Are you still only investing in Google and Facebook? Today, I want to talk about what real "omnichannel advertising" is all about.
Among the three platforms of Google, Meta, and Reddit, Google and Meta, as mainstream channels, are the first choice for most advertisers.
However, many people always ask: Besides these, what other platforms are worth considering? Is there a more efficient combination strategy? Are there opportunities to "overtake on a curve"? Therefore, the goal of this article is: to give everyone a one-time overview of the overall layout of omnichannel advertising.
01 Why go omnichannel?
Users won't just stay on one platform.
For example: Although Google Search has an absolute market position, many people still use Bing. While everyone scrolls through Instagram and Facebook, some are immersed daily in Reddit, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Looking at the domestic scene: You might scroll through Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Zhihu, Weibo, and even check out Maimai and Moments... Attention has long been dispersed across various platforms.
Therefore, the core logic of omnichannel advertising is: to advertise where the users are.
02 When should you go omnichannel?
The key to this question is: whether your mainstream channels have reached a bottleneck.
If your advertising on Google and Meta is already mature and the ROI has limited room for optimization, and the budget cannot be effectively scaled up, then it's time to consider integrating second-tier platforms to find new traffic niches and increase incremental space.
03 Why is omnichannel challenging?
Although omnichannel "sounds beautiful," real implementation faces three major challenges:
1) High research costs. User attention is fragmented, and there are many small channels, making it difficult to test each one. Mainstream platforms may cover 70% of users' time, while the remaining 30% is scattered across dozens of channels. It's hard to judge the return on investment.
2) Difficult to attribute advertising effects. Smaller channels often lack mature conversion tracking systems and tend to be exposure-oriented, making it difficult to precisely attribute orders like Meta does.
3) Steep learning curve. Different platforms have their own rules, account opening processes, content styles, and advertising logic, requiring separate learning and adaptation.
04 The value and misconceptions of second-tier channels
Many people misunderstand second-tier media as "unimportant." However, what I want to emphasize is:
"The 'second-tier' I mention is merely a classification from the perspective of overall advertising volume by advertisers. It does not mean that these channels are of low value."
In specific fields, such as influencer marketing, content seeding, and regional markets, these platforms may even have advantages over Google and Meta. As long as users are active, there is advertising value.
05 Quick introduction to overseas second-tier social media platforms
I divide these platforms into two categories: social media and DSP, and briefly explain the differences:
Social media: They have their own traffic and sell their own ads (like Reddit, Pinterest)
DSP: They don't have their own traffic; they are a matchmaking market between advertising platforms and traffic platforms
Below are some common second-tier social media platforms, along with my understanding and their domestic counterparts:
For example, Pinterest can be understood as the overseas version of Xiaohongshu. It is a platform for image and text notes primarily focused on "seeding" content, where users habitually seek inspiration and product recommendations. However, Pinterest has a high threshold for account opening, usually requiring a non-mainland bank card, so it is more recommended to open an account through an agency.
Reddit is more like China's Tieba, with a strong grassroots culture where users freely discuss, and the community atmosphere is strong. Due to users' high sensitivity to ads, it is advisable for advertisers to pay attention to the natural integration of advertising methods. Fortunately, Reddit supports self-service account opening with a credit card, making it easy to test the waters.
Twitter (now called X) is equivalent to the overseas version of Weibo, a platform with a strong public opinion attribute, fast information updates, suitable for exposure and event marketing, but its conversion capability is relatively weak. It also supports account opening with a credit card, which is quite convenient.
Quora is similar to Zhihu, a knowledge Q&A community, situated between a search engine and social content. It has high demands for content quality, heavily reliant on text content operations. The account opening process is also simple, using a credit card for self-service advertising account activation.
Finally, Snapchat can be seen as a platform that integrates instant messaging and content socialization, with some features similar to WeChat. Its ads usually appear in the chat interface or story stream. Snapchat currently has many restrictions on account opening, usually requiring an agency to set up an account.
These platforms each have their unique features, some focusing on content seeding, others on public opinion exposure, and some are more suitable for young users or specific interest groups, serving as a powerful supplement to mainstream channels.
06 Practical advice for omnichannel
For advertisers new to these platforms, I suggest starting with the following approaches:
Prefer platforms with low barriers to entry (such as Reddit, Quora) to test effectiveness;
Observe the platform's content forms and user discussion habits before deciding whether it's suitable for advertising;
Don't spread out too many platforms at once, but plan and progress gradually;
Choose the right platform based on your industry and product characteristics, for example, visual products are suitable for Pinterest, B2B products for Quora, etc.
Conclusion
Mainstream platforms are important, but real growth comes from breakthroughs at the margins. Omnichannel is not just a strategic choice but a natural selection by advertisers after a deep understanding of user behavior.
I hope this content helps you establish an omnichannel thinking framework and find your own "second curve of traffic."
— Thank you for reading, feel free to share or leave comments for discussion.
