Which Paid Social Channel Is Right For Your Brand?
Social media allows marketers to advertise to a very specific demographic. Unlike traditional advertising methods — like TV, radio, newspaper, or billboards — your paid social ads reach a targeted group of people in a certain age range, location, or with specific interests who are more likely to be interested in your brand’s products or services. Depending on the attribution model used to measure success and the experience of the team managing the ads account, paid social can provide either strong awareness and initiation of new customer journeys, or a strong return on investment, driving more sales from your paid ads budget.
But how do you know which social channel to focus your advertising efforts — and budget — on? Below, we explore the main social media platforms and help you determine the best fit for your paid social advertising.
Popular Paid Social Media Platforms
Here are all the top paid social media marketing platforms with some insights into their use and user demographics.
Instagram, owned by Meta, is primarily a visual platform where users share photos and videos in a feed or their stories. There’s a strong focus on aesthetics and creative content.
For advertisers, Instagram offers a variety of ad formats such as in-feed posts, stories, and shoppable ads that integrate seamlessly into the user experience.
Instagram ads are best for:
Visual storytelling: Good for brands that rely on high-quality visuals e.g. luxury fashion, beauty, travel, and lifestyle.
Shoppable content: Instagram’s integration of product tags and shopping features makes it ideal for ecommerce brands looking to drive direct sales from posts.
Influencer marketing: Instagram has a huge influencer culture, making it the go-to platform for paid collaborations that feel authentic and relatable to audiences.
Key Instagram user demographics:
Age: 25 to 34 are the biggest age group, making up 31.7% of Instagrammers.
Gender: 50.6% male and 49.4% female.
Key Instagram usage statistics:
According to 13,000 social media users aged 16 to 64, Instagram has the most cultural power.
The best type of content to post on Instagram based on engagement is carousels (a combination of photos and videos on the main grid).
7% of US consumers start their shopping search on Instagram.
There are 2 billion monthly active Instagram users.
As one of the largest social media platforms globally, Facebook — also owned by Meta — offers a large reach and a variety of ad formats including image, carousel, and lead generation ads. It’s a community-driven platform, where like-minded people gather virtually in groups and pages to share text and visual posts.
Facebook ads are best for:
Broad reach: Facebook's extensive user base makes it ideal for brands targeting a wide variety of demographics.
Retargeting: Its detailed targeting options make it ideal for running retargeting campaigns to convert warm leads.
Community building: Through Facebook Groups and Pages, businesses can build engaged communities and nurture long-term customer relationships.
Key Facebook user demographics:
Age: 25 to 34 are the biggest group, making up 25.7% of Facebookers.
Gender: 56.3% male and 43.7% female.
Key Facebook usage statistics:
Facebook is one of the least preferred platforms among Gen Z and Millennial users.
Image-based posts receive the highest engagement on Facebook.
Among all paid social channels, Facebook ads offer the best average ROI.
There are 3 billion monthly active Facebook users.
X (Twitter)
X, formerly known as Twitter, is a microblogging platform known for its real-time, fast-paced nature. Users post short updates called “tweets” which often spark conversations around trending topics, news, and events. Advertisers can use promoted tweets, accounts, and trends, to increase visibility.
X ads are best for:
Real-time engagement: For brands wanting to engage with users during live events, news, and trending topics.
Brand awareness: With its ability to create viral content quickly, X is great for spreading brand messages and increasing visibility.
Customer service: Many brands use X to offer real-time customer support and handle customer inquiries publicly.
Key X user demographics:
Age: 25 to 34 is the biggest group, making up 36.6% of X users.
Gender: 60.9% male and 39.1% female.
Key X usage statistics:
Tweets with quotes tend to receive the highest engagement.
There are more users in the US than in other countries.
There are 611 million monthly active X users.
TIKTOK
TikTok is a fast-growing social media platform that popularized short form video content across the apps. Known for viral trends and challenges, TikTok allows brands to create engaging ads that blend into the platform’s organic content. Ad formats include in-feed ads, branded hashtags, and TopView (full-screen takeovers).
TikTok ads are best for:
Viral marketing: TikTok’s algorithm can propel content to virality, making it ideal for brands seeking quick exposure.
Creative engagement: With challenges, trends, and user-generated content, it’s a platform that rewards creativity and authenticity.
Younger audiences: TikTok is highly effective for brands targeting Gen Z, especially in the fashion, beauty, and lifestyle sectors.
Key TikTok user demographics:
Age: 55% of TikTok users are under age 30.
Gender: 54.8% female and 45.2% male.
Key TikTok usage statistics:
40% of Americans use TikTok as a search engine.
More than half of TikTokers come to the platform for “funny” content.
On average, businesses spend 15% of their marketing budget on TikTok.
TikTok limitations:
While the ‘TikTok made me buy it’ trend has been incredibly successful for many e-commerce brands, the future of TikTok in the US is uncertain.
Congress passed a law in April 2024 requiring the company to shut down or sell to a non-Chinese owner by January 19th, 2025 to keep operating in the country. TikTok is fighting this law in court, arguing that the ban would violate U.S. users’ right to free speech. As it stands, though, it’s unclear whether TikTok is really going to be banned and it’s worth tracking the case if you’re planning to advertise on the platform.
Pinterest is a visual discovery platform where users browse and save ideas for projects, hobbies, and purchases. Pinterest offers Promoted Pins and Shopping Ads, which seamlessly integrate with organic content.
Pinterest ads are best for:
Inspiration-based shopping: Pinterest users often search for ideas before making a purchase, making it ideal for brands with visually appealing products.
Longer lifespan: Content on Pinterest has a longer lifespan than other social platforms, making it great for evergreen content.
Lifestyle brands: Fashion, home décor, beauty, and wedding brands thrive on Pinterest, where users actively seek out products.
Key Pinterest user demographics:
Age: Gen Z makes up 42% of its global user base.
Gender: 70% female and 18% male.
Key Pinterest usage statistics:
Pinterest has more than 522 million monthly active users.
96% of searches on Pinterest are unbranded.
44% of millennial Pinners purchased a product they saw on Pinterest.
YOUTUBE
YouTube is the leading video-sharing platform, allowing advertisers to run video ads that appear before, during, or after content. With billions of daily video views, YouTube provides vast opportunities to reach diverse audiences through in-stream, bumper, and display ads.
YouTube ads are best for:
Video storytelling: Ideal for brands that want to showcase product tutorials, testimonials, or behind-the-scenes content through engaging video ads.
Brand awareness: YouTube's vast reach ist effective for top-of-funnel awareness campaigns.
Key YouTube user demographics:
Age: 50.6% of users are Gen Z or Millennial.
Gender: 54.4% male and 45.6% female.
Key YouTube usage statistics:
YouTube is the most popular social media platform in the US.
YouTube is the top platform for researching products and brands.
YouTube ads have a 57% higher view time than other platforms.
How to Choose the Right Paid Social Channel For Your Luxury Brand
Here are a few more factors to consider when planning your paid ad strategy:
1. DEFINE AND RESEARCH YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
To know which platform to advertise on, you’ll need to know who you want to reach. Once you’ve defined your target audience, you can pick the platform they’re most active on.
Consider your brand and its values, who do they resonate with? What’s their annual income? Are they typically male or female? How old are they? Consider both who you’d like to reach, and who may already be purchasing your products or services. You can check which demographics are already engaging with your website and pages on analytics tools such as Google Analytics or any social media platforms you may be using.
2. DETERMINE YOUR BUDGET
You may have found several platforms you’d like to be active on, but it will largely depend on your budget.
Remember, it’s better to focus on where your target audience is most active and where they’ll be more interested in seeing your products or services advertised. It could also determine the type of advertising you do.
3. SEE WHERE YOUR COMPETITORS ARE ACTIVE
Sometimes, your competitors may know something you don’t. It might make no sense to you to advertise your brand on Facebook, and yet your competitor may be spending most of their budget over there — and seeing great results.
Check to see where your competitors use paid ads and decide whether you’ll experiment on the same platforms or decide they’re wasting their time and budget.
4. ASSESS WHERE YOUR ORGANIC SOCIAL STRATEGY IS EFFECTIVE
While general market data can be effective, it’s always best to check how your brand is performing. Let’s say you decided that Instagram is the best platform to be active on social media, but Pinterest seems to be driving the most organic engagement. Chances are, you’re better off investing more of your money into Pinterest ads, as you’ll likely receive better engagement.
5. TEST AND ADAPT
You won’t know until you try. That’s where testing comes in. Rather than picking a platform and throwing all your paid ad eggs into one social media basket, it’s best to experiment with a few smaller campaigns with smaller budgets.
If some campaigns perform well, increase your spend to get a higher return on investment. If none of the ads on a certain platform seem to succeed, consider switching platforms.
However, it might not always be the platform’s fault if a campaign isn’t performing as hoped. Sometimes the campaigns will need iterating and adjusting to achieve your desired results. And that’s where the help of a paid social team can pay off…
We Are Paid Social Experts
With a thorough understanding of all the platforms, Block & Tam can help you decide where best to invest your paid marketing.
We’ve helped luxury brands successfully grow their brand awareness and sales through paid social media marketing, now it’s your turn.
