Why Paid Advertising Matters
Paid advertising puts your business in front of potential customers immediately. While SEO builds long-term visibility, paid media gives you control over who sees your message, when they see it, and what action you want them to take.
For Australian businesses, this typically means advertising on Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or a combination of these platforms.
How Digital Advertising Works
Most digital advertising operates on an auction system. You bid to show your ad to specific audiences, and the platform decides which ads to display based on your bid and ad quality.
Key Concepts:
- Impressions: How many times your ad is shown - Clicks: How many people click through to your site - Conversions: How many people take a desired action (purchase, enquiry, sign-up) - Cost Per Click (CPC): What you pay each time someone clicks - Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Revenue generated divided by ad spend
Google Ads: Capturing Intent
Google Ads shows your ads to people actively searching for what you offer. This "intent-based" advertising is powerful because you're reaching people at the moment they need you.
Search Ads Text ads that appear at the top of Google results. Best for: - Service businesses (plumbers, lawyers, accountants) - E-commerce products people search for specifically - High-intent keywords like "buy", "near me", "price"
Display Ads Image ads shown across millions of websites. Best for: - Brand awareness - Remarketing to previous visitors - Reaching people before they start searching
Shopping Ads Product listings with images and prices. Essential for e-commerce businesses selling physical products.
Meta Ads: Building Demand
Facebook and Instagram advertising excels at reaching people who match your ideal customer profile, even if they're not actively searching.
Why Meta Works: - Detailed targeting by interests, behaviours, and demographics - Visual format suits many products and services - Retargeting website visitors and customer lists - Lookalike audiences find people similar to your best customers
Best For: - Consumer products and e-commerce - Local services wanting to build awareness - Businesses with strong visual content - Subscription and recurring revenue models
LinkedIn Ads: B2B Targeting
For B2B businesses, LinkedIn offers unmatched professional targeting. Reach people by job title, company size, industry, and seniority.
Higher costs per click, but often worth it when selling high-value B2B products or services.
Choosing the Right Platform
Start with Google Ads if: - People actively search for what you sell - You have a clear understanding of your keywords - You want leads or sales quickly
Start with Meta Ads if: - You're building awareness for a new product - Your offering is visual or lifestyle-oriented - You know your customer demographics well
Start with LinkedIn Ads if: - You sell to businesses, not consumers - Job title or company size matters for targeting - Your average deal value justifies higher ad costs
Setting Your Budget
There's no magic number. Start with what you can afford to test and learn with. For most small businesses, $1,000-2,000 per month on a single platform provides enough data to optimise. Effective budget optimisation ensures you aren't wasting spend on low-performing keywords.
The key is consistent spending over time, not sporadic bursts.
Avoiding Common Mistakes
1. Targeting too broadly - Narrower audiences often perform better 2. Not tracking conversions - Without data, you're guessing 3. Ignoring ad creative - The best targeting won't save boring ads 4. Giving up too early - Most campaigns need 2-4 weeks to optimise 5. Set and forget - Regular optimisation is essential
Measuring Success
Focus on these metrics: - Cost per acquisition (CPA): What you pay for each lead or sale - Return on ad spend (ROAS): Revenue generated per dollar spent - Conversion rate: Percentage of clicks that convert
A healthy campaign pays for itself. If you're spending $1,000 and generating $3,000 in revenue, you've built a scalable growth engine. This is similar to how improving conversion rates can significantly boost your overall ROI.
Ready to go deeper? Check out our platform-specific guides for detailed tactics.