When it comes to digital marketing, the real question isn’t which channel is best but when each channel is best. Programmatic display, paid social, and paid search all serve unique roles in the customer journey. Understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases can help brands build smarter, more efficient campaigns.
Awareness: Display & Social
If your goal is visibility, then display and paid social media ads are your go-to channels.
Programmatic display ads are perfect for reaching broad audiences across websites and apps. These high-funnel tactics cast a wide net and are ideal for brand awareness. With access to rich targeting options—think location, behavior, and even weather triggers—programmatic helps you get in front of the right people at the right time. According to eMarketer, U.S. programmatic digital display ad spending hit $115 billion in 2023 and continues to grow, showing that marketers still see value in this method for awareness and reach.
Paid social platforms like Meta, LinkedIn, and TikTok bring awareness with a side of engagement. These channels are highly visual and interactive—great for brands with strong creative assets. Social can also serve as a mid-funnel tactic, driving traffic and encouraging consideration through features like lead forms, retargeting, and influencer content.
Consideration & Conversion: Paid Search
When your audience knows what they want, but not who they want it from, paid search steps in.
Google Ads and similar platforms let you target high-intent users who are actively searching for solutions. It’s a lower-funnel powerhouse, capturing people who are ready to compare or convert. In fact, Google data shows that paid search ads can increase brand awareness by 80%, and brands see an average ROI of $2 for every $1 spent.
Basically, this means that Google Ads is great for reaching people who already know what they need and are actively looking for it—making it one of the best tools for driving conversions and delivering a strong return on investment.
Full-Funnel Power: Google Performance Max
Want the best of both worlds? Google Performance Max is a hybrid campaign type that uses AI to serve ads across search, display, YouTube, Gmail, and more—automatically adjusting placements to meet your goals. It blends upper- and lower-funnel strategies into one campaign, giving you full-funnel coverage with less manual effort.
The Creative Connection
No matter which channel you choose, creative matters. A compelling visual for a social post won’t necessarily work in a static display banner or a search ad. Aligning your creative strategy with your campaign goals and channel formats is essential for driving results.
Not sure where to start? We can help you build a digital media strategy that makes the most of your budget, aligns with your goals, and brings your brand to life with the right creative. Let’s build your ideal channel mix together.