What is paid marketing and how does it work?
Paid marketing means paying to put your business in front of people, usually through ads on Google, Meta or LinkedIn. You set a budget and an audience, and you pay per click or per thousand views. The hard part is knowing which ads bring customers.
The platforms we use
- Google Ads: Search for leads, Shopping and Performance Max for online shops.
- Meta: Facebook and Instagram.
- LinkedIn: for B2B work where job title matters.
How it works
You choose where ads show and set a budget. The platform runs an auction each time someone fits your targeting. You pay per click (Google Search and Shopping) or per thousand views, depending on the campaign.
Where it goes wrong
Each platform reports its own numbers and claims credit generously, so they rarely match your sales. We set up tracking before spending, so ads are judged on the leads and customers in your own records. That means the ad's click ID saved with each form, conversions sent back from the server, and calls traced to the ad where the phone line allows it. Our own phone line does that for us.
Read about our paid marketing service.
The tools in this answer
Google AdsSearch for leads, Shopping and Performance Max for online shops. Conversion goals match what the business actually counts, and real leads and sales go back to Google.PPC
MetaReaching people who aren't searching yet, and following up the ones who left, once the website and tracking can take the visits. Conversions go in from the server.PPC
LinkedInAds for B2B clients whose buyers are best found by job title and company. We check the list match before spending, then follow the leads into the CRM.PPC
Also worth asking
Other answers about the same tools.
What platforms do you use for paid marketing campaigns?
Google Ads and Meta (Facebook and Instagram), plus LinkedIn for B2B work. We use Microsoft Ads where a campaign needs it. Which ones we use depends on whether people search for what you sell.
How much should I budget for paid marketing?
Start from what a customer is worth to you and what a lead costs in your market. The budget then needs to be big enough to get meaningful conversions in a month, and small enough that you can afford to find out it isn't working.
Want a quick starting figure from your revenue and a growth goal? Try the budget planner.
What is ad platform integration and why does it matter?
Ad platform integration means joining your website, tracking and CRM to the ad platforms, so they receive the leads and sales that came from their ads. Without it, bidding learns from clicks and form fills instead of customers.
What’s the difference between paid search and paid social campaigns?
Paid search (Google Ads) shows your ad to people typing a query. Paid social (Meta, LinkedIn) shows it to people browsing. Search catches demand that's already there, and social creates interest in something new.
How do Meta advertising platforms differ from Google Ads?
Google Ads shows your ad to people searching for something. Meta shows it to people by audience while they scroll Facebook and Instagram. If people already search for what you sell, start with Google. Meta reaches the people who aren't looking yet.
Still have questions?Talk to us
Bring your numbers.
We'll tell you if the spend makes sense.
- A 15-minute callYour goals, your challenges, and whether we're the right fit.
- A 1-hour discovery callWe dig into your numbers. Worth a hundred emails.
- A concrete planAds, a custom build or both, as a one-off project or ongoing.