You have a great mission, a great product or service, and a great brand. Now you just need to get the right attention to grow your brand.
We’ve got good news for you — with the right tools, you can get your brand in front of the right people who are looking for exactly what you offer. How? Facebook and Google Ads.
Even with all the changes in marketing in the past few years, Facebook and Google Ads are as relevant as ever as two of the most effective campaign platforms in digital marketing. Each are known for providing the most ROAS (return on ad spend) of all ad platforms, but there are differences between the two to consider. How do you choose which is right for your company?
What are Facebook and Google Ads?
Facebook ads are PPC (pay per click) ads, meaning they’re used for paid social campaigns directed at a specific audience.
Using the Facebook Ads Manager tool, you can decide where you want to run your ads: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and/or Audience Network. You can also choose your target device type (mobile or desktop), and track and analyze the performance of your ad campaigns to make them work for you.
If you’re having trouble getting started with Facebook ads and want to dive deeper, read up on The 5 Step Blueprint to Facebook Ad Success to set you up for success.
GOOGLE ADS
Google Ads are also PPC, but they run search and display ads. The easy way to understand it is as an “auction system.”
This auction takes place every time a user does a keyword search, and when you win the auction your ad appears. To win, you have to maintain your Quality Score and the bid amount. Then, Google will reward you with the top spot in the user’s search results page.
How to choose between Facebook and Google Ads
Know Thyself
- Consider your campaign goals!
What’s your ideal result of this ad campaign? Are you looking for leads? What about brand awareness or sales? If you’re looking to market to customers at a specific stage in their customer journey, knowing which platform works best for your end goal is key.
- Consider Your Budget.
Depending on your goals, Google may be less cost efficient than Facebook. Because of the keyword targeting model, the keyword you’re shooting for may have a high cost per click. You might be spending big money on only a few potential customers.
Because of this, Facebook might be more effective for reaching more people at a lower cost per click. Hubspot, one of Soulheart’s partners, has a great resource for determining your campaign’s ROI to reach optimization if you feel on the fence.
- Consider where your customer is in your buyer journey.
Since people are way more likely to spend time browsing Facebook rather than Google, that makes Facebook better for brand discovery. Your target audience can stumble upon your ad without necessarily looking for it first. Facebook’s strength here lies in the top of the sales funnel for customers.
On the other hand, Google Ads is ideal for demand capture because it reaches users who have high purchase intent. They’re already searching on Google for exactly what they need, and probably intend to buy! In this sense, Google would be the leader to reach customers at the bottom of the sales funnel.
Know Their Strengths
- What do the statistics tell us?
Statistically, Facebook and Google Ads have different strengths. Research shows that Facebook has the highest ROI of any paid channel because it lets you target user personas with all the data they gather for you. This data is collected through their massive user base of roughly 2.93 billion people.
The median click through rate (CTR) for a Facebook ad was once 1.11% and only .47% for Google Display ads in the same time period. However, Google once estimated that for every dollar a company spends on their ads, it earns $8 in profit. Not long ago, Google search ads had the highest CTR at 1.55% when compared to competitors.
- What makes Google Ads so good?
Google Ads make remarketing relatively simple. The programs in this platform allow for independent building, launching, and tracking of ad campaigns. This is also an excellent way to drive more qualified traffic to your website, especially if the targeted keywords are related to making a purchase.
- What makes Facebook ads so good?
On the other hand, Facebook ads are particularly effective for increasing brand awareness and engagement through finding your target audience before they know to find you.
This helps generate leads, which drives traffic straight to your website. The research experts say that the wide scope of Facebook increases the reach of your content, and is a great tool for creating awareness for what’s happening with your company.
Ads Tools That Work in Tandem
At Soulheart, we use and provide services with both Google and Facebook ads. We truly love them both! Because the two platforms are more effective in different areas, they complement each other within a comprehensive marketing strategy.
Many businesses will find the most success in utilizing both, but either can be a worthy investment when done the right way. We’d love to make sure that happens for you.
Would you like more information on how Soulheart can maximize your marketing potential through Google and Facebook ads? Our strategists would be happy to hear from you!
