Advertising Platform Comparison | Meta vs Google vs TikTok

Advertising Platform Comparison: Meta vs Google vs TikTok

Choosing the right advertising platform is crucial for campaign success. This comprehensive guide compares Meta, Google, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Amazon to help you select the best platform for your business goals, budget, and audience.

Quick Comparison Table

Meta (Facebook/Instagram)

Best For:

• B2C businesses with visual products
• E-commerce and retail
• Brand awareness campaigns
• Retargeting campaigns
• Local businesses

Strengths:

• Excellent visual ad formats (images, videos, carousels)
• Advanced audience targeting options
• Strong retargeting capabilities
• Lower minimum budgets
• Great for testing creatives

Weaknesses:

• Privacy changes affecting targeting
• Higher CPMs than some platforms
• Less effective for high-intent searches

Minimum Budget:

$5-10/day recommended. Use our Daily Budget Calculator to plan your Meta campaigns.

When to Choose Meta:

• You have visual products (fashion, home goods, food)
• Your target audience is 25-65 years old
• You want to build brand awareness
• You need detailed demographic targeting
• You're running retargeting campaigns

Google Ads

Best For:

• High-intent search queries
• B2B businesses
• Local services
• E-commerce with specific products
• Lead generation

Strengths:

• High purchase intent (people actively searching)
• Multiple ad formats (Search, Display, YouTube, Shopping)
• Typically highest ROAS for many industries
• Excellent for B2B targeting
• Strong local advertising options

Weaknesses:

• Higher CPCs than other platforms
• Requires keyword research
• More complex setup
• Competitive for popular keywords

Minimum Budget:

$10-20/day recommended. Higher budgets ($50+/day) work better for competitive industries.

When to Choose Google:

• People actively search for your product/service
• You're in a B2B industry
• You offer local services
• You want the highest possible ROAS
• You have specific, searchable products

TikTok Ads

Best For:

• Gen Z and Millennial audiences (18-34)
• Creative, trendy products
• App installs
• Brand awareness for younger demographics
• Viral content potential

Strengths:

• Engaging video ad formats
• Lower CPMs than Meta
• Viral potential
• Creative, authentic ad styles
• Growing platform with less competition

Weaknesses:

• Higher minimum daily budgets
• Limited to younger demographics
• Requires creative video content
• Less effective for older audiences
• Newer platform with less data

Minimum Budget:

$20-50/day recommended. TikTok's algorithm works better with higher budgets.

When to Choose TikTok:

• Your target audience is 18-34 years old
• You have creative, visual products
• You're promoting apps or digital products
• You want to reach Gen Z
• You can create engaging video content

LinkedIn Ads

Best For:

• B2B businesses
• Professional services
• High-ticket B2B products
• Recruitment
• Thought leadership

Strengths:

• Best B2B targeting options
• Professional audience
• High-quality leads
• Job title and company targeting
• Great for long sales cycles

Weaknesses:

• Highest CPMs and CPAs
• Smaller audience than Meta/Google
• Less effective for B2C
• Requires higher budgets

Minimum Budget:

$10-20/day minimum, but $50+/day recommended for meaningful results.

When to Choose LinkedIn:

• You're selling B2B products/services
• Your target audience is professionals
• You have high-ticket offerings
• You need to target specific job titles/companies
• You're running recruitment campaigns

Amazon Ads

Best For:

• Products sold on Amazon
• E-commerce businesses
• Product discovery
• Competing on Amazon marketplace

Strengths:

• Highest purchase intent
• Lowest CPAs for many products
• Highest ROAS for Amazon sellers
• Multiple ad formats (Sponsored Products, Brands, Display)
• Direct path to purchase

Weaknesses:

• Only works if you sell on Amazon
• Limited to product ads
• Less effective for brand building
• Amazon takes commission on sales

Minimum Budget:

$5-10/day minimum, but can scale quickly with good performance.

When to Choose Amazon:

• You sell products on Amazon
• You want the highest ROAS
• You're competing in Amazon search
• You have products with good reviews
• You want to drive Amazon sales

Platform Selection Decision Tree

Step 1: What's Your Business Type?

• B2C E-commerce: Meta, Amazon, or TikTok
• B2B: Google Ads or LinkedIn
• Local Services: Google Ads
• SaaS: Google Ads or LinkedIn

Step 2: What's Your Budget?

• Under $50/day: Meta or Amazon
• $50-200/day: Google Ads or Meta
• $200+/day: Any platform, consider multi-platform

Step 3: What's Your Goal?

• Awareness: Meta or TikTok
• Traffic: Google Ads or Meta
• Conversions: Google Ads, Amazon, or Meta
• B2B Leads: LinkedIn or Google Ads

Multi-Platform Strategy

Many successful campaigns use multiple platforms. Use our Budget Allocator to distribute budget across platforms:

Recommended Approach:

1. Start with one platform to learn and optimize
2. Scale successful campaigns on that platform
3. Add a second platform once you have consistent performance
4. Use each platform for its strengths:
   • Google Ads: High-intent searches
   • Meta: Awareness and retargeting
   • TikTok: Younger demographics
   • LinkedIn: B2B targeting
   • Amazon: Product sales

Platform-Specific Best Practices

Meta Best Practices:

• Use high-quality images/videos
• Test multiple ad formats
• Set up Facebook Pixel for retargeting
• Use lookalike audiences
• Monitor frequency to avoid fatigue

Google Ads Best Practices:

• Focus on high-intent keywords
• Use negative keywords
• Optimize Quality Score
• Test different match types
• Use ad extensions

TikTok Best Practices:

• Create authentic, engaging videos
• Use trending sounds/music
• Keep videos short and attention-grabbing
• Test different creative styles
• Target broader audiences initially

Budget Allocation Recommendations

Use our Budget Allocator tool, but here are general guidelines:

For E-commerce:

• 50% Google Ads (high intent)
• 30% Meta (awareness + retargeting)
• 20% Amazon (if applicable)

For B2B:

• 60% Google Ads (search intent)
• 30% LinkedIn (targeting)
• 10% Meta (awareness)

For Consumer Brands:

• 40% Meta (visual + targeting)
• 30% Google Ads (search)
• 30% TikTok (if targeting younger audiences)

Testing Strategy

1. Start Small: Test one platform with minimum budget
2. Measure Performance: Use our calculators to track ROAS, CPA, CPM
3. Optimize: Improve targeting, creatives, and landing pages
4. Scale: Increase budget on winning platforms
5. Expand: Add additional platforms once you have a winner

Related Tools: Plan your multi-platform strategy with our Budget Allocator, track performance with our ROAS Calculator and CPA Calculator, and see benchmarks in our Platform Benchmarks Guide.

Related Guides: Learn more about campaign planning in our Campaign Planning Guide and get started with our Getting Started Guide.