Alternatives to Facebook Advertising

Most businesses and organizations have, at one point or another, wondered if they want to support Facebook with their advertising. While it’s indisputable that much of the world is on Facebook, you do have to wonder if people are still using it the same way, and whether your paid ad is really getting the attention you’d like. And you may have some misgivings about their hands-off approach to political and social issues… or their hands on approach to making money in those arenas.

So where can you advertise that isn’t Facebook or Instagram? (Yes, Instagram is owned by Facebook, so many of the same problems apply.)

First, let’s acknowledge why we advertise on Facebook in the first place.

People are on the platform multiple times a day so there are numerous opportunities for your message to reach them. Boosted (or paid) placements feel more like native content than the advertising that consumers have learned to ignore. The ads are relatively inexpensive, allowing small businesses and non-profits to enter the game. And you can also target with pin-point precision, making the most of your dollar if you’re a local company. That’s a lot of reasons.
And Facebook is also the highest converting platform of any social media service. People click, comment, and share more often because it doesn’t feel like paid ads.

But that doesn’t mean there aren’t other options that achieve the same advertising goals. Here are some alternatives to consider….

Let’s start with the most similar options: Pinterest, Twitter, Snapchat and TikTok all have their audiences and thus a place in your social media outreach. For example, Pinterest is a great platform for reaching women between the ages of 18-54, and to experiment with visual content. TikTok is a good platform to reach Gen Z audiences. What’s important to remember is that whichever platform you choose, you should tailor your ad content to their format. Over time, we’ve accepted the Facebook ad format as the “norm”: 30 to 120 second video you’re able to understand without sound, imagery with few words, etc. Other platforms have their own rules. Here’s a quick cheat sheet:

Pinterest:

1. Audience between 18-54

2. 71% female.

3. Use content rich pins: (for example, recipes, instructions, prices)

4. Use vertical for phone screens

5. Use positive messages

6. Life events and style content

Twitter:

1. Audience 18-40

2. Video under 15 seconds perform best

3. Start with product, ad people, return to brand

4. Text/Copy under 100 characters

TikTok:

1. Audience between 16 and 30

2. Shoot vertical video

3. Prioritize your sound for music or content

Snapchat:

1. Audience between 25-35

2. 70% female

3. Videos under a minute

> 4. Focus on stories

5. Less engagement with photos

YouTube is the next step up. Yes, YouTube has a tendency to feel more like advertising than Facebook, and yes, YouTube was boycotted in 2017 for many of the same reasons that Facebook is currently in trouble; but you should probably pick your battles. Advertising rates are considerably more expensive on YouTube, and at times the ability for viewers to skip ads feels a bit unfair. But you can’t ignore the fact that YouTube is the most popular online platform in America — with 73% of U.S. adults using it. Because Google owns YouTube, the robust targeting offered by Google Ads is available for YouTube advertising. YouTube videos ads should be short; in fact they offer “bumper” ads that are 6 seconds and can’t be skippped.

Just because you don’t want to pay for Facebook ads doesn’t mean you can’t still use their platform to promote your company. Consider creating partnerships, of like-minded companies or interdependent companies, and work together to post each other’s content. Artisans can work together to create posts; artisans can also collaborate with models, photographers, and videographers. Restaurants can develop content with their neighborhood shops. Non-profits can work together or with related groups. Despite being a social media platform, we too often work in isolation. Partnerships can have an amazing impact because they connect people with similar interests. It’s important to plan these partnerships carefully, and understand how the content will benefit everyone. These are goal oriented partnerships.

No matter where you advertise, keep in mind that paid media is simply a means to an end. Ads are meant to catch your audience’s attention and propel them into action. There are multiple actions that can benefit a company, from increasing understanding, to building relationships, to purchasing items. So take a step back, think about where you have opportunities to engage with your target audience and then creatively leverage those opportunities to move your audience to action.