With more people than ever relying on the internet for their news, entertainment and shopping needs, brands are taking advantage of the climate. As traditional marketing techniques continue to become more expensive and less efficient, viable alternatives are in high demand. Thankfully for brands, they do exist.

A wide variety of digital marketing platforms and techniques exist for businesses of all types to utilize. However, each platform provides unique benefits and disadvantages, depending on a number of factors exclusive to each business.

In order to help narrow down the possibilities for you, we’ll look at some key factors to consider when choosing the best platform(s) for your brand’s exact needs.

Audience/Reach

Different marketing options produce different outcomes for a number of reasons. One very important factor behind this is the variance in audiences between platforms. For example, pinging users via Google with ads might produce a different overall audience than a campaign being ran on Twitter. Even when controlling for interests and demography (which many platforms let you customize), different outcomes are common. As such, consider carefully which networks have audiences most in-line with your target audience.

Pricing/Cost Per Click

Arguably the biggest factor for many brands in determining which platforms are right for them is the overall cost. Depending on your budget and priorities, there are two separate yet related ways to evaluate cost.

The first is total cost: how much a decent campaign needs allocated in order to reach a viable number of people. The second is cost per click: an average amount that must be spent to earn one click. Ultimately, each marketing platform produces different outcomes in this regard. In some situations, a better CPC figure is only possible with a higher total ad spend. As such, do the appropriate research and plan accordingly.

Overall Effort

Another component that is worth considering when selecting a digital marketing platform is the amount of effort required. Some brands don’t have full-time marketing managers or ample amounts of time to devote to the process. Unfortunately, some marketing channels (most notably social media) do require constant engagement and organic content creation in order to deliver the most benefit.

As such, it’s vital to plan ahead and determine how many hours per month you can dedicate to digital marketing cultivation. Even if you are utilizing paid ad campaigns, some platforms require more work than others.

Organic or Paid

Last but not least, deciding whether you will focus on paid or organic digital marketing can make a big difference in which platform(s) you select. While most successful brands market by pinging users with both forms of marketing, most have a dominant preference.

Depending on your resources, time and audience, you’ll need to decide whether an organic approach or a paid one is right for you. Attracting larger audiences, promoting various products and/or being short on time generally necessitates a paid marketing approach, while those with plenty of time to target audiences with helpful content can be successful with organic digital marketing.

These four considerations are just a few of the many aspects you’ll want to evaluate – but they are the primary concerns. By answering these questions honestly and determining which variables your brand possesses and/or faces, you can select the best medium for your digital marketing efforts.