Text ads · pay per click
Google Search Ads
Show up when they're already searching.
- Results in
- Days
- Good for
- Leads · Sales · Local
Types of advertising
Every way to reach them.
Thirty-eight ways to advertise is a lot. Start with your situation and we’ll show you the four channels we’d start with, or browse the whole toolbox: the two-line version of each, how long until it works, and what it pairs with.
Updated
Start here
Start with your situation.
Pick the one that sounds most like you. We’ll narrow the guide to the four channels we’d start with.
All 38 channels, grouped by family. Pick a situation or a family to narrow it down.
Be found the moment they look
Search advertising.
Someone types the problem. You're the answer. The highest-intent inventory there is.
AI-driven · every Google surface
Performance Max
One campaign, every Google surface.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Leads · Sales
Product listings
Google Shopping
Your products, with a price and a photo, at the top.
- Results in
- Days
- Good for
- Sales · Retargeting
Image + video feeds
Demand Gen
Visual ads across YouTube, Discover and Gmail.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Leads
Banner ads · open web
Google Display
Banner ads across two million sites.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Retargeting
Pay per lead · Google Guaranteed
Local Service Ads
Google-Guaranteed leads for home & local services.
- Results in
- Days
- Good for
- Leads · Local
Meet them mid-scroll
Social advertising.
Video-first creative where people actually spend their evenings, and precise enough to target by life stage, interest, or past visit.
Feed, Stories & Reels
Meta (Facebook & Instagram)
The largest local audience in the region.
- Results in
- Days–weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Leads · Sales · Local · Retargeting
Vertical video
TikTok Ads
Where the under-35 audience actually is.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Sales
List-based retargeting
CRM Retargeting · Social
Advertise to your own customer list.
- Results in
- Days
- Good for
- Retargeting · Sales
Vertical video + AR
Snapchat
Reach 13–24 where they message daily.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness
Months
pin shelf life
Promoted pins
Catch them while they plan.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness · Sales
Promoted posts
X (Twitter)
Be part of the conversation.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · B2B
Live-stream video
Twitch
Reach live-stream audiences that skip TV.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness
Vertical video
YouTube Shorts
Vertical video, Google's reach.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness
Pixel-based retargeting
Social Retargeting
Reconnect with eligible visitors where audience matching and privacy choices allow.
- Results in
- Days
- Good for
- Retargeting · Sales · Leads
Usage rights
secured in contract
Creator partnerships
Influencer Campaigns
Borrow a trusted voice.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Sales
TV, without the waste
Video & streaming.
Your commercial on the big screen or in their headphones, using available audience targeting and campaign measurement.
Streaming TV spots
Streaming TV & OTT
Your commercial on TVs and other devices, aimed at the audience your campaign is designed to reach.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness · Local
Smart-TV spots
Connected TV
Reach viewers across supported smart-TV inventory.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness · Retargeting
Pre-roll video
YouTube Ads
The second-largest search engine, with video.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Leads
Live event spots
Live Sports Streaming
Be there for the big game.
- Results in
- Per event
- Good for
- Awareness
Spotify · podcasts · streaming radio
Streaming Audio
Your ad in their headphones.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Local
Follow the audience, not the site
Programmatic display.
Automated buying across millions of sites and apps, aimed at the people, not the pages.
30 days
follow-up window
Location-based mobile
Geofencing
Draw a shape on a map. Advertise to people in that area. Measure visits to your business.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Local · Leads · Retargeting
Open-web display
Retargeting
Stay in front of people who already looked.
- Results in
- Days
- Good for
- Retargeting · Sales
Audience display
Behavioral Targeting
Reach people by what they do, not where they are.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Leads
Past visits
matched to devices
Location-history mobile
Device ID Targeting
Advertise to the phones that were there.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Retargeting · Local · B2B
Shopper-data display
Amazon Display
Amazon's shopper data, off Amazon.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Sales
Reach the buying committee
B2B advertising.
Long sales cycles, small audiences, big deals. Tactics tuned for decision-makers, not the general public.
30 days
post-show follow-up
Event geofencing
Event & Tradeshow Geofencing
Own the show floor without a booth.
- Results in
- Per event
- Good for
- B2B · Leads
Mail + digital
same households
Mail + matched digital
Direct Mail Omnichannel
A postcard, backed by digital.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- B2B · Leads · Local
Wire
+ syndication
Wire distribution
Press Release Distribution
Get the news picked up.
- Results in
- Days
- Good for
- B2B · Awareness
Own the commute
Out of home.
Billboards, digital boards, airports: physical presence in the places your market actually drives past.
7 words
max read
Static boards
Billboards
The original impossible-to-skip ad.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness · Local
:08
per rotation
LED rotation boards
Digital Billboards
Change the message by hour, weather or event.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Local
Hector Intl
+ premium venues
Venue placements
Airports & Premium Locations
Reach travelers and decision-makers.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness · B2B
Gyms · bars · pumps
screens where people wait
Programmatic screens
Digital Out of Home
Screens in gyms, bars, clinics, gas pumps.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Awareness · Local
Still works. Buy it smarter.
Traditional media.
TV, radio and mail, negotiated and measured by an agency that also runs your digital, so nothing is bought blind.
Broadcast + cable
+ streaming match
Broadcast & cable
TV Advertising
Broadcast and cable, bought with data.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness · Local
Drive time
prime dayparts
Broadcast radio
Radio Advertising
In the truck, in the shop, in the field.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness · Local
Households
by income · home value
Targeted mail
Direct Mail
Physical, personal, and back in fashion.
- Results in
- Weeks
- Good for
- Local · Leads · Sales
In print
+ digital editions
Print + digital editions
Spotlight Magazines
Put your brand in the magazines your market reads.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness · Local · B2B
First-mover inventory
What's next.
Emerging channels we're testing for clients who want to be early rather than loud.
Pilot
time-boxed tests
Pilot budgets
Exploratory Channels
Podcast, in-game, retail media, AI search.
- Results in
- Months
- Good for
- Awareness
Advertising questions
Frequently Asked Questions.
What type of advertising is best for a small business?
It depends on your goal. If people already search for what you sell, start with Google Search Ads or Local Service Ads. If nobody knows you yet, Meta and streaming TV build awareness. Most local businesses do best with two or three channels that work together, not ten that work alone.
How long does it take for advertising to work?
Search ads and retargeting can bring leads within days. Social and programmatic campaigns usually need a few weeks of testing. TV, streaming, radio and billboards build recognition over months. See real campaigns in our advertising work. Every channel in this guide shows its typical "Results in" time.
How many advertising channels should I use?
Start with two or three that fit your goal and budget, prove they work, then add more. Our marketing strategy team can help you pick. Spreading a budget across too many channels at once makes it hard to tell what is working.
What is the difference between OTT, CTV and streaming TV?
OTT is TV content streamed over the internet, like Hulu, Peacock or Tubi. CTV is the device it plays on, like a smart TV, Roku or Fire TV. In practice they are bought together as streaming TV and targeted by household.
What is geofencing advertising?
Geofencing shows mobile ads to people who enter a place you choose, such as a competitor’s store, a trade show or a neighborhood, and keeps reaching them for days afterward. It works well paired with billboards and events.
Do you only run advertising in Fargo?
No. We are based in Fargo, North Dakota, and run campaigns for businesses across the region, including Fargo–Moorhead, Bismarck, Grand Forks and Sioux Falls. Digital channels can target any area you sell to. See all our service areas.
Spotlight Insights
Advertising insights.
Practical guides to help you plan your next step.
Like what you see?
Pick three. We’ll do the math.
Tell us which channels caught your eye, or nothing at all, and a strategist will come back with the ones that fit your market, your budget and your sales cycle. No pitch deck, no pressure.