Online advertising should be an essential component of your overall advertising strategy. Facebook Ads and Google Ads reach billions of people every day. They are King Kongs of advertising. Would Google or Facebook provide the bigger bang for your advertising buck? Both are superb at delivering leads and customers, but there are distinct differences between the two.
Consumer Intent is the Primary Difference Between Facebook Ads and Google Ads
Two out of three of Facebook’s over 2.2 billion users check their accounts every day, a gargantuan market by any definition. It’s important to realize, however, that the user’s intent to purchase is substantially greater on Google than it is on Facebook. Facebook users are at the very beginning of the sales funnel and need to be addressed accordingly.
Google searches indicate an intent to purchase, placing them farther along the sales funnel. It’s critical to keep this difference in mind when strategizing your paid ad campaigns.
Facebook Ads
New social media platforms pop up almost every day, it seems, but Facebook continues to be a lead-generating powerhouse when used appropriately. Remember the user’s intent. Facebook is soft sell.
Facebook Ads Pros
- Facebook ads are display ads, often appearing as normal posts to the user. Photos and images grab the user’s attention and, ideally, are shared.
- 2 billion plus active users let you drill down and target very specific niche markets.
- Facebook Ads excel at brand-building, familiarizing people with who you are and what you can provide.
- Cost-per-click (CPC) is typically substantially less than on Google.
- You totally control your budget and CPC.
- Facebook campaigns are easier to set up, track and manage.
- You’ll quickly know what your ROI is on conversions, although the actual total can be higher than the data indicates. Many people tend to google a product or service they discover on Facebook rather than converting directly from a social media click.
- Advertise on mobile, computers, Facebook Messenger and Instagram.
Facebook Ads Cons
- Facebook works best for B2C, not B2B.
- The potentially enormous market is irrelevant if your business is strictly local.
- If you choose to run a daily budget rather than a lifetime budget (as most do), you can’t choose to run ads on specific days or times.
- Conversions are usually lower than Google.
Google Ads
By a wide margin, Google remains the dominant search engine and offers prime advertising real estate for keyword-based ads. Google ads drive conversions.
Google Ads Pros
- Google Ads appear at the top of the search engine results page, exactly where people look first for the best answers to their search queries.
- Google offers several ways to reach consumers: text ads, display ads, Google shopping ads, video ads to stream on YouTube and the Google Display Network and retargeting ads to pick up lost prospects.
- Google says advertisers generally earn $2 for every $1 they spend. That’s nice to hear, but a well-planned campaign can generate greater than average returns.
- Google Ads are also good for building your brand.
Google Ads Cons
- Google Ads can be expensive when not handled correctly.
Google and Facebook Together – The Dream Team
Either Google or Facebook will bring in leads and conversions when used separately. To optimize results, use the Dream Team. Use similar ads that work to the strengths of each platform to grow your brand and drive traffic, leads and conversions. Since each targets consumers at different levels of the sales funnel, it makes sense to use an integrated strategy that carries through from first contact to final conversion.
The BXP Creative marketing team wants to work with you to create and implement an online advertising strategy designed for your business goals and budget. How are we different? We love a challenge and excel at providing creative, out-of-the-box solutions that don’t take months or cost a fortune.
We know how to maximize returns on Google and Facebook Ads. As your creative team behind the scenes, we offer a wide range of services including web design, SEO, branding, ecommerce, social media management and more.
Let’s connect. Tell us how we can help or call (267) 908-7841 today.
