The Best Performance Marketing Channels

Performance marketing has become one of the most effective ways for brands to grow; offering a clear link between ad spend and measurable results. Instead of paying for exposure, you only pay when a user takes a specific action, whether that’s a click, lead, or sale. This approach gives businesses more control over budgets, targeting, and outcomes.

In this guide, we’ll break down what performance marketing is, explore the best performance marketing channels available today, and walk through the steps to build a strategy that delivers long-term results.

What is performance marketing?

Performance marketing is a results-driven approach to advertising where you only pay when predefined actions are completed. Those actions could be clicks, leads, form submissions, app installs, or direct sales.

Unlike traditional marketing, which often focuses on reach and brand awareness, performance marketing ais designed to track every pound spent and measure it against a specific outcome. This gives businesses the ability to:

• Manage spend with precision 
• Test and optimise campaigns quickly 
• See exactly which marketing channels deliver the highest ROI

With detailed tracking in place, brands can see not just what works, but why it works and adjust strategies in real-time.

Related reading: What’s the difference between warm, hot and cold leads? 

The best performance marketing channels

There’s no single “best” channel for every business. The most effective performance marketing campaigns often use a mix of platforms, chosen based on the audience, objectives, and budget. 

A well-rounded digital marketing strategy should combine different channels so they complement each other, increasing reach and improving campaign performance across the board. This ensures your chosen performance marketing channels are working together, not in isolation, for maximum impact.

Here are the seven key marketing channels we have picked out that are delivering results today.

1. PPC (Pay per click advertising)

PPC advertising allows you to bid for ad placement in search engine results or on partner websites, paying only when someone clicks your ad. Google Ads is the largest platform, but Bing Ads can also deliver strong returns depending on the audience.

Why PPC campaign management is effective:

• Targets users actively searching for your products or services 
• Highly measurable and easy to optimise 
• Flexible budgeting, adjust bids in real time

This channel works particularly well for businesses with a clear value proposition and a defined target audience. A well-managed PPC marketing campaign can generate high-quality leads from day one.

Related reading: Click-Through Rate Calculator: Boost Your PPC Campaigns.

2. Social media advertising

Now, let’s talk about one of the most talked-about performance marketing channels: social media. Love it or hate it, it’s where your audience is scrolling right now.

Social platforms like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok offer powerful targeting capabilities based on demographics, interests, and behaviours. Running social media marketing campaigns can be tailored to reach cold audiences, retarget past visitors, or encourage existing customers to make repeat purchases.

The benefits of paid social media include:

• Highly visual and engaging ad formats 
• Detailed audience segmentation
• Strong retargeting capabilities 

For a performance marketing campaign, social media ads are ideal for both lead generation and direct sales, particularly when paired with conversion tracking and A/B testing to refine creative and targeting.

Social media marketing also works effectively alongside content marketing to create a consistent brand message across multiple touchpoints.

3. Programmatic advertising

Programmatic advertising uses automated technology to buy digital ad space in real time. With algorithms and audience data, ads are shown to the right users at the right time across websites, apps, and even connected TV.

The advantages of programmatic advertising:

• Data-driven targeting based on user behaviour 
• Real-time optimisation for better ROI
   
• Access to inventory across a wide range of sites and formats

This approach allows campaigns to run at scale while maintaining precision, making it a strong choice for brands with larger budgets looking for efficient reach.

4. SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

While SEO is typically seen as a long-term investment, it can absolutely fit into a performance-based approach when tied to clear KPIs like organic leads or online sales. 

By targeting high-intent search terms and optimising technical, content, and off-page factors, SEO can bring in a steady stream of conversions without ongoing ad spend.

Why it works:

• Captures high-intent traffic over time 
• Delivers long-term returns from a one-time optimisation effort
• Works well alongside PPC for full search coverage

5. Influencer marketing

Influencer marketing in a performance context means partnering with influencers who are paid based on the actions their content generates, not just a flat fee for posting. This shifts the focus from exposure to measurable outcomes.

Key points:

• Leverages the influencer’s trust and credibility with their audience 
• Can drive highly targeted traffic 
• Works across Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and niche blogs

This is especially effective for consumer products, lifestyle brands, and niche markets where influencer recommendations carry significant weight.

6. Email marketing

Email marketing is one of the most cost-effective performance marketing channels, particularly for nurturing existing leads and customers. Campaigns can be measured by open rate, click-through rate, and conversions, allowing for constant refinement.

Why email marketing is valuable:

• High ROI compared to other channels 
• Direct communication with your audience 
• Easy to segment and personalise

When used as part of a performance marketing campaign, email marketing is best for following up on leads from PPC, social, or content marketing, promoting new offers, and encouraging repeat business.

It also integrates well with other digital marketing channels, ensuring that no lead is left behind and maximising conversion opportunities.

Related reading: Prune Your Email List For Better Results

7, Affiliate marketing 

Affiliate marketing involves partnering with third-party publishers or individuals who promote your products or services in exchange for a commission on each sale or lead they generate. In a performance marketing model, you only pay when results are achieved.

Why it works:

• Expands reach without upfront advertising costs 

• Access to niche audiences through established partners 

• Performance-based payment keeps spend efficient

Affiliate marketing can complement other performance marketing channels, such as PPC and social media marketing, by driving additional high-quality traffic from trusted sources.

Creating a performance marketing strategy that works 

To get the best results from performance based advertising, a clear and structured approach is needed from the start. Your digital marketing strategy should map out how different channels will work together, showing exactly how each contributes to campaign performance and long-term goals.

 A good strategy will link your chosen performance marketing channels to wider business goals, ensuring every action taken is measurable and tied to return on investment. This means thinking beyond single ads and considering the full customer journey.

Set clear goals

Define exactly what you want to achieve, whether it’s reducing your cost per acquisition (CPA), increasing website conversions, or generating leads for a sales team. Without clear goals, it’s impossible to measure success accurately. It’s a bit like running a race without knowing where the finish line is.

It’s worth setting both short-term targets for individual marketing campaigns and longer-term objectives for overall digital marketing growth.

Choose the right channels

Not every channel will suit every business. Match your channel selection to your audience, budget, and objectives. For example:

• PPC works well for high-intent searches 
• Social media excels at discovery and retargeting 
• Email is best for nurturing existing leads

A well-balanced performance marketing campaign will often mix channels that drive immediate results (such as paid media) with those that build momentum over time (such as content marketing or SEO).

Budget planning

Allocate budget based on expected ROI for each channel. A test-and-learn approach can help determine where to scale spend.

Consider splitting budgets into three parts: proven channels that consistently generate results, experimental channels you’re testing, and seasonal or campaign-specific spend. This structure ensures you can adapt quickly without losing control of overall performance.

Tracking and attribution

Accurate tracking is the foundation of performance marketing. Tools like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, and UTM parameters can help you see exactly which ads and marketing channels are driving conversions.

Clear attribution models will help you understand whether a sale came from PPC, social media marketing, email marketing, or another channel. Without this, it’s easy to over-invest in areas that aren’t actually driving ROI. And let’s be honest, nobody wants to keep pouring money into a black hole.

Optimise continuously

Performance marketing isn’t a “set and forget” model. Regular analysis and adjustments to targeting, bidding, and creative ensure campaigns remain profitable over time.

Review results at both the campaign and channel level to spot patterns. For example, you might find that certain keywords perform better in search engine marketing, or that a particular content marketing asset works well in email campaigns. Use these insights to refine future activity.

Bringing it all together

Performance based advertising works best when each marketing channel is supported by a focused plan, clear tracking, and a process for ongoing optimisation.

By focusing on measurable outcomes, businesses can spend smarter, adapt faster, and build campaigns that generate consistent returns.

Whether you’re testing PPC for the first time, scaling social ads, or adding programmatic and influencer activity into the mix, the most successful performance marketing campaigns share one trait: they are built on clear data and refined through constant improvement.

At believe.digital, our team combines data-driven thinking with creative expertise to help brands achieve measurable growth.

Ready to see what the right performance marketing channels can do for your business? Get in touch and let’s build a strategy that delivers measurable results.