There’s No Such Thing as the Best Advertising Platform
The businesses that grow the fastest aren’t asking which platform is best. They’re building the right strategy.
If you’ve owned a business for any length of time, you’ve probably been approached by someone convinced their advertising platform is exactly what your business needs. One salesperson recommends Google Ads. Another insists Facebook and Instagram are the answer. Someone else believes broadcast television still delivers the best results. Then you hear about OTT, streaming TV, display advertising, Device ID targeting, YouTube, Spotify, streaming audio, geofencing, and countless other options.
The interesting part is that every one of those salespeople can make a compelling case for their platform. That’s because every advertising channel has strengths. The problem begins when someone suggests their platform is the only one your business needs.
The truth is, there’s no such thing as the best advertising platform.
The best marketing strategies are built around your business goals, your customers, your offer, your competition, and your budget. Once those pieces are understood, choosing the right combination of advertising platforms becomes much easier.
The businesses that consistently grow aren’t searching for a magic advertising platform. They’re building a strategy that delivers the right message to the right audience at the right time.
Every Platform Has a Purpose
One of the biggest misconceptions in advertising is that one platform can do everything. It can’t. Every advertising channel has strengths, limitations, and a specific role within the customer journey. The most successful campaigns don’t rely on a single platform. Instead, they combine several channels that complement one another and guide potential customers from awareness to consideration and, ultimately, to action.
Here’s a general comparison of the advertising platforms we use most often at Convergence Advertising.
Platform Best For
OTT / Streaming TV Brand awareness
Device ID Audience targeting
Display Advertising Staying top of mind
Broadcast Television Community awareness
Google Search (SEM/PPC) Capturing demand
Streaming Audio Brand frequency
Notice that none of these platforms is labeled “the best.” That’s because each one solves a different marketing challenge. The question isn’t which platform is best. The question is which combination of platforms will best help your business achieve its goals.
How the Platforms Work Together
Imagine you’re a local roofing company. A homeowner first sees your business while watching a streaming television program. A few days later, they notice your display ad while reading the local news online. They attend a home improvement show where Device ID technology helps reinforce your message after the event. Finally, a hailstorm hits their neighborhood, and they search Google for a roofing contractor.
Because they’ve already seen your business several times, your company feels familiar. That familiarity creates trust, and trust often determines who gets the phone call. No single platform created that customer. Every platform played a different role throughout the buying journey, and together they produced a much stronger result than any one platform could have accomplished on its own.
How Many Advertising Platforms Should You Be Using?
Another question we hear frequently is, “How many advertising platforms should my business be using?” While there’s no universal answer, businesses with similar advertising budgets often use a similar number of advertising platforms. A typical range might look something like this:
Monthly Advertising Budget Typical Number of Platforms
$5,000-$8,000 1-2 platforms
$8,000-$10,000 3-4 platforms
$10,000+ 5+ platforms
These recommendations are intended as general guidelines rather than fixed packages. Every business has different goals, different customers, different offers, and different competitive challenges. The number of platforms you use should always be determined by your marketing strategy, not simply by your monthly budget.
Some businesses investing $8,000 per month may achieve outstanding results with three carefully selected platforms. Others may benefit from five. The difference isn’t the budget. The difference is the strategy.
The Right Strategy Changes Everything
Today’s advertising landscape is more complicated than ever. Every media company believes their platform is the solution, but no single platform is right for every business. Choosing where to invest your advertising dollars shouldn’t begin with a media buy. It should begin with understanding your business.
Every business owner has an area of expertise. If you own a tire store, you know tires. If you’re a dentist, you know dentistry. If you’re a roofing contractor, you know roofing. You’ve spent years, and probably decades, becoming an expert in your field.
Marketing is ours.
For more than 30 years, advertising and marketing have been part of our DNA. We’ve dedicated our careers to understanding consumer behavior, media strategy, and how different advertising channels work together to help businesses grow.
I wouldn’t try to install a set of tires, replace a transmission, or perform a root canal because those aren’t my areas of expertise. In the same way, you shouldn’t have to become an expert in an advertising industry that’s constantly changing. Your time is better spent running your business, serving your customers, and doing what you do best.
Our job is to stay on top of the ever-changing marketing landscape, evaluate the available options, and build a strategy that’s designed specifically for your business. We don’t begin by asking, “How many platforms should we use?” We begin by asking, “What’s the best strategy for helping your business grow?” Once that strategy is established, the right mix of advertising platforms becomes much clearer.
The businesses that achieve long-term success aren’t chasing the newest advertising trend. They’re investing in a thoughtful strategy that uses the right channels, for the right reasons, at the right time.
There may not be a single best advertising platform, but there is a best advertising strategy for your business. Finding that strategy is where experience matters, and it’s exactly what we help our clients do every day.
At Convergence Advertising, we believe every platform has a purpose. The difference is knowing how to bring those platforms together into a strategy that helps your business grow.
Convergence Advertising
All Channels. One Outcome.
