How to choose your advertising channels

One of the first questions in any advertising effort is: “Where should we advertise?” The common answer, “everywhere,” is usually the fastest way to spread a limited budget across so many channels that none of them gets enough to prove itself.

Choosing ad channels is a strategic decision, not a technical one. This article offers a practical framework for choosing based on your customer and your economics, not on what others are doing.

Start with the customer and their intent, not the platform

The most important question before choosing any channel: at what stage of their decision is your customer when you reach them?

• High intent: someone searching now for a solution to a problem they know, such as “AC maintenance in Riyadh” or “accounting software for small businesses.” Channels that capture existing demand fit here, search ads above all.
• Medium intent: someone who knows the category and is comparing options. Retargeting, comparison content and shopping ads suit them.
• Low or latent intent: someone not searching, who may be interested if they see the right offer. Discovery platforms and social media create interest here.

There is no “best” channel in absolute terms — only the channel that best fits a particular stage and a particular customer.

Four questions to assess any channel

Is your customer there in sufficient numbers?

Each platform has a different audience by age, interest and usage. In the Saudi market, platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok, Instagram, X and YouTube are present alongside Google search, and the weight of each varies by target group and product type. Don’t rely on general impressions: check your actual audience’s reach in each platform’s planning tools, and look at where your existing customers came from.

Does the channel’s format suit your product?

Some products are understood visually in seconds — fashion, restaurants, beauty — and suit short video. Others need explanation and trust — professional services, business solutions — and suit channels that allow detail and capture deliberate searches.

Can you keep producing what the channel needs?

Short-video platforms need fresh creative at a fast pace, because a single asset wears out quickly. Without steady production capacity, results will fade whatever the budget.

Are the economics viable?

Some channels have a low cost of reach but weak conversion; others the opposite. What matters is the cost of the final result compared with its value, not the cost of an impression or a click. We walk through that calculation in How to read return on ad spend (ROAS).

How many channels should you start with?

In most cases, one or two channels with enough budget beat five channels with token budgets. Each channel needs a minimum of spend and time to gather data that allows assessment and optimization. Spreading the budget across many channels from the start makes each of them look “unsuccessful,” when the real problem is that none was given a fair chance.

Start with the channel closest to your customer’s high intent, stabilize its results, then add a channel that creates demand or extends reach, and measure its effect on the total rather than on its own numbers.

A practical plan for testing a new channel

When you decide to add a channel, test it with a written plan rather than open-ended trial and error:

1. Hypothesis: why do we believe this channel will reach our customers, and with what message?
2. Budget and duration: enough to gather meaningful data, over a period set in advance — usually several weeks, not days.
3. Success criteria: the acceptable cost per result, the effect on total requests, or both.
4. Creative: three or four assets designed for the channel, not copied from elsewhere.
5. Measurement: unique links, confirmed conversion events, and “How did you hear about us?” in requests.
6. Decision: at the end of the period, scale, adjust and retest, or stop — and write down what you learned in all three cases.

What about creators and influencers?

Working with content creators is a distinct channel by nature: people trust the person before the brand. It usually works when the creator’s audience is genuinely close to your customer — not just the biggest — and when the product is presented in their own style rather than as a rigid ad script. Measure it like any channel: unique discount codes or links per collaboration, and a look at the quality of the customers it brings. In Saudi Arabia there are regulatory requirements for advertising through celebrities and content creators, so make sure you comply with the rules in force and that the advertising nature of the content is clear.

Common mistakes when choosing channels

• Choosing a channel because it is “trending”: a platform’s popularity doesn’t mean your customer makes decisions there.
• Judging a channel on a short test: a week or two with a small budget is rarely enough.
• Using the same creative everywhere: each channel has its own language, format and rhythm.
• Ignoring what happens after the click: the channel brings the visitor; the experience converts them.
• Assessing every channel alone: some channels create demand that others harvest. Assess the effect on the total, as we explain in How to measure the impact of growth channels.

In summary

1. Identify the decision stage at which you want to reach your customer.
2. Choose one or two channels that fit that stage and your product’s format.
3. Calculate the acceptable cost per result before launch.
4. Give each channel enough budget and time for a fair assessment.
5. Add another channel when the first settles, and measure the effect on the total.

For the wider framework these decisions sit in, go back to the guide to performance marketing.