Social Media Advertising 101: The Platforms That Will Help You Win

Social media advertising is a type of digital marketing where a business pays a social media platform to promote its content to its target audience. Ads can appear in a number of different formats and places on the app – you could see a slideshow of images in a newsfeed or a video ad on a profile page.

Some contain overt calls to action (CTAs), whereas others can be mistaken for organic posts. However, you’ll usually be able to spot them by a disclosure such as “Ad” or “Sponsored” next to the advertiser’s name or within the caption – this is a legal requirement.

Social media ads differ from organic posts in a few ways. Firstly, ads aren’t free. Secondly, they’ll help you find new customers by appearing in the feeds of users who don’t already follow you. Even better, you can choose who these ads appear to, when, and where, so that you’re attracting those most likely to be interested in your products or services.

There are countless social media to advertise on. To save you from trawling through them all, I’ve listed the most popular choices for business below.

Facebook

With over three billion monthly active users, Facebook is the world’s most popular social media platform, which makes it the perfect place to broadcast your business. As one of the earliest adopters of paid advertising, Facebook has also developed some of the most well-developed targeting and analytics tools available – hence why 28% of marketers say it offers the best return on investment (ROI).

Facebook Ad Types:

• Image: a single image accompanied by text
• Video: a video of up to 60 seconds accompanied by text
• Carousel: a group of up to 10 cards with their own media, link, and call to action
• Collection: showcases ecommerce products in a grid layout
• Messenger: written and visual ads that show in the Messenger inbox and Stories bar
• Marketplace: product ads appear on the Marketplace homepage and the Marketplace tab within the Facebook app
• Playable: short, interactive previews of promoted apps and games

Facebook is best for businesses…

• Targeting users between the ages of 18 and 35
• With mass appeal: Facebook has a wide user base, attracting users of every age group, gender, occupation, and location. For businesses catering to multiple groups, it would be a smart place to broadcast
• Targeting niche groups: precise targeting means it’s possible to show your ads to users with certain hobbies, interests, or even those using a cell phone model

• Already advertising on Instagram: Meta’s ownership means you can cross post and repurpose ads between Facebook and Instagram, saving time and increasing visibility

Instagram

Known for its visual content, Instagram is a hub of creativity and discovery. With over two billion monthly active users, Instagram ads are a great way to grow your business and make money on Instagram.

Instagram Ad Types:

• Image: a single image accompanied by text
• Video: a video of up to 60 seconds accompanied by text
• Carousel: a group of up to 10 cards with their own media, link, and call to action
• Collection: showcases ecommerce products in a grid layout

Instagram is best for businesses…

• Targeting 18 to 34-year olds: over 60% of Snapchat’s userbase is within this age range
• Selling visually appealing physical products and lifestyle brands

Snapchat

Snapchat may have only soared back into popularity in the last few years, but it has already overtaken X and Reddit with a monthly active userbase of 850 million. And businesses are growing on Snapchat thanks to its unique features, such as AR and AI technologies, which provide interactive experiences within ads and make them more memorable to users.

Get free credit for Snapchat Ads

Snapchat can help you grow your business. Make use of our limited-time offer: when you spend $350, you get $375 back.

Visit Snapchat

Snapchat Ad Types:

• Promoted content: single image or video ads alongside a CTA
• Story: a series of images or videos that can be navigated through
• Collection: promote products with one full-screen video
• Commercials: videos that are non-skippable for six seconds
• Augmented reality (AR) ads: branded interactive AR filters and lenses that can be applied to photos

Snapchat is best for businesses…

• Targeting users between 18 and 24 years old: this group makes up 37.8% of Snapchat’s userbase
• Looking to create memorable, time-sensitive campaigns for new products and promotions

TikTok

TikTok has become a favorite of brands looking to forge strong relationships with their audience, thanks to its unpolished, emotion-driven content style. And its 1.5 billion highly engaged monthly active users make advertising on TikTok worth considering as part of your content marketing strategy.

TikTok Ad Types:

• Spark: boosting organic content as an ad
• Brand promotion: branded effects users can apply to their content
• Promoted products: product ads for businesses selling on TikTok Shop
• Playable: short interactive game to promote new apps or games
• Search: show ads in TikTok’s native search engine

TikTok is best for businesses…

• Targeting 18 to 24 year-olds: TikTok’s audience skews young – this age group accounts for 30.7% of TikTok’s userbase
• In fast-evolving, trend-led industries, such as cosmetics and apparel

X

X, formerly known as Twitter, holds just shy of 590 million monthly active users, which is the smallest userbase on the list.

X Ad Types:

• Promoted content: promote text posts, single images and videos, and collections of up to six visuals (carousel)
• Full-screen vertical videos accompanied by CTAs
• Livestream: promotes livestreams to increase viewership as they happen
• Promoted products: showcase multiple product images in a grid with collection ads and unique recommendations for users with dynamic ads

X is best for businesses…

• Targeting users between 18 and 34: these audiences make up 70.8% of X’s userbase
• Looking to create buzz around timely news, such as new publications and product launches

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the number one destination for professionals to converse, network, and search for new opportunities.

LinkedIn Ad Types:

• Sponsored content: advertise single images, videos, a collection of media (carousel) events, documents, articles, newsletters
• Sponsored messaging: automate direct messages with call to action (CTA) buttons, messaging ads, and add conversation ads
• Lead generation forms: automatically collect information on users who click on your sponsored content ads
• Sidebar ads: spotlight your profile, product, or custom text in LinkedIn’s desktop sidebar

LinkedIn is best for businesses…

• Targeting professionals between the ages of 25 and 34 – this age group makes up 47.3% of LinkedIn’s userbase
• With high advertising budgets: LinkedIn is considered to be one of the most costly social media advertising platforms

The short answer is yes. Social media advertising will provide guaranteed results improvements in key areas:

• Extended, high-value reach: Ads will boost your profile visibility further than organic posts by appearing on the feeds of users who don’t follow you. Plus, precise targeting means you’ll only appear on the feeds of users who are likely to be interested in what you offer.
• Increased brand awareness: While organic posts can often have a short life-span in social media news feeds, ads can keep your content there for longer, keeping you in the forefront of users’ minds. Over time, this will build recognition within your field.
• Cost effective: Most social media platforms will charge you per action that’s carried out, such as a click or follow. This means you’ll only pay when you start seeing results.

There’s no way to give a solid answer when it comes to social media advertising costs – the price of Instagram ads will be different from the price of YouTube ads, which also won’t be the same as Snapchat ad costs… you get the idea. And even within one platform, factors such as your industry, current level of competition, and your chosen advertising objective will fluctuate the cost further.

Get free credit for Snapchat Ads

Snapchat can help you grow your business. Make use of our limited-time offer: when you spend $350, you get $375 back.

Visit Snapchat

Here are the average costs of the most common ad metrics in February 2025, according to Gupta Media.

It’s possible to advertise on almost any social media platform, but that doesn’t mean you should. The goal is to locate and attract users who’ll have an interest in what your business offers – your target audience. To do this, you need to put your efforts and money into the platforms they’re most likely to use. 

On top of this, the platform needs to be sustainable for you. This means:

• Its popular content formats are achievable and suitable for your business type – this is what’s going to grab users attention and make them click on your ads. For example, a law firm may find it difficult to express its strengths in the short and snappy video style of TikTok ads.
• The average ad spend on that platform is within your budget.
• The advertising campaigns on the platform will help you achieve your goals – not every platform offers the tools to make your products stand out. For instance, gaming companies would suit a platform with interactive ads, such as Snapchat.

In an oversaturated landscape, social media advertising provides a way for your business to stand out, attract quality leads, and increase online sales. With the tips in this article, you’ll be able to find the platform that fits both your needs and your audience’s needs.

If you’re currently advertising on TikTok but are worried about the ban, why not try these TikTok alternatives? And for TikTok sellers, here are four TikTok Shop alternatives.