15 Performance Marketing Channels to Focus in 2025

If you are spending money on ads to grow your business, don’t settle for digital marketing tactics; go a little deeper and hire performance marketers. 

These professionals ensure you get quality leads with a higher chance of converting into paying customers. 

But which channel to invest in? 

We have shared 15 performance marketing channels that will suit your business needs. 

What are performance marketing channels? 

Performance marketing channels are the platforms or mediums for sending out your ad campaigns. 

The performance is measured based on different key metrics like Pay Per Sale (PPS) or Cost Per Acquisition (CPA), Pay Per Lead (PPL), Pay Per Click (PPC), and customer Lifetime Value (LTV)

You will use digital marketing skills in performance marketing but for a different objective. 

While digital marketing is about getting traffic and impressions, performance marketing focuses on whether the traffic is converted into quality leads and whether they are taking the desired actions, like purchasing a product or subscriptions, click-through rates, and consumer engagement.

💡 Transform your marketing career with GrowthAcad’s Performance Marketing Course, where AI meets practical industry knowledge. 

What You’ll Master:

• Facebook & Instagram Ads (creation to scaling)
• Google Ads (search, display & video campaigns)
• AI/ML integration for ad optimization
• Marketing funnel development
• Digital media budget planning
• High-performance copywriting
• LinkedIn advertising fundamentals
• Campaign analysis & optimization
• Advanced tracking implementation
• Job-ready portfolio preparation

BONUS: Get hands-on experience with real campaigns and practical tools used by industry professionals. Course includes job search preparation module to help you land your first role.Time commitment: Not specified in source but includes live cohort-based sessions End result: Ready to manage paid campaigns across major platforms with practical experience in budget optimization and performance tracking.

15 powerful performance marketing channels for 2025 

Below, I have listed 15 powerful performance marketing channels for 2025:

1. Email marketing 

Email marketing refers to sending emails to a list of subscribers or targeted customers to promote a company’s products or services, build relationships, and drive engagement. 

Examples: Amazon,  Spotify,  Airbnb, and Netflix, all of which use personalized email marketing. Amazon provides personalized recommendations to customers based on their browsing and purchase history. 

Here’s another email marketing example. Nykaa.com has sent this email to multiple customers like me. As I opened the mail, I was a “lead” for the company, and once I clicked on “Shop now,” I turned out to be a “Quality lead.” 

This is the target of performance marketers to get the maximum number of quality leads at minimum investment who have a higher chance of making a purchase. 

Suitable for: This technique is highly effective for all kinds of businesses, including B2B, D2C, local businesses, and enterprises, as it allows direct and personalized communication with customers and prospects. 

2. Pay-Per-Click advertising 

In performance marketing, marketers majorly focus on cost per click for paid advertising. This requires a website to be optimized for search engine marketing.

PPC is an online advertising model where you put an ad and pay only when someone clicks on the ad. This is a performance-driven model with a goal to convert clicks into sales and quality leads. If your impressions are higher than click-through rates, your ad has something missing to get higher clicks. When a marketer successfully gets a higher click-through rate on their Ads, the chance of lead conversion increases. 

Examples: Amazon, Flipkart, MakeMyTrip, UrbanClap, BYJU’S, and Zomato use the PPC advertising model to promote their business on search engines like Google and Bing. PPC ads also appear on Facebook newsfeeds, LinkedIn, and Twitter. 

I was looking for fitness shoes on Google and found the highest SERP-ranked ads on the top. These products usually attract your attention the most. 

Suitable for: This model is suitable for D2C/Ecommerce businesses, startups, influencers, and content creators such that their ads rank on top of search results. 

3. Content marketing 

Content marketing refers to using relevant and informative content like blogs or articles to target audiences with a focus on improving conversion rates. A website’s conversion rate is the percentage of visitors who take desirable actions like downloading white paper, signing up for free trials, capturing email addresses, product purchases, etc. The idea behind using a content marketing strategy is to build authority and trust for your company or brand. 

Examples:  BYJU’S, OYO Rooms, Amul, Nykaa, and HDFC Bank all use content marketing strategies to educate users on different domains to convert them into paying customers. 

This website uses blogs to prove leadership and authority in the industry. I learnt about this place from their guides and later enrolled in their data science course. 

Suitable for: It is suitable for B2B, SaaS, content creators and influencers, Food and Beverage, Hospitality, Education, FMCG, and the Beauty and Wellness industry. 

4. Interactive marketing 

Interactive marketing engages customers through quizzes, polls, games, virtual trials, etc. This transforms passive observers into active consumers, enhancing user participation and providing data insights on consumer behavior and preferences to businesses. The pricing model for such a marketing technique is Cost Per Engagement, in which the marketer gets paid based on user engagement with their advertisements. 

Examples: Sephora, Amazon, Duolingo, and Nike use interactive marketing techniques. Duolingo uses games to motivate users to learn languages with points, levels, and streaks. 

Another good example of interactive marketing is using augmented reality to try different products virtually before purchasing them. I use the MyGlamm application to purchase beauty products mainly because of this facility. They allow me to try a product virtually, and when that suits my skin tone, it raises my cravings to purchase. 

Suitable for: It is suitable for retailers and e-commerce businesses, SaaS companies, media and entertainment agencies, and the education and training industry. 

5. Display advertising 

Display advertising is about showing your brand advertisement on third-party websites using images, videos, or text elements to market products and services. They usually appear in designated ad slots on web pages and applications like the header, footer, sidebar, and between content sections. 

Examples: Flipkart, Amazon, Myntra, Ola, PayTM, and BigBasket are some of the top Indian brands using display ads to promote their daily deals, new products, financial services, new features, etc. You can also find Google Display Network banner ads on Indian news sites like Times of India. 

This IRIS Home Fragrances display ad talks about gifting something extraordinary. It appeared in front of me at the right time when I was looking for a special gift for my mother. On clicking “Shop Now,” I visited their website and purchased the “Velvet Musk Fragrance Gift Set.” 

Suitable for: It is suitable for local businesses, startups, and D2C/E-commerce businesses 

6. Video advertising 

Video advertising is about using short, engaging videos to promote the products and services of a brand or the brand itself. These are distributed across digital platforms like social media, YouTube, and websites to capture audience attention, convey your brand message effectively, and drive action like clicks or purchases. 

Examples: This includes YouTube pre-roll ads for different local and international brands and sponsored content on social channels like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok showcasing location-based products and services. 

I was listening to a recent news article on a popular YouTube channel when a sponsored video ad from “The Testing Academy” appeared speaking about “manual testing.” This video took me to their course webpage which I will consider to enrol after completing my ongoing software testing course. 

Suitable for: It is suitable for local businesses, Ecommerce companies, NGOs, SaaS companies, Educational institutions, and Real Estate companies. 

7. Influencer marketing 

The primary goal of influencer marketing is different from performance marketing, but it plays an essential role in turning dollars into clicks and clicks into sales. Influencer marketing is about paying influencers to market a brand’s products or services, and the primary goal is to increase post reach, opportunity to see or brand visibility, and brand engagement. But when your favorite influencer is marketing a product, chances are high that followers will click on the product page and make a purchase. 

Examples: Multiple Indian brands collaborate with influencers to promote their brand on different platforms. This includes sponsored posts by Indian beauty influences like Nykaa’s collaboration with Debasree Banerjee and Shreya Jain, and Mama Earth with Ankita Chaturvedi. Brands like Lenskart, Zomato, Myntra, Boat, Tata CliQ, The Man Company, etc., focus on influencer marketing. 

From the post below, you can see Hardik Pandya promoting Boat products through his post. Nearly 177k people have viewed the post, increasing Boat’s chance of getting quality leads. 

Suitable for: This advertising technique is suitable for D2C or e-commerce, startups, and SaaS companies

8. Affiliate marketing 

Affiliate marketing is highly performance-driven as social influencers and your favorite TV artists often work as affiliates, and they share about different products and services on social channels. In affiliate marketing strategy, brands work with individual creators who promote their products for commission. 

People sometimes blindly trust these influencers and keep track of their everyday updates. When they share unique products from a particular brand, people search for them on different platforms, driving business sales. These links to products are incorporated into their blog posts or social media content as try-on hauls, “Favourites” videos, GRWM (Get Ready With Me) Vlogs, and tutorials. 

Examples: Some of the best affiliate marketing programs include the Amazon Associates program in India and Flipkart affiliate partnerships.

If you watch the GRWM video of Jenn Im, you can see how seamlessly she incorporates her affiliate links into the video description. 

Suitable for: Affiliate marketing is best for D2C brands, Ecommerce startups, influencers and content creators, service-based businesses, and SaaS companies.

9. Programmatic advertising 

Programmatic advertising is the automated buying and selling of online advertising space. It uses traffic insights and online display targeting to help you get your brand in front of the right audience at the right time and drive maximum impressions. With programmatic advertising, brands rely on algorithms to determine where their ad money is best spent. 

Examples: Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unilever, Netflix, Airbnb, and Ford use programmatic advertising to engage customers at the right time and target them based on demographics and locations. 

Suitable for: It is suitable for large enterprises, B2B brands, and D2C/E-commerce companies. 

10. Native advertising 

You will find some advertisements on your browser that don’t look like ads and don’t interrupt your activities. These are native ads that match the look, feel and function of the webpage they appear. They fit “natively” on any web page without disrupting user interaction with it. Native ads are a cost-effective way for businesses to get seen on walls of leading publisher sites like the Economic Times, CNN, The Washington Post, Le Monde, ScoopWhoop, YourStory, and more. 

Examples: Native ads can be featured as recommended content on websites, in-feed ads on social networks like Facebook or Twitter, and as Ad listings on Google search results.

The picture below shows an example of ads you often see while reading content online. I was reading a news article in the Economic Times, and this article’s recommendations appeared just at the end of the article. 

Suitable for: Native advertising suits established brands, nonprofit organizations, startups, influencers, and content creators.

11. Social media marketing 

Here, a performance marketer uses social media networks to promote products and services through targeted ads and gain traffic and brand awareness. It allows brands to target audiences based on demographics, interests, and behaviors.  

Examples: Almost every brand uses social media marketing 

This ad appeared on my Facebook news feed because I have constantly searched for different marketing tools. Anyone who isn’t into marketing won’t get such ads. 

Suitable for: It is suitable for Startups, SaaS companies, D2C/E-commerce businesses, and influencers

12. OTT (Over-The-Top) advertising 

This technique involves delivering ads through streaming media services and Smart TVs that may play on the actual TV (CTV advertising) or connected devices. When you invest in buying OTT ads, these ads will be shown to viewers during movies, TV shows, and other short videos. Netflix and Disney+ are offering ad-supported video content for branding purposes. 

The performance metrics for OTT advertising include completion rates (percentage of viewers watching the entire ad), Click-through rates, conversions, ad viewability (percentage of an ad visible on a viewer’s screen), ad frequency, engagement, and viewer interaction. 

Examples:  The targeted ads from different brands like Google Pay, Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, etc., you see on OTT platforms like Zee5, Disney+, Netflix, and SonyLIV while watching movies or videos.

I was searching for a movie on Disney Hotstar when this ad from Google Pay appeared that made me remember the platform I haven’t used for transactions yet. 

Suitable for: This marketing technique is suitable for D2C/Ecommerce companies, and large enterprises. 

13. Digital Out-Of-Home (DOOH) advertising 

These are digital billboards or large screens that you can see in public places like bus stops, high road intersections, and elevators, displaying dynamic ads based on geolocation, time of the day, weather conditions, and audience demographics. These ads keep changing in real-time based on data and deliver relevant ads to a broad audience. For example, during school hours the ads shown majorly target parents. 

Examples: Multiple brands use DOOH advertising tactics, like Nike, Coca-Cola, Apple, Amazon, and Netflix, to promote their products. 

Suitable for: DOOH advertising is suitable for Local businesses, Ecommerce companies 

14. Retargeting/Remarketing 

Retargeting is a marketing approach where you target consumers who have already engaged with your brand but didn’t take the desired action, like purchasing an item. You can send them follow-up ads to remember where they last left or share recent discounts and offers to get them back in the sales funnel. 

Examples: You can regularly find Facebook retargeting ads for e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Myntra, and Shopsy that you visited but didn’t purchase.

I visited Nykaa multiple times but didn’t make a purchase recently. They send me this promotional email before the Christmas sale ends to let me know what exciting offers they provide, new launches, and more. 

Suitable for: It is suitable for B2B brands and E-commerce companies 

15. Mobile advertising 

It refers to all those forms of advertising that appear on your mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Consumers can find these ads through SMS while downloading an application, push notifications, click-to-download ads, in-app advertising, mobile search ads, etc. The primary aim is to achieve end results like getting more clicks, app installs, improved conversion rates, and higher business sales.

Examples: MakeMyTrip, McDonald’s, Swiggy, Starbucks, and Amazon, all use mobile advertising models for better targeting and attracting consumer attention. You can find multiple mobile games like Ludo King and PUBG Mobile with in-app advertisements. 

I once visited the St.Botanica brand page and moved out without making any purchase. Since then they keep sending me SMS on different offers. This is mobile advertising. If I click on their link, they get a qualified lead with a higher chance of making a purchase. 

Another example of mobile advertising is getting app installation ads while playing games. I am sharing one example for a better understanding 

Suitable for: It is suitable for local businesses and D2C/Ecommerce companies 

Choosing the Right Performance Marketing Channels for Your Business 

It’s true that all marketing channels won’t suit your business. Here are a few steps for choosing the right performance marketing channels for your business

1. Set your marketing goals 

Performance marketers should not settle for increased audience impressions but must focus on getting higher click-through rates, conversions, and increased business sales. 

2. Do your research 

You must thoroughly research all the marketing channels to see which fits your goals. For example, if you want to get back all your lost website visitors, try retargeting ads tactics, but if you are looking for local consumers, Digital Out Of Home ads are a great choice. 

3. Test and Analyse

Once you choose a platform, you need to set up a marketing campaign and use A/B split testing to experiment and test the ad’s performance. It will help you identify the top channels that can provide the required results regarding click-through rates, conversion rates, quality lead generation, and engagement. 

4. Consider the cost of marketing channel

You must set up a budget for marketing and then gather the cost of different marketing channels. If this cost comes within your budget, you are ready to go. But if a channel proves effective but doesn’t come within your budget it will not be a good choice.

5. Identify which channel will be effective in the long run 

You must assess each channel to see if they will be effective for your products or services over the long term and provide good customer lifetime value. 

Best performance marketing channels for SaaS 

The best performance marketing channels for SaaS are PPC marketing, video ads, influencer marketing, and content marketing. All of these techniques allow your products to come in front of the right audience. 

For SaaS products, audiences prefer reading or watching videos about Know-how, guides, and resources. Additionally, when favorite influencers and content creators post about the latest innovations, their followers get driven to it. 

Best performance marketing channels for D2C and ecommerce stores 

The best performance marketing channels for D2C and e-commerce stores are email marketing, SMS marketing, programmatic advertising, Retargeting ads, influencer and affiliate marketing, social media advertising, and search engine marketing. 

All these channels give your brand a good space to display its products and services, new launches, offers, and discounts, and attract audiences virtually with a higher chance of converting them into paying customers. 

Best performance marketing channels for B2B

The best performance marketing channels for B2B are video advertising, email marketing,  social media marketing, search and display ads, programmatic advertising, and content marketing. 

Email marketing directly sends reminders to consumers who have already shown interest in your brand. Video advertising can be short-form videos like Instagram reels that are crisp and deliver the point message to consumers. 

Content marketing establishes trust and authority, indirectly educating them about your brand and converting them into quality leads. 

Master performance marketing with GrowthAcad

If you are already a digital marketer but unable to deliver the desired outcomes to your clients, it’s high time to learn performance marketing. With GrowthAcad, you can learn all the latest marketing techniques to help you meet your client targets.

he syllabus is carefully designed so anyone new to digital marketing can learn from scratch, and marketers can review their knowledge. 

You also learn to use the latest tools and techniques for better marketing practices. 

Why enroll inour performance marketing online course:

1. Cohort-Based Learning Excellence Learn in small, focused groups that ensure personalized attention and direct interaction with instructors. This format allows for better understanding and retention of complex marketing concepts.

2. Industry-Experienced Faculty Learn from instructors with 5-10+ years of practical experience rather than theoretical teachers. These professionals bring real-world insights and current industry practices to the classroom.

3. Comprehensive Job Support

• Strong placement assistance with 50+ placement partners
• 90%+ placement assistance after course completion
• Access to internship opportunities
• Alumni network for continued support and job opportunities

4. Future-Ready Curriculum

• Covers latest performance marketing techniques and tools
• Regular updates to course content to match industry trends
• Focus on practical, hands-on learning with real-world applications
• In-depth coverage from basics to advanced concepts across major platforms (Facebook, Google, Instagram, LinkedIn)

5. Proven Track Record

• 10,000+ students trained successfully
• 25+ college partnerships
• 4.9/5 rating based on 680+ reviews
• Strong corporate connections and industry relationships

Contact us and learn all the details about the course— course fees, syllabus, next batch, timing, and all.