PC searches monthly, accounting for 34% of U.S. desktop searches. Advertising on Microsoft Ads allows you to reach a significant portion of your audience that might otherwise be missed.
Why Microsoft Ads?
With Microsoft Ads, you get more exposure as your ads will be shown on three search engines—Bing, Yahoo, and AOL. If you’re already familiar with Google Ads, you’ll find Microsoft Ads easy to use due to their similar look and functionality.
The Pros
Admittedly, Microsoft Ads is less popular than Google, which makes it less expensive and results in less competition for keywords. Microsoft Ads also displays more ads at the top of search results than Google, increasing the chances of your ad being seen. This can lead to higher-quality traffic at a lower cost.
Additionally, Microsoft Ads’ user interface is more user-friendly than Google’s. Editing bulk changes is simple, and Microsoft Ads offers image ad extensions that Google doesn’t.
The Cons
As the second most popular search engine after Google, Microsoft Ads has less traffic to offer. While not a replacement for Google, it can benefit your brand when used alongside Google Ads. Lower traffic also means lower click-through rates. Additionally, while Google Ads is available worldwide, Microsoft Ads is limited to approximately 20 countries. If your goal is to dominate the global market, Microsoft Ads may not be the best option.
Related Post: How Visuals Can Level Up Your Marketing Game
How Penji Can Help with Your Online Advertising
All these online advertising channels have one thing in common—they all have millions of users. This poses a very challenging question, how do you stand out from the rest? By creating striking digital ad graphics that are hard to miss.
Penji is an unlimited graphic design service that can help you make the most of your online advertising efforts. Even if you place ads on all the best channels, it will amount to nothing if you aren’t getting people to notice your brand.
When you sign up for Penji, you can get digital ads that stand out at a fraction of the cost. Freelancers or in-house graphic designers can be troublesome and costly. With Penji, you get affordable and high-quality graphic design when you need them.
Here are some of Penji’s digital ads to inspire you:
Final Thoughts
Finding the right online advertising channels depends on what your brand objectives and goals are. You can always try all these, a few, or a combination of some. Experiment with them to determine which gives you the most positive results.
For even better results, create digital ads that help you stand out from all the competition. Watch Penji’s demo video today to learn more about how great graphic design can help you create better ad campaigns.
Solve Your Design Dilemma for Good
Outsource all your design needs to the pros
