Meta, TikTok or Google: where should your first ad budget go?
Each platform reaches people at a different moment. Here's how to match your first budget to where your customers already are, and how to split it once you have data.
Before spending a single rupiah on ads, most business owners ask the same question: which platform should I start with? The honest answer depends on one thing more than any other, which is where your customer is in their buying journey when they see you.
Google Ads: capture people who are already looking
Google is the only one of the three where people tell you exactly what they want. Someone searching for "villa with private pool Canggu" or "accountant for small business Jakarta" is already in buying mode. Search campaigns put you in front of that demand at the moment it happens.
Start with Google if:
- People already search for what you sell, by product, service or problem.
- Your customers compare options before they buy, as they do with services, property, education or B2B.
- You want enquiries or sales quickly from a modest budget.
The trade-off is that Google can't create demand that doesn't exist yet. If nobody searches for your product, there is little to capture.
Meta Ads: reach new customers and bring them back
Facebook and Instagram are where you go to create demand. People aren't searching, they're scrolling, so the job of the ad is to stop them and make them want something they weren't thinking about a second ago. Meta's delivery system is very good at finding the people most likely to act, as long as your conversion tracking is set up properly.
Meta is a strong first choice for visual products, local businesses, hospitality and anything with a clear offer. It's also one of the best places to retarget people who visited your website but didn't buy.
TikTok Ads: win attention with short video
TikTok is a discovery engine. When an ad feels native to the platform, filmed vertically, quick to the point and fronted by a real person rather than a studio, it can reach large audiences at a low cost. It works especially well for consumer products, food and drink, beauty, fashion and experiences.
The catch is creative. TikTok rewards brands that can produce a steady stream of new videos. If you can only make one polished ad a quarter, start somewhere else.
A simple way to decide
- People search for it: start with Google Search.
- It sells on looks or a strong offer: start with Meta.
- It's a product people love to see in action: test TikTok.
Whichever you choose, start focused. One platform with enough budget to learn beats three platforms with too little to learn anything. Give it two to four weeks of clean data, then move budget towards whatever brings customers in at a cost your margins can carry.
Once you have data, think in mixes
The strongest accounts rarely rely on one channel. TikTok or Meta creates interest, Google captures the searches that interest produces, and retargeting brings back the people who didn't convert the first time. The right split is different for every business, which is why every engagement we take on starts with an audit of what's already working.