Do you feel under pressure to show up on multiple platforms? 

Yeah, us too. 

As marketers, our natural instinct is to get our brand out there in every possible channel. We want it to show up on every social media platform because we want the maximum possible exposure. 

So when it comes to setting up our first paid ads, we may try the paid version of several of the social media channels we’re already on, and then throw in Google Ads and Google Shopping for good measure. 

Before we know it, we’re juggling multiple platforms and asking ourselves: am I spreading my budget (and myself) too thinly? 

The pros and cons of running multiple ad platforms

At the start of a brand’s journey, experimenting is essential. 

So trying out several different paid ad platforms isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s a fast way to find out what does and doesn’t work. 

But the cons to using multiple platforms are numerous, too.

For one thing, you’ll find it takes up a huge amount of time and resources. Each platform requires slightly different input – whether that’s the product information, the copy, or the size of the creative. Keeping up a regular output of fresh ads becomes a lot more work than it needs to be.

And then there’s the question of budget. 

Paid ads perform better at scale, when each platform’s algorithms can gather more data, and optimise accordingly. When your budget is spread too thinly, you won’t feel this benefit, because you won’t be able to build up enough data on each platform.

So, what’s the answer? 

For a small team and a relatively low budget, running effective ads on only one to two platforms is likely to produce better results than splitting that same budget across three or more platforms. We’d recommend picking one or two to master before expanding out further once your ROAS is looking healthy. 

Select the channels that are showing the most potential

This isn’t always easy, but you want to find which channel is giving you the best long-term value right now. You can calculate this by subtracting the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) from the Lifetime Value (LTV). 

It’s important to go this deep when you can, and not to simply look at the click-through rate or add-to-cart rate, which only tell half the story. 

Learn as much as you can from all the platforms you already have live

While you still have multiple accounts open, take the time to make sure you’ve captured learnings from any live channels. Marketing managers tell us they frequently take learnings from their paid ads channels to infuse throughout their email and organic socials, too.

Make sure you’re translating learnings across live channels

Once you’ve found your ideal channel mix, be sure you keep up the transfer of knowledge from one to the other. This will save you time, maximise your budget, and help keep your brand messaging consistent. 

“We’ve found that learnings from Facebook Ads (like creative styles that perform well) translated effectively to Google Ads. This improved our overall performance by creating consistency in messaging.” – Kate Ross, Marketing Manager, Irresistible Me.

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We also help you understand which channels and campaigns are working best for you, and recommend exactly how to readjust your budget accordingly. Try FERO for free.