6 Best Advertising Platforms Helping Brands Connect With Audiences

Dec 20, 2023
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Looking for the most effective digital advertising platforms to promote your brand? Explore these 6 options to help you achieve your advertising goals.

With access to billions of users and unique content delivery methods, these platforms allow marketers to make a direct connection with their audience

Businesses today have numerous options when it comes to advertising. With the rise of social networks and other digital platforms, there are now multiple advertising options available that can effectively reach target audiences and drive conversions. Let’s look at the best advertising platforms that every business owner should consider for their marketing campaigns. 

These platforms offer a wide range of ad formats while providing unique targeting capabilities to ensure that businesses can connect with their potential customers in the most effective way possible. Whether you're looking to target specific demographics, reach a global audience, or engage with younger consumers, these digital advertising platforms offer a wealth of opportunities to help you achieve your business goals.

Learn more about ad platform strategy, platforms, and more with Advertising Platforms: The Ultimate Guide.

6 Best Advertising Platforms Helping Brands Connect With Audiences

CTV/OTT

CTV/OTT, which stands for Connected TV/Over-The-Top TV, is a digital advertising platform that reaches highly engaged audiences through streaming services and internet-connected devices. This platform has gained immense popularity in recent years due to the increasing number of people consuming content on platforms like Hulu, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Roku.

One of the key features and benefits of CTV/OTT advertising is its ability to reach a highly engaged audience. With the rise of cord-cutting and the shift towards digital streaming, more and more people are turning to CTV/OTT platforms for their entertainment needs — nearly two-thirds of the US population are expected to watch CTV content by the end of 2023. This makes CTV an excellent platform for connecting with actively engaged and paying attention to the content they’re consuming.

Another important aspect of CTV/OTT advertising is the use of programmatic advertising. This technology allows businesses to automate the buying and selling of ad inventory, making the process more efficient and cost-effective. By leveraging programmatic advertising on CTV/OTT platforms, companies can achieve their marketing goals more efficiently and effectively, ensuring that their ads are shown to the right people at the right time. These performance marketing tools make CTV/OTT one of the best advertising platforms for marketers looking to squeeze every last drop out of their marketing dollars.

If you want to learn more about how CTV/OTT advertising can help you achieve your marketing goals, download a free copy of The CTV Advertising Playbook today. You’ll discover expert insight on this exciting channel, including how to establish your CTV goals, set a starting budget, and best practices to help you maximize your campaign’s impact.

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Facebook

With a massive user base of over 2.9 billion active users per month, Facebook reaches a wide range of potential customers and remains one of the foremost advertising platform examples available for marketers.

One of the most compelling aspects of Facebook Ads is its precise targeting options. Businesses can create audience segments based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and even their online activities. This allows them to reach their ideal customers and maximize their marketing efforts.

Another advantage of using Facebook Ads is its ability to create visually compelling ads. The platform supports various types of ads, like carousel ads, stories ads, video ads, and image ads. Businesses can use eye-catching images and engaging headlines to capture the attention of their target market.

Facebook Ads provides businesses with effective budget management options. They can set a daily budget based on their advertising goals and monitor their ad performance. The platform also offers actionable insights and analytics, allowing businesses to optimize their ad campaigns and maximize their return on investment.

Google Ads

What makes Google Ads a prime marketing destination is its search ads network, which displays targeted ads on search engine results pages. This helps increase visibility and drive relevant traffic to a business's website.

Another category within Google Ads is the Google Display Network. This network enables businesses to showcase ads on websites, apps, and other digital platforms that are part of Google's network. The Google Display Network reaches a vast audience of online users, making it an ideal platform for brands looking to increase brand awareness.

However, it's worth noting that Google Ads can be highly competitive. Many businesses actively use the platform to promote their products or services, which means that bidding for ad placements can be intense. This high level of competitiveness can drive up the cost of advertising on Google Ads, making it essential for businesses to carefully manage their budgets and optimize their campaigns to maximize their return on investment.

YouTube 

As the world's largest video-sharing platform, YouTube is a natural destination for marketers. TrueView ads, which give viewers the option to skip after a few seconds, are a popular type of YouTube ad that ensures businesses only pay for engaged and interested viewers. This type of ad format allows businesses to capture the attention of their ideal customers without wasting resources on viewers who aren’t interested in their offerings.

Another type of YouTube Ads is skippable video ads. These ads are similar to TrueView ads but can be longer. Skippable video ads also offer businesses the opportunity to create audience segments based on factors such as demographics, interests, and search behavior. This level of targeting ensures that ads reach the most relevant audience, increasing the likelihood of driving conversions and generating sales.

Further, YouTube's extensive reach and accessibility make it an optimal platform for businesses to advertise on. With over 2 billion logged-in monthly users, YouTube provides access to virtually any kind of audience. Additionally, YouTube is available on various devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and smart TVs, allowing businesses to reach their target audience.

Instagram 

One of the key advantages of Instagram Ads is its extensive user base, with over 1.4 billion active users each month.

When it comes to ad formats, Instagram Ads provides various options to suit different types of businesses and campaigns. Image ads allow advertisers to showcase their products or services with visually appealing images. Video ads, on the other hand, enable businesses to engage their audience with dynamic and captivating video content. 

Stories ads leverage the popularity of Instagram Stories and provide a full-screen immersive experience for users. Carousel ads allow advertisers to showcase multiple images or videos within a single ad, providing a more interactive and engaging experience. Additionally, the recently introduced Reels ads allow businesses to promote their short-form video content in the Reels section of the platform.

Instagram Ads also offers robust targeting options, including demographic targeting, interests and behavior targeting, and lookalike audiences. Furthermore, Instagram Ads provides a variety of ad KPIs such as brand awareness, reach, traffic, engagement, app installs, and conversions. This allows businesses to align their advertising goals with their overall marketing strategy and measure the effectiveness of their campaigns.

TikTok 

TikTok Ads offers a range of unique and engaging ad formats that cater to different advertising needs. 

One of the ad formats provided by TikTok Ads is in-feed ads. These ads appear within the user's For You feed, seamlessly blending with the organic content. They can be in the form of images or videos and support various call-to-action buttons, driving traffic to websites or app downloads.

Brand Takeover ads, on the other hand, offer immediate and impactful visibility as they are displayed as soon as the user opens the app. They are full-screen ads and can be in the form of images, GIFs, or videos. These ads can drive brand awareness and generate high visibility for businesses.

TikTok also offers Branded Hashtag ads, which allow businesses to create their own branded hashtags and promote them through challenges or sponsorships. These ads encourage user-generated content and increase brand engagement and awareness.

Branded Effects ads enable businesses to create and promote their own branded filters, stickers, and special effects. These interactive elements provide a fun and creative way for users to engage with the brand and its message.

Lastly, TopView ads are showcased as the first ad a user sees when they open the TikTok app, providing maximum exposure and impact. These ads are full-screen, typically in the form of videos, and ensure that the brand's message is seen right from the start.

Make tvScientific Your CTV Partner 

tvScientific was co-founded by senior executives with deep roots in search, programmatic advertising, digital media, and ad verification. We think scientifically, and our results are driven by a belief in one simple formula: Trust = Data x Transparency x Control.

With powerful attribution capabilities, real-time reporting, automated optimization, and built-in, always-on testing, we believe that tvScientific provides the most robust, transparent, tailored CTV advertising platform. Once you see it for yourself, we know you will too. Request a demo today.