Google Advertising vs Facebook Advertising

Google Ads vs Facebook Ads – How To Choose

When discussing advertising with potential clients, one of the most common questions we are asked is whether we should advertise on Google or Facebook.  The answer is surprisingly simple.

While Google and Facebook are clearly competitors in the advertising space, that doesn’t mean you have to choose only one. If your business sells products or services nationally, you wouldn’t feel that you had to pick just one city or state in which to advertise. You would advertise wherever your customers are.  Marketing 101 is to know your target audience.

We will attempt to guide you through the Facebook vs Google Ads conversation. We will explain how the platforms work, why you should consider each, and how they support different advertising strategies.

Why Facebook Ads Are Important

Despite the narrative about grandparents are now on Facebook, it’s still the #1 social media platform with the highest number of monthly active users worldwide. They have a 35% market share of all social media platforms, by far the most.  All the hot new social media platforms like SnapChat & TikTok have less than 1% market share.

While it’s great to have access to such a huge audience, it can be like a mass snail mail if you can’t identify who is most interested in learning about your brand. That’s why Facebook Ads are important in a successful advertising strategy. The platform’s targeting ability is second to none, you can hone in on user interests, location, sex & job title, making it a powerful marketing tool.

How can Facebook connect you with your target audience?  They know everything about you. Got married? You probably put that on Facebook. Just moved?  You probably put that on Facebook.  Enjoy Sailing? Again, you probably put that on Facebook. Not to mention all the liking, following and engaging with others posts.

The sheer amount of action that the average Facebook user takes helps Facebook to categorize them and personalize the types of ads that are most appealing to them. This is great news for brands, meaning that every dollar spent is expertly targeted, increasing their advertising ROI.  It should also be noted that the Cost Per Click (CPC) is much lower on Facebook than Google.

Not only can brands build a persona of the kinds of people that they want to attract, but they can also build “lookalike audiences” based on the users that have proven valuable to target. Original audience information can be uploaded from brands directly, or they can be built through Facebook.  You can also remarket ads to users who have visited your website as long as they have a Facebook account.  You have seen this when it feels like a brand is following you as you surf the web.

What Kind of Ads Work on Facebook?

Facebook (and Instagram) are visual platforms. Users scroll until they see interesting imagery to capture their attention. Hence, Facebook Ads should be visual. Facebook is the place to leverage videos, images, gifs and other visual content to stimulate an emotional response from your target audience and entice them to click.

Facebook Advertising should also be used when you have a small budget and want to get the most eyeballs on your ad – called ad impressions.  Facebook is often used for branding because its ability to get a large amount of impressions for a relatively low cost.

Why Google Ads Are Important

Google Ads set the standard for Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising. Although there are competitors, such as Bing, nothing comes close to the reach and value of Google’s Ads. As the largest search engine in the world, Google can get your brand in front of just about anyone in the world. With 3.5 billion search queries going through Google every day, it’s safe to assume all brands can find their target audience through Google Ads.

Unlike Facebook, where you’re targeting personas or user characteristics, Google Ads target keywords or search phrases. PPC Advertising experts bid on keywords that are used to search on Google. By choosing the right keywords, say “lemon law lawyer”, a law firm can get their ads in front of those consumers looking for their services.

The PPC model makes it so that brands are charged every time a user clicks on the ad. Brands can set up their budget in their advertising campaigns so that their spend is controlled.  Recently Google has introduced alot of A.I. and bidding strategies that want to inflate your spend.  Working with a reputable PPC Agency is absolutely necessary these days.  Gone are the days when a business owner could run their own ads. The platform is so complex now that Google’s own employees are often confused.

Another reason why Google Ads are important is that Google somewhat ensures an even playing field.  That is, all brands and budgets have equal opportunities to advertise. They do this by looking at the quality and relevance of ads rather than how much advertisers spend. This means that big budgets vs small will actually come down to relevant content vs not. This improves the effectiveness of the ads too, as the user is going to ultimately click on what is most relevant.

What Kinds of Ads Work On Google?

Google has several advertising options, most of which are text based, being a search engine. But they also have display ads, often called banner ads that can include visuals.  Display ads are alot like billboards on the highway except you don’t pay unless someone clicks on your ad.  This is often great for branding because many people will see your ads without clicking. Its like having a free billboard on the internet highway.

Google Search ads are much more expensive than Display ads or Facebook ads. The reason being is that your ad is being placed in front of someone that is looking for your services or products.   Facebook can’t do this type of targeting.

Choosing Between Facebook and Google Ads

As we mentioned, choosing between Facebook and Google Advertising is not necessary.  All brands should consider both and most businesses should advertise on both.

Utilizing the both platforms will give you the most comprehensive coverage to introduce your business to your ideal customers, giving you higher visibility.  The goal of advertising is to reach acquire new customers.  This is accomplished by introducing your brand to new eyeballs on the web in as many different and targeted ways as possible.

Achieving favorable ROI with Google and Facebook Advertising does requires expert campaign management. While you can play with this on your own, you will definitely lose some money and time while figuring out the best formulas. That’s where eMaximize can help. We work with Google and Facebook Ads every day. We know what works and what doesn’t.  We know what recommendations are effective and what pitfalls to avoid.  We can make sure you ad budget is not getting eaten up by bots or competitor clicks.

Contact the best digital marketing agency in California to learn about how we help brands increase revenue with effective PPC Advertising strategies.  We were recently named the Top Facebook Advertising Agency in Los Angeles!

 

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