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How to Run Paid Advertising Like a Rockstar in 2025

Done right, paid advertising can be an invaluable, profitable promotional channel for your business. Here's everything you need to know about running successful paid ads this year.

By Mayple

Updated November 7, 2024.

paid advertising

Long gone are the days of Mad Men and traditional advertising methods. With the rise of technology and social media, paid ads have also grown to be not only more ubiquitous, but also more complex, varied, and targeted.

Do you really need paid ads? Should you invest? And if yes, how do you make sense of the whole paid advertising space to make the most out of this channel?

Keep reading and find out everything you need to know.

What is paid advertising?

Paid advertising is a form of marketing where businesses pay to have their ads displayed on various platforms to reach a targeted audience. This approach allows companies to promote their products or services more aggressively compared to organic marketing methods. By investing in paid ads, brands can increase visibility quickly and effectively across different digital channels.

Types of paid ads

There are several types of paid ads that businesses can utilize to achieve their marketing goals:

Display

Display ads are visual advertisements that appear on websites, apps, or social media platforms, often as banners or graphics. These ads are designed to capture the attention of users with compelling images and persuasive messages. Display advertising is effective in increasing brand awareness and reaching a broad audience.

Pay-per-click (PPC)

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a model where advertisers pay a fee each time their ad is clicked, directing visitors to their website. This method is popular for driving website traffic and is commonly used in search engine advertising. PPC allows businesses to bid on keywords relevant to their target audience, ensuring their ads appear in search engine results.

Social media ads

Social media ads are promotions displayed on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, targeting users based on their demographics, interests, and online behaviors. These ads can be in various formats including images, videos, and carousel posts. Social media advertising is vital for engaging users and promoting brand interactions in a personal and conversational space.

Native ads

Native ads blend seamlessly into the content of a website, appearing as part of the editorial flow rather than as traditional advertisements. This format is less intrusive and provides a more natural user experience. Native advertising can effectively impart brand messaging while maintaining the audience's trust in the content they are consuming.

Video ads

Video ads are dynamic and engaging promotional content that appears before, during, or after video streams on platforms such as YouTube. These ads leverage storytelling and visual appeal to capture viewer attention and convey messages effectively. Video advertising can significantly enhance brand recall and influence purchasing decisions.

Remarketing & retargeting

Remarketing and retargeting involve serving ads to users who have previously interacted with a brand or visited a company’s website. This strategy aims to re-engage potential customers by reminding them of a product or service they showed interest in. Remarketing is a powerful tool for increasing conversion rates by keeping the brand top-of-mind.

Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing involves collaborating with influential figures on digital platforms to promote a brand’s products or services. This type of advertising builds trust as influencers have established credibility with their followers. By leveraging these relationships, brands can tap into new audiences and improve their market reach.

How paid advertising works

Paid advertising functions across multiple platforms using an auction-based system where advertisers bid for ad placements and target specific audience segments.

To maximize effectiveness, businesses should set clear campaign goals and strategically allocate their budgets to meet objectives like increasing website traffic or driving sales.

Advanced targeting options allow advertisers to fine-tune their audience segments, ensuring their messages reach the right people at the right time. Here are the general steps involved in paid advertising:

  1. D1. Define campaign goals: Determine what you want to achieve, such as brand awareness, lead generation, or sales conversion.
  2. Select advertising platform: Choose the right platform based on your target audience, such as Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
  3. Research your audience: Analyze your target demographic to understand their interests, behavior, and online presence.
  4. Set a budget: Decide on your overall budget and allocate it effectively across different campaigns and ad sets.
  5. Create compelling ad content: Design eye-catching ads with clear messaging that resonates with your audience and aligns with your campaign goals.
  6. Utilize targeting options: Leverage advanced targeting features to reach specific segments of your audience based on demographics, interests, behaviors, and more.
  7. Launch the campaign: Implement your ads and monitor their performance across the chosen platforms.
  8. Analyze and optimize: Continuously track key performance indicators (KPIs) to assess effectiveness, and make data-driven adjustments to improve results.
  9. Report and review: After the campaign concludes, analyze the overall performance, gather insights, and prepare reports to inform future advertising strategies.

Top benefits of running paid ads

Running paid ads offers numerous advantages for businesses looking to expand their reach and achieve their marketing objectives.

Quicker results

Paid advertising offers faster results than organic methods, as ads can be deployed and visible almost instantly. This speed allows businesses to quickly generate traffic, leads, and sales, making paid ads a valuable tool for time-sensitive promotions. For companies launching new products or services, paid ads provide immediate visibility in the marketplace.

Easier to scale

Scaling paid advertising campaigns is more straightforward than scaling organic efforts, as it involves adjusting budget allocations and targeting options. Businesses can choose to increase ad spend to reach larger audiences or introduce new ad formats to extend their reach. As campaigns grow, performance metrics provide valuable insights to optimize and scale effectively.

Laser-targeting options

Paid advertising platforms provide robust targeting options, allowing advertisers to reach audiences based on demographics, location, interests, and online behavior. This precision targeting ensures that campaigns target users who are most likely to convert, maximizing the return on investment. Laser-targeting capabilities help refine customer segments and tailor ad content for optimal engagement.

Easy to measure

The measurable nature of paid advertising makes it easy for businesses to evaluate campaign performance through analytics and reporting tools. Insights such as impressions, clicks, and conversion rates help advertisers make data-driven decisions. This ability to measure outcomes enables businesses to continuously refine their strategies and improve future campaign effectiveness.

Reaching your audience where they are

Paid advertising allows brands to meet customers on their preferred platforms and devices, ensuring maximum visibility and engagement. By choosing the right channels, businesses can deliver tailored messages to audiences that fit their consumer journey. Multi-channel strategies help forge stronger connections and maintain consistent presence across various touchpoints.

Are paid ads a good idea for your business?

Paid ads can be a strategic choice for businesses looking to enhance their market presence.

Consider your budget

Determining the budget for paid ads is crucial in assessing if this strategy is suitable for a business. It's important to evaluate the cost of ad placements and the potential return on investment to ensure financial sustainability. By setting clear budget guidelines, businesses can optimize spending without compromising other marketing activities.

Expected ROI

Estimating the return on investment (ROI) from paid advertising requires understanding the relationship between ad spend and potential revenue. A positive ROI indicates that the benefits of increased sales, brand recognition, and market penetration outweigh the costs. Evaluating ROI is essential in determining whether paid advertising aligns with business objectives and growth plans.

What are the main paid advertising platforms?

Advertising through digital platforms has become an essential component of modern marketing strategies.

Google Ads is a leading platform for pay-per-click advertising, offering ad placements across its search and display networks. Advertisers bid on keywords relevant to their business, ensuring their ads appear when users search for those terms. Google Ads provides powerful tools for creating, managing, and optimizing campaigns with detailed performance analytics.

Bing Ads

Bing Ads offers similar functionality to Google Ads but on Microsoft's search network, reaching a unique audience segment. Advertisers can take advantage of lower competition and bidding costs, making Bing Ads an attractive option for budget-conscious businesses. The platform provides comprehensive targeting, reporting, and ad management features.

Social media platforms

Social media platforms offer diverse ad formats and targeting capabilities, allowing businesses to reach users in creative and personalized ways. These platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, each with unique engagement opportunities. Social media ads enhance brand visibility and interaction by leveraging platform-specific features and user data.

YouTube ads

YouTube Ads provide advertisers with access to a broad audience through video content sharing. Brands can choose skippable or non-skippable ad formats to engage viewers and potentially influence consumer behavior. YouTube's connectivity with Google Ads enables additional targeting precision and insights through integrated analytics.

AdRoll

AdRoll is a marketing platform specializing in display advertising, remarketing, and email campaigns. It helps businesses re-engage visitors across multiple platforms with tailored messaging. Through its advanced machine-learning algorithms, AdRoll optimizes ad performance and audience reach, making it a valuable tool for digital marketers.

Taboola

Taboola is a native advertising platform that connects advertisers with targeted audiences through content discovery. By blending ads with editorial content, Taboola reaches users in a more integrated and natural way. This approach encourages higher engagement and click-through rates by presenting content that aligns with user interests.

Outbrain

Outbrain offers a similar native advertising solution, promoting content across premium publisher sites. The platform utilizes sophisticated targeting options to connect advertisers with users who demonstrate an affinity for related topics. Outbrain's network enables brands to achieve high-quality placements and increased visibility on trusted websites.

Amazon Ads

Amazon Ads offers a comprehensive suite of advertising solutions designed to help brands maximize their visibility on the world's largest online retailer. Utilizing a variety of ad formats such as sponsored products, sponsored brands, and display ads, businesses can effectively target shoppers in the buying mindset. With sophisticated targeting options and insights derived from Amazon's vast user data, advertisers can reach audiences with high purchase intent, enhancing conversion rates and driving sales growth.

How to Run Successful Paid Ads (on Any Platform)

Running successful paid ads requires a strategic approach that combines audience insights, creative content, and continuous optimization.

Set your goals according to the buyer’s journey

Understanding the buyer's journey is essential when setting goals for your paid advertising campaigns. By aligning your objectives with each stage of the customer journey—awareness, consideration, and decision—you can create tailored ad content that meets your audience's needs and expectations at each step. This approach ensures that your campaigns are relevant and impactful, fostering a stronger connection with potential customers.

Set smart goals

Establishing SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) goals is crucial for the success of any paid advertising campaign. SMART goals provide a clear focus and roadmap, enabling businesses to track progress and make informed adjustments. By defining precise objectives, such as increasing brand awareness by 20% within three months, businesses can ensure that their advertising efforts are targeted and strategic.

Set your budget

Determining your advertising budget is a pivotal step in planning a successful campaign. It's important to allocate a budget that aligns with your overall marketing strategy while considering factors like expected ROI and financial constraints. By setting a realistic budget, businesses can efficiently manage their ad spend, ensuring that resources are prioritized effectively to maximize campaign impact.

Set a desired CPA (cost per acquisition)

Establishing a desired cost per acquisition (CPA) helps businesses evaluate the efficiency of their advertising campaigns. By determining an acceptable CPA, you can gauge whether your ad spend is resulting in profitable customer acquisitions. Tracking CPA allows for adjustments in targeting or bidding strategies to achieve a balance between customer acquisition cost and revenue generation.

Get to know your audience

Understanding your audience is a fundamental component of any successful paid advertising strategy. Conduct research to identify demographic characteristics, preferences, and behaviors of your target market. This insight allows for the development of more relevant and personalized ad content, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversions.

Choose the right channel

Selecting the appropriate advertising channel is critical to reaching your target audience effectively. Consider where your potential customers spend their time online and choose platforms that align with their media consumption habits. Whether it's search engines, social media, or display networks, matching the channel to your audience's preferences will enhance the visibility and success of your advertising efforts.

Do you have to run paid ads?

Short answer is no, you don't have to run paid ads. You should, however, consider it as a valuable tool to complement your overall marketing strategy.

While organic reach and engagement are still important, the increasing competition for online visibility warrants utilizing paid ads to stand out from the crowd and reach potential customers more effectively.

When you leverage the targeting capabilities and advanced features of various advertising platforms, businesses can enhance their brand visibility, drive conversions, and achieve significant ROI. Additionally, running paid ads allows for measurable results and data-driven insights that can inform future marketing efforts.

Ultimately, incorporating paid ads into your marketing mix can help you stay ahead in today's digital landscape. So while not mandatory, it is highly recommended to at least explore the benefits of running paid ads for your business.

Need a paid ads freelancer or a paid ads agency to help you out with that? Contact Mayple and allow us to match you with the best vetted agency for your needs.