Selecting online marketing channels for your business

Why you can't be everywhere

Trying to cover all channels at once is one of the most common mistakes new entrepreneurs make. The result is usually that each channel only gets a few percent of your attention, content is half-baked, and results are zero.

What’s a better strategy? Choose 2–3 channels that really fit your business and focus on doing them properly. Once you achieve stable results, you can gradually add more.

Four key questions before choosing a channel

Before you start picking specific platforms, answer four fundamental questions. Without them, it’ll be hard to guess which one is right for you.

1. Who is your customer?

Age, occupation, interests, daily routine. A younger audience (under 30) spends time on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Managers and those making purchasing decisions in companies are on LinkedIn. People searching for a specific product or service usually go directly to Google.

2. Do you sell a product or a service?

A product can be photographed, shown in action, demonstrated – which is why visual channels like Instagram, Pinterest or YouTube work. A service is abstract, people need to imagine it and gain trust – therefore content marketing, reviews, case studies and SEO work well in this case.

3. Is it B2B or B2C?

In B2B, decision-making takes longer, often involves multiple people, and expertise and trust are important. In B2C, decisions tend to be quicker, more emotional, and largely depend on the first visual experience.

4. Local or nationwide/international?

A local business (café, hairdresser, locksmith) has different options than an e-commerce shop that delivers across the country. Local businesses have a huge advantage in map services and local SEO – it's worth taking advantage of that.

Main online marketing channels overview

Let’s go through the main channels and see who they are suitable for.

Search Engines (SEO and SEA)

SEO means optimising your website to appear in organic search results. SEA (Search Engine Advertising, typically Google Ads) is paid advertising in search engines.

Search engines are powerful as they capture people when they are actively searching for something – thus with high purchase intent. If your customer is searching for a specific solution to their problem, you will find them here.

Social Networks

Each network has a different audience and logic. You can read more about the roles of social media in marketing in the separate article on social media in modern corporate marketing.

• Facebook – still broad reach, good for local businesses, communities and an older target group (35+).

• Instagram – visual content, fashion, gastronomy, design, lifestyle. Works for B2C, especially for products with a visual component.

• LinkedIn – professional content, B2B, recruitment, expert positions. The best choice if you are selling to companies.

• TikTok – short videos, younger audience, creative content. Growing among older users as well.

• YouTube – longer content, tutorials, reviews, education. Great for building expertise.

• Pinterest – inspiration, design, fashion, home, weddings, DIY. Strong among women aged 25–45.

Email Marketing

Often underrated but one of the most profitable channels. The return on investment in emailing tends to be among the highest of all digital channels.

Email works because you communicate with people who have already expressed interest in your brand (subscribed). It’s not a cold call.

Content Marketing (blog, articles, guides)

Creating useful content that answers your customers' questions. Works hand in hand with SEO – quality content ranks better in search.

Content marketing is a long-term game. Initial results are often seen only after a few months. On the other hand, once quality content is created, it works for you for years.

Paid Advertising (PPC)

Advertising where you pay per click or impression – Google Ads, Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram), LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads. Main advantage: fast results and precise targeting.

Influencer Marketing

Collaborating with people who have built an audience in a specific area. They don’t have to be the biggest stars – so-called micro-influencers with a smaller, but loyal audience often work better.

Channel recommendations based on business type

The previous table showed channels from the perspective of their strengths and weaknesses. Let's now look from the opposite perspective — what channels we specifically recommend based on your business type:

Step-by-step approach

If you're starting from scratch with online marketing, we recommend this approach.

1. Define your goal. What do you want to achieve? More inquiries, sales, brand awareness? A specific goal determines which channel makes sense.

2. Start where your target audience is. Don’t choose a channel based on what you like, but where your customers spend time.

3. Select one primary channel. Focus 80% of your attention on it for the first 3–6 months.

4. Measure and evaluate. Without measurement, you're just guessing. Monitor basic metrics: traffic, conversions, customer acquisition costs. Specific techniques for building a customer base can be found in the guide on 10 strategies to build a client list.

5. Gradually add more channels. Only when the first channel runs smoothly do you know what works. The second channel should ideally complement the first (for example, SEO + email marketing).

Common mistakes when choosing channels

A few mistakes to avoid from the start.

• Following trends instead of your target group. TikTok is popular, but if you’re selling accounting software to companies, you’re wasting time. Choose based on customers, not hype.

• Trying to be everywhere. Being everywhere means not being anywhere properly. It’s better to be great on two channels than mediocre on seven.

• Copying competitors without context. Just because a competitor is investing in Google Ads doesn’t mean it will work for you the same way. They might have a different budget, margin, strategy.

• Short-term expectations for long-term channels. SEO and content marketing take time – often 6–12 months before they really start working. If you need results immediately, opt for PPC.

• Not measuring. If you don’t know what works and what doesn’t, you’re optimising blindly. Basic analytics is a necessity, not a luxury.

How to know if a channel works

Each channel has its own metrics, but in general, watch these aspects:

• Traffic and reach – how many people the channel brought in.

• Engagement – how people react (clicks, comments, shares, time on page).

• Conversions – how many of them completed a desired action (enquiry, purchase, registration).

• Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) – how much a customer costs from that channel.

• Return on Investment (ROI) – how much the channel returns for every pound (or other currency) invested.

Evaluate the channel in context. Some channels (PPC) deliver fast results, others (SEO, content marketing) start paying off after months. Don't compare them 1:1.