A Beginner’s Guide To Paid Advertising in 2024

Are you a business looking to increase your visibility online? Paid advertising can be an effective way to reach new potential customers, but it can also be overwhelming and intimidating. With the ever-changing landscape of digital advertising, it can be difficult for beginners to know where to start.

That's why we've created this beginner’s guide to paid advertising to help those starting out on the right foot, understand the basics and get up and running quickly.

So let's dive in!

What is Paid Advertising?

Paid advertising is a form of digital marketing where businesses pay for advertisements in order to acquire new leads or customers. It’s part of the overall ‘paid media’ strategy, which also includes search engine optimization (SEO), social media marketing, and display advertising. Paid ads can take many forms such as Twitter ads, LinkedIn Ads, online banner ads, Google search ads, Facebook ads, Instagram ads and more.

Benefits of Paid Advertising

Paid advertising is an invaluable tool for businesses looking to grow their online presence and achieve their marketing goals. By offering a multitude of advantages, such as increasing brand awareness, generating leads, and driving sales, paid advertising can effectively propel your business to new heights.

The 5 key benefits of paid advertising:

1. Reach new audiences quickly: With paid ads, you can quickly target and reach new potential customers who may not have found your business through organic search or social media.
2. Generate leads: Paid ads can be used to collect leads quickly, such as email addresses or contact information, which can then be used for future marketing efforts.
3. Increase brand awareness: Paid ads can help to increase brand visibility and awareness among your target audience, which can lead to greater brand recognition and recall.
4. Drive website traffic: By using paid ads to promote your website, you can drive more traffic to your website and potentially increase website conversions.
5. Target specific audiences: Paid ads allow you to target specific demographics, interests, behaviours and other criteria, helping to ensure that your ads are shown to the right people.

Now that you know what is and what are the benefits of paid advertising, let's see what types of ads you can do:

Types of Paid Ads

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Paid ads come in many different forms, starting from search ads, display ads and social media ads. Each type of ad offers unique benefits and can be effective in reaching different audiences.

Here is a brief overview of each type of ad and an example of where you might see it in action.

Paid Search Ads

Paid advertising can come in many forms, each with its unique advantages and uses. Paid search ads, for example, are text-based ads that appear at the top or bottom of search engine results pages. These ads can be highly targeted, making them an excellent way to reach potential customers who are actively searching for products or services like yours.

An example is when you search for "best laptops" on Google, and the top results are marked as "Ad" next to the website.

Display Ads

Display ads, on the other hand, are image or video-based ads that appear on websites and mobile apps. These ads can be effective for building brand awareness and generating interest in your products or services.

An example of a display ad is when you visit a website, and see an ad for a product you recently searched for.

Social Media Ads

As the name suggests, are ads that appear on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. These ads can be targeted based on demographics, interests, and behaviours, making them an effective way to reach specific audiences.

An example of a social media ad is when you see an ad for a new desk on Instagram.

Email Sponsored Ads

Email-sponsored ads are paid ads that appear in email newsletters or promotional emails. These ads can be targeted to specific subscribers based on their interests, making them an effective way to reach a highly engaged audience.

An example of an email-sponsored ad is when you receive an email newsletter from your favourite blog, and there is an ad at the bottom promoting a new product.

Google Shopping Ads

Google Shopping ads are a type of ad that appears at the top of search engine results pages when someone searches for a specific product. These Google shopping ads include an image of the product, its price, and the website where it's sold.

An example of a Google Shopping ad is when you search for "gaming laptop" on Google, and you see a carousel of products at the top of the page.

Video Ads

Video ads are video-based ads that appear before, during, or after a video on platforms such as YouTube. These ads can be highly engaging and effective for building brand awareness and generating interest in your products or services.

An example of a video/instream ad is when you watch a YouTube video, and a short ad plays before the video starts.

Native Ads

Native ads are ads that blend in with the content around them, making them less intrusive and more likely to be noticed by users. These native ads can be highly effective for building brand awareness and generating interest in your products or services.

An example of a native ad is when you read an article on a website, and there is a sponsored post at the bottom that looks like part of the article.

Remarketing/Retargeting Ads

Remarketing/retargeting ads are ads that target people who have already visited your website or interacted with your brand in some way. These ads can be highly effective for re-engaging with potential customers and encouraging them to complete a purchase.

An example of a remarketing/retargeting ad is when you visit an ad space on a website, and then later see an ad for the same product or service on another website.

Now that we know the most popular types of paid ads, let's see where you can use them, and see with one is more suitable for your business:

Google Ads

Google is a powerful and versatile online advertising platform that allows businesses to target potential customers with precision, using search results, display networks, and video content.

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This paid advertising platform is excellent for businesses of all sizes, including small local businesses, e-commerce stores, service providers, and large corporations. The ability to reach a large and diverse audience, coupled with a flexible budget and advanced targeting options, makes Google an essential platform in any digital marketing strategy.

Types of Paid Ads that Work on Google

Google offers a variety of ad formats to suit different objectives and platforms:

1. Text ads: These are the most common ad format, appearing in the search engine results page of results with a headline, description, and URL. They're ideal for driving website traffic and promoting products or services.

2. Display ads: These ads appear on Google's Display Network, which consists of millions of websites, apps, and videos. Display ads can include images, text, or a combination of both, and are great for raising brand awareness and reaching a wider audience.

3. Video ads: Runs on YouTube and other top video ad platforms within the Display Network. They're an engaging way to showcase your products, services, or brand story.

4. Shopping ads: Perfect for e-commerce businesses, Shopping ads showcase your products with an image, price, and store information. They appear on Google Shopping, Google Search, and the Display Network.

5. App ads: These ads promote your mobile app across Google Search, Display, and YouTube, driving more traffic, app installs and engagement.

How to get started with Google

1. Set up a Google Ads account: To start, visit the Google Ads website and create an account using your Google account. If you don't have one, you'll need to sign up for a new one.

2. Define your advertising goals: Identify the main objectives of your advertising campaign, such as increasing website traffic, generating leads, or driving sales. This will help you choose the right campaign type and targeting options.

3. Choose a campaign type: Google Ads offers several campaign types, including Search, Display, Video, Shopping, and App. Select the one that aligns with your advertising goals and audience.

4. Set your budget: Decide on a daily budget for your campaign based on your overall marketing budget and goals. Google Ads operates on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) basis, allowing you to control your spending effectively.

5. Choose your target audience: Use Google Ads' advanced targeting options to reach your desired audience. You can target users based on location, demographics, interests, keywords, and more. And also don't forget to set up the negative keywords for the google ads campaign.

6. Create your ad: Craft a compelling ad by writing a clear and engaging headline, description, and display URL. Make sure your ad complies with Google's advertising policies and guidelines.

7. Launch your campaign: Once you've completed the setup process, review your campaign settings and launch it. Monitor your campaign's performance and make any necessary adjustments to optimise results.

How to track Paid Ads Google

Tracking the performance of your Google Ads campaign is essential to measure success and optimise results. Here are some tools you can use:

1. Google Ads dashboard: Monitor your campaign's key performance indicators (KPIs), such as impressions, clicks, and conversions, directly within the Google platform.

2. Conversion tracking: Set up conversion tracking in your Google Ads account to measure specific actions taken by users, such as completing a purchase or submitting a lead form.

3. Google Analytics: Integrate Google Analytics with your Google Ads account to gain deeper insights into user behaviour and campaign performance. This will help you understand how your ads are driving user engagement, conversions, and other important metrics on your website.

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4. Google Tag Manager: Use Google Tag Manager to manage and deploy tracking codes for Google Ads, Analytics, and other third-party tools. This makes it easier to track the success of your advertising efforts and make data-driven decisions.

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Facebook ads

Facebook Ads, is a powerful online advertising platform that enables businesses to reach their audience across Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.

This platform is a great online advertising platform that suits businesses of all sizes and industries. It is particularly effective for local restaurants that want to increase brand awareness, drive more customers to their restaurant and promote special deals or events.

With its vast user base, advanced targeting options, and diverse ad formats, Facebook Ads can play a significant role in any digital marketing plan.

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Types of Paid Ads on Facebook

Facebook Ads offers a variety of ad formats suitable for different ad types, objectives and platforms:

1. Image ads: A simple yet effective ad format that uses a single image to capture attention and drive results.

2. Video ads: Engaging ads that use video content to tell a story, showcase products, or share customer testimonials.

3. Carousel ads: These ads feature multiple images or videos in a single ad unit, allowing users to scroll through them.

4. Slideshow ads: Create lightweight video from a series of still images, text, and sound.

5. Collection ads: A mobile-optimised ad format that combines images, videos, and product catalogues to create an immersive shopping experience.

How to get started

1. Set up a Facebook Business Manager account: To begin, create a Facebook Business Manager account if you haven't already. This will allow you to manage your ad accounts, pages, and other assets in one centralised place.

2. Create an ad account: Within Business Manager, create a new ad account or claim an existing one. This is where you'll manage your ad campaigns, set budgets, and track performance.

3. Define your advertising goals: Establish the main objectives of your advertising campaign, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or generating leads. This will help you select the right campaign objective and targeting options for responsive ads.

4. Choose a campaign objective: Facebook Ads offers various campaign objectives, including Brand Awareness, Reach, Traffic, Engagement, App Installs, Video Views, Lead Generation, and Conversions. Select the one that aligns with your advertising goals.

5. Set your budget and schedule: Decide on a daily or lifetime budget for your campaign based on your overall marketing budget and goals. You can also set a schedule for when your ads will run.

6. Define your target audience: Utilise Facebook Ads' advanced targeting options to reach your desired audience. You can target users based on demographics, interests, behaviours, and more.

7. Choose your ad format: Select from various ad formats, such as images, videos, carousels, slideshow, or collections, depending on your campaign objective and target audience.

8. Create your ad: Design an engaging ad with compelling visuals, headlines, and ad text. Make sure your ad complies with Facebook's advertising policies and guidelines.

9. Launch your campaign: Review your campaign settings and launch it. Monitor your campaign's performance and make adjustments as needed to optimise results.

How to track Paid Ads on Facebook

1. Facebook Ads Manager: Monitor your campaign's performance directly within the Facebook Ads Manager dashboard. Keep an eye on key metrics such as impressions, clicks, and conversions.

2. Conversion tracking: Set up the Meta Pixel on your website to track conversions and user actions, such as form submissions or purchases. This data can help you optimise your campaigns and measure their effectiveness.

3. Facebook Analytics: Utilise Facebook Analytics to gain deeper insights into user behaviour, demographics, and engagement with your ads. This tool can help you understand how your ads are resonating with your audience and inform your advertising strategy.

4. Custom Conversions: Create custom conversions within Facebook Ads Manager to track specific actions or events on your website that are valuable to your business. Custom conversions can help you assess the success of your campaigns and identify areas for improvement.

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Instagram ads

Instagram Ads are a popular and effective way for businesses to reach new customers and drive sales on the platform. With over 1 billion active users, Instagram offers a large and diverse audience to businesses of all sizes, including e-commerce stores, fashion brands, food and beverage businesses, and service providers.

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An example of a type of business that could benefit greatly from Instagram Ads is a fashion e-commerce store. Instagram is a highly visual platform, and fashion brands can use this to their advantage by showcasing their products through visually appealing ads.

Types of Paid Ads on Instagram

Instagram Ads offers a variety of ad formats to suit different objectives and platforms:

1. Photo Ads: These ads feature a single image or graphic and are ideal for showcasing products, promoting brand awareness, Bing ads, or driving website traffic.

2. Video Ads: These ads feature a video or a slideshow of images and are effective in grabbing the user's attention and conveying brand messages.

3. Carousel Ads: These ads feature multiple images or videos that users can swipe through, allowing businesses to showcase a variety of products or services in one ad.

4. Stories Ads: These ads appear within Instagram Stories, a feature that allows users to post photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours. Stories Ads can be in the form of photos or videos and are effective in creating a sense of urgency.

5. Collection Ads: These ads feature a combination of images and videos that showcase products in a visually appealing format. Collection Ads are ideal for e-commerce businesses looking to drive product sales.

How to get Started with Instagram Ads

1. Create a business account: To run ads on Instagram, you'll need to create a business account on the platform. If you already have a personal account, you can easily switch to a business account in your settings.

2. Connect your own Facebook ad or Page: Instagram Ads is managed through Facebook Ads Manager, so you'll need to connect your Instagram account to a Facebook Page. This will allow you to create and manage your Instagram Ads campaigns from the Facebook Ads Manager.

3. Choose your campaign objective: Define your advertising goals, such as driving website traffic, generating leads, or promoting a new product. This will help you choose the right campaign objective and ad format.

4. Set your budget and schedule: Decide on a budget for your campaign and choose the start and end dates. Instagram Ads operates on a cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) basis, allowing you to control your spending.

5. Choose your target audience: Use Instagram's targeting options to reach your desired audience. You can target users based on location, demographics, interests, behaviours, and more.

6. Create your ad: Choose the ad format that aligns with your advertising goals, such as photo, video, carousel, or stories. Craft a compelling ad by using eye-catching visuals, clear messaging, and a strong call-to-action.

7. Launch your campaign: Once you've completed the setup process, review your campaign settings and launch it. Monitor your campaign's performance and make any necessary adjustments to optimise results.

How to track Paid Ads on Instagram

Tracking the performance of your Instagram Ads campaign is essential to measure success and optimise results. Here are some tools you can use:

1. Instagram Insights: Monitor your campaign's key performance indicators (KPIs), such as impressions, engagement, and conversions, directly within the Instagram platform.

2. Facebook Ads Manager: Use Facebook Ads Manager to track your Instagram Ads performance alongside your other Facebook Ads campaigns.

3. Conversion tracking: Set up conversion tracking in your Facebook Ads Manager to measure specific actions taken by users, such as completing a purchase or submitting a lead form.

4. Third-party tools: Utilise third-party tools such as Hootsuite, Sprout Social, or Buffer to track your Instagram Ads performance and generate detailed reports. These tools allow you to measure important metrics such as reach, engagement, and conversions, and provide insights into your audience's behaviour and preferences.

TikTok Ads

TikTok is a social media platform that has rapidly gained popularity among younger audiences, making it an ideal advertising channel for brands looking to connect with Gen Z and Millennials. TikTok ads offer a unique way to reach a vast and engaged audience through short-form video content, catchy music, and creative visuals. Businesses that have a visually appealing product or service, an engaging brand personality, or a social cause to promote can leverage TikTok ads to capture the attention of their target audience.

One excellent example of a business that could benefit from TikTok ads is a fashion brand. Fashion brands can showcase their latest collections, promote special offers, and build brand awareness using TikTok's visually appealing and trendy ad formats. Additionally, TikTok is an ideal platform for influencer marketing, where brands can collaborate with TikTok creators to reach their followers and promote their products or services.

Types of Ads on TikTok

TikTok offers a range of ad formats, including:

1. In-feed Ads: These ads appear in users' "For You" feeds and can be up to 60 seconds long. In-feed ads can include images, videos, and call-to-action (CTA) buttons to direct users to a website or app.

2. Brand Takeovers: These ads are full-screen ads that appear when users first open the TikTok app. Brand Takeovers can include images, GIFs, and videos, making them an ideal format for brand awareness campaigns.

3. TopView Ads: Similar to Brand Takeovers, TopView ads are full-screen ads that appear when users first open the app. However, TopView ads are videos that play automatically and can be up to 60 seconds long.

4. Branded Hashtag Challenges: Brands can create their own hashtag challenges, encouraging users to create and share content around a particular theme or product. Branded Hashtag Challenges can help brands increase brand awareness, drive user engagement, and generate user-generated content.

5. Branded Effects: Brands can create their own augmented reality (AR) effects to add to their videos or as part of a Branded Hashtag Challenge. Branded effects can help brands stand out on the platform and increase user engagement.

How to Get Started with TikTok Ads

1. Create a TikTok Ads account: Visit the TikTok Ads website and create an account.

2. Define your advertising goals: Identify the main objectives of your advertising campaign, such as increasing brand awareness, driving website traffic, or promoting a new product. This will help you choose the right ad format and targeting options.

3. Choose your ad format: Select the ad format that aligns with your advertising goals and target audience.

4. Set your budget: Decide on a daily budget for your campaign based on your overall marketing budget and goals.

5. Choose your target audience: Use TikTok's targeting options to reach your desired audience. You can target users based on location, age, gender, interests, and more.

6. Create your ad: Craft a visually appealing ad that resonates with your target audience. Make sure your ad complies with TikTok's advertising policies and guidelines.

7. Launch your campaign: Once you've completed the setup process, review your campaign settings and launch it. Monitor your campaign's performance and make any necessary adjustments to optimise results.

How to Track TikTok Ads Performance

Tracking the performance of your TikTok Ads campaign is essential to measure success and optimise results. Here are some tools you can use:

1. TikTok Ads dashboard: Monitor your campaign's key performance indicators (KPIs), such as impressions, clicks, and conversions, directly within the TikTok Ads platform.

2. Conversion tracking: Set up conversion tracking in your TikTok Ads account to measure specific actions taken by users, such as completing a purchase or submitting a lead form.

3. TikTok Pixel: Install the TikTok Pixel on your website to track user behaviour and conversions. This will help you understand how your ads are driving user engagement and conversions on your website.

4. Third-party analytics tools: Use third-party analytics tools, such as Google Analytics or Adobe Analytics, to gain deeper insights into user behaviour and campaign performance. This will help you understand how your TikTok ads are driving user engagement, conversions, and other important metrics on your website.

Bonus Tip 1: Use a Landing Page for your Paid ads

An impactful landing page is crucial for the success of any paid advertising campaign. It serves as the initial touchpoint in the paid advertising funnel and presents a valuable opportunity to leave a lasting impression on potential customers.

Developing a high-quality landing page requires dedication and resources, but it is a fundamental component that can make or break your campaign's success. A well-crafted landing page can not only capture user attention but also encourage them to take the desired action, such as purchasing a product or signing up for a service. Here we have a great article about what are landing pages and how to create one.

Bonus Tip 2: Use different types of campaigns.

The paid advertising funnel is a framework used to map out the customer journey from awareness to purchase. It’s divided into four stages: Awareness, Research, Consideration and Conversion.

Each stage requires different types of messaging and targeting strategies.

• At the awareness stage, your aim is to grab the attention of potential customers by delivering relevant and engaging messages.
• At the research stage, you should focus on providing more detailed information to help people learn more about your product or service and what it can do for them.
• During the consideration stage, you’ll need to show prospective customers why they should choose your product over competitors.
• Finally, at the conversion stage, you will need to convince them to make a purchase.

By understanding and mapping out each stage of the marketing funnel, you can create campaigns that are tailored to each stage and maximise results.

Top Tip: Review Your Paid Ads Results On a Regularly basis

Reviewing paid ad results regularly is essential for understanding how your campaigns are performing and making any necessary changes. Regular reviews allow you to optimise your paid ad campaigns almost in real-time and make sure that they are driving the best possible return on investment (ROI).

Regular reviews can help you identify problems with your campaigns such as low-performing ad creatives or targeting strategies. By addressing any issues as soon as possible, you can eliminate them and ensure that your campaigns are running effectively.

Conclusion

Paid advertising is a powerful tool that can significantly boost your brand's online visibility, engage your audience, and drive tangible results for your business. As you've seen in this beginner's guide, there are numerous advertising platforms and various marketing strategies to choose from, and by following the tips and examples provided, you'll be well-equipped to create your own successful paid advertising campaigns.

So why not leave it to the professionals? Contact us today for a consultation, and let's explore how we can help elevate your brand's online presence.