Beyond the Big Two: The Ad Networks Stealing Clicks (and Sales) from Meta and Google

Retail Media Is the New Search: Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart Ads that Convert

Retail shelves have gone digital and shoppers now start their hunt where the cart lives, not on Google. That means ads inside Amazon, Walmart, and Instacart aren't just display—they're search results with buy buttons. Tap into this intent: placements that put products on the first scroll convert faster, with a clearer path-to-purchase and less wasted spend than off-site clicks.

Start simple: prioritize product-detail creatives that match search queries, feed exact titles and use high-res images with 1–2 lifestyle shots. Use phrase-level negative keywords where available, bid by ASIN performance, and test category-level campaigns for discovery. The magic is combining first-party shopper signals with tight SKU-level measurement—then scale winners quickly.

Line up three quick plays you can launch this week:

• 🆓 Awareness: Sponsored display or banner buys to get in front of similar shoppers and seed audiences.
• 🚀 Consideration: Sponsored brands or video to drive catalog exploration and add-to-cart lifts.
• 🔥 Conversion: Sponsored products and coupons targeted at high-intent search terms to close the deal.

Measure with ruthlessness: run lift studies, use holdout audiences, and track basket-level AOV to guard against cannibalization. Don't rely only on last-click—retail platforms give order-level reporting and incremental lift tools. If you can set a simple experiment and wait two to four natural selling cycles, you'll get real answers instead of vanity metrics.

Retail media is the place to experiment fast: set conservative bids, test creative variations, and feed learnings back into on-site merchandising. Treat these platforms like a second search engine—one where product pages, reviews and checkout live in the same flow—and you'll start stealing conversions without the ad tech drama.

TikTok Is a Performance Channel Now: Short-form placements that punch above their CPM

TikTok's short-form slots stopped being a novelty and started behaving like a budget-friendly performance engine. Low CPMs meet algorithmic attention that rewards completion, not just clicks, so a 15-second stunt can out-convert a tidy display ad. Treat each placement as a mini landing page: test hooks, measure micro-moments, optimize for action.

Why do they punch above their price? The For You feed is engineered to show what keeps people watching — which makes view-through and conversion signals stronger per impression. Combine that with swipe-to-site CTAs, fast checkout paths, and the platform's affinity for native creative and you get outsized CPA improvements versus stale banners.

Creative rulebook: win in the first 1–2 seconds, use bold captions for silent autoplay, lean into authentic UGC and soundtracks that sync with the cut, and end with a single, obvious CTA. Run 10–20 second cuts plus a 6–8 second loopable variant. Keep a creative calendar — fatigue kills performance faster than an algorithm update.

Spend smart: start with broad reach to harvest interest signals, then funnel engaged viewers into short retargeting loops. Use cost-cap or oCPM bids for predictable CPA, test CPE when launching new offers, and allocate 15–30% of budget to always-on experimentation. Scale winners horizontally (audiences) and vertically (creative variants).

Measure like a scientist: tie spends to incrementality tests and cohort ROAS, not vanity CPM wins. If you layered creative testing, audience signals and funneled retargeting, you'll find TikTok eats clicks and closes sales your other channels missed. In short: treat it as performance-first and it will behave like one.

B2B Without the Boredom: LinkedIn targeting plays that actually scale

Forget the fed up display ads swinging at executives — LinkedIn is where B2B buyers actually raise their hands. The trick is not piling on professional jargon; it is swapping yawns for relevance with tight lists, smart sequencing, and creative that respects an executive time. Done right, LinkedIn becomes a volume channel, not just a prestige banner, and yes, you can scale it.

Start with Account based plays: upload high value account lists, layer job titles and seniority, then add lookalikes seeded from CRM and site visitors to expand without noise. Use exclusion lists to avoid wasted impressions on existing customers. Scale comes from layering — think job function plus seniority plus recent site behavior — rather than blasting every recruiter in sight.

Creative that converts is quick, human, and specific. Short videos of 15 to 30 seconds, single image ads with a pointed benefit, and Conversation Ads that take prospects down a two step nurture flow outperform generic thought leadership. Use Lead Gen Forms with progressive fields to reduce friction, then auto export to CRM for immediate follow up. Test one creative variable at a time and pause losers fast.

Optimize to pipeline, not clicks: map LinkedIn conversions to MQL and SQL outcomes, run cohort CPA analysis, and use automated rules to scale bids when cost per pipeline opportunity drops. Layer retargeting lists to hit in market buyers across channels. When Meta and Google get pricier, this playbook helps you reclaim high intent attention at scale and without the boredom.

Native That Doesn't Feel Like Ads: Taboola, Outbrain, and Yahoo for cost-efficient reach

Forget billboard-blast tactics — native networks slip into the content stream and click with readers who are already in browsing mode. Taboola, Outbrain and Yahoo send intent-light traffic that often costs a fraction of comparable display on Meta or Google, and because these placements mimic editorial content they lift CTRs for curiosity-led offers. Think of them as the soft sell that scales.

Creative matters more here than perfect targeting. Lead with a punchy headline that teases value, not an overt CTA; pair it with a real image and a short, utility-first landing page. A/B test three headline angles — problem, intrigue, benefit — and use the winning creative to seed lookalike audiences elsewhere. Keep the landing page honest: native users bounce fast if the promise doesn't match the page.

Start small, learn fast: allocate 5–10% of upper-funnel spend to native, run CPC tests for 7–10 days, then switch successful units to CPA bidding. Layer retargeting — native impressions into a Meta/Google retargeting funnel — to multiply returns. Use frequency caps and dayparting to avoid ad fatigue; native thrives on repetition with subtle twists.

Measure beyond clicks: track micro-conversions (signup, time on page) and attribute with UTM+server-side events so you don't misread volume as quality. When a creative converts below target CPA, scale horizontally across publishers and vertically by increasing bid little by little. Quick rule: test natives with curiosity-first creatives, tune for CPA, and ready yourself for reliable, lower-cost reach.

Search Beyond the Giants: Microsoft Ads and Apple Search Ads for untapped intent

When searchers are not on Google they are still hunting — and two platforms quietly hoard intent that costs less and converts better. Microsoft Ads captures desktop-heavy, B2B and higher-income shoppers (think Office users, LinkedIn signals) with lower CPCs and easier keyword competition. Apple Search Ads owns point-of-decision moments in the App Store, where installs and purchases can be a tap away. Lower CPCs and less aggressive auction dynamics mean early scaling is cheaper; you can test keyword hypotheses without burning budget.

Start by importing high-performing Google campaigns, then adapt: add LinkedIn profile targeting to layer job titles and industries, boost dynamic search ads for long-tail intent, and prioritize manual bids on high-converting queries. Use product and shopping campaigns for retail, sit on dayparting for peak B2B hours, and load extensions — sitelinks and callouts lift CTR fast. Bid modifiers on demographics and in-market audiences can squeeze extra efficiency. Do not be shy with negative keywords; competition is thinner but still messy.

For apps, lean into Creative Sets and Search Match because the ASA algorithm surfaces your app to real buyers if creative and metadata align. Start with broad match to harvest converting keywords, then funnel them into exact match with adjusted CPT bids. Localize creative, test A/B screenshots and short previews, and use demographics to focus on likely spenders. Combine basic ASA with Apple Search Ads Advanced for granular control when volume justifies it, and always track post-install events to optimize toward revenue, not just downloads.

Run small lift tests to prove incremental value, tag conversions consistently across networks, and judge cost per acquisition against lifetime value. Use automated rules to scale winners and pause losers, rotate creatives weekly, and feed learnings back into your Google and Meta strategies — often the overlaps reveal new keyword winners. Keep a cadence of weekly reviews and monthly strategic pivots to stay ahead. In short: diversify search spend, treat Microsoft and Apple as first-class channels, and you will turn alternative into advantage.