I am often asked by new brands/companies on how to use ads on social media to boost their brand and/or why their ads are not creating a desired return. Both questions are answered by understanding digital media consumption patterns and how paid digital can create an impact. In this article, I discuss both, and, also, argue that given the nature of the beast, there are more efficient ways of brand building for new products/services, with limited marketing resources, than paid social media posts. I also outline 5 ways of effectively allocating budget to paid marketing channels to build awareness and nudge consumers along the purchase journey.