Choosing between Facebook and Google Ads: What’s Better for Your Business?
There is no single marketing recipe that would suit every business. There is always a different set of channels and platforms as well as tactics that should be used to promote any given business.
Paid ads have been a very strong and effective instrument for achieving quick results. But should you focus on Facebook or Google Ads more?
Today we are going to be talking about how they are different and which one should you choose for advertising your brand. Let’s be real. Many businesses use the combination of both to reach the maximum audience.
Both of them are PPC-based which means you are paying for results. But, first, one has to determine whether they have the necessary budget. It’s extremely difficult to give general numbers since usually, budgets are different for different niches and audiences. Thankfully, there are tools on both platforms that allow you to plan and forecast your advertising budget.
Let’s talk about each of these two platforms.
Google Ads
Google is extremely popular worldwide, and no wonder that it is very attractive for marketers and advertisers. More than three billion searches are processed by the platform every day. Paid search marketing provides unique opportunities for targeting since it makes it possible to show ads for people who are searching for something related to your product. You can basically choose keywords that you want to target.
The situation is different for Google Shopping. Whether your product appears in a particular search result depends here on the data submitted by you when uploading. So if the attributes of your product correlate with the user’s search, they will see it.
Here is the ad in Google Ads that targets a particular keyword:
Here is the result for “yoga mat” in Google Shopping:
And, oh, yes, Google Shopping does not allow adding non-physical products. So if your business offers educational or any other services, you shouldn’t include the Shopping channel in your Google Ads campaign.
Okay, so what makes Google Ads effective?
- ability to target users based on their location;
- ad scheduling options;
- ability to target a particular type of device;
- groups targeting (allows targeting groups of users that share a common hobby or interest);
- ability to target users based on their age, gender, etc.;
On top of that, Google Ads appear when a user is actively searching what something similar to what you have to offer which means that they are already highly motivated to make a purchase.
So you basically have a whole bunch of criteria for targeting a particular audience including their age and even income, plus you can choose the time when you want your ads to be seen. There are so many tweaks and options to work with; you may ask yourself, how do I manage my Google AdWords account? Well, there are courses and webinars as well as professional services, depending on what you are looking for.
Facebook Ads
Facebook Ads include advertisements on multiple Facebook platforms. Just like with Google, they are very popular and must have seen many of them on Facebook and Instagram.
Here is how it usually looks like:
The major difference here is that the user’s intent while seeing the ad is different. Sometimes they are not really expecting it, a lot of time they are just browsing through the content. So users may have much less motivation to follow the link and check the product out.
Of course, users do use Facebook or IG for shopping sometimes and may be in the right mindset. It’s just harder to tell.
Despite this, given the nature of the social network, it provides much more precise targeting.
Facebook makes it possible to include facts like marriage, age of user’s kids, adopting a god into targeting which makes it extremely effective for finding just the right audience.
Besides that Facebook provides extensive opportunities for interest targeting. It is possible to base targeting on user’s preferred activities online, favorite brands, and TV-shows among other characteristics.
Facebook makes it easy to remarket particular audiences and target them again. Also, it allows creating lookalikes, groups of people who share common characteristics with your existing audiences.
So, as you can see, Facebook Ads has a lot to offer too.
Both of these platforms require advertisers to monitor the performance of their campaigns and adjust them for better results. Among other similarities are many targeting options common for both platforms. The main difference is in the user-intent or motivation, as we discussed earlier.
What am I to choose?
Okay, now let’s talk about some practical pros and cons of these two platforms.
Google Ads
Pros:
- higher lead intent;
- higher volume;
- advanced settings and extensive data available;
- good for all industries and niches;
Cons:
- higher price for some industries;
- low volume for new products that are hardly searched;
Facebook Ads
Pros:
- ability to create and influence intent;
- great reach;
- more targeting capabilities;
- more ability to incorporate visuals;
- generally more affordable;
Cons:
- additional cost for creating quality visuals;
- less extensive reporting;
- may not be perfect for every industry;
So, as you see, each platform has its advantages. And while there are some small disadvantages, you can easily compensate them by using another platform.
The thing is that you probably shouldn’t just use one channel, but try to make the best out of both of them. Instead of, which one should I choose, you should ask yourself, how do I maximize my reach and conversion for both of them?
Maybe it’s better to use the best that they have to offer to boost your growth rather than select just one of them. And then there are many more questions and tasks like performing PPC account audit, analyzing reports, and adjusting your campaign, so sometimes if you have too many doubts, it’s better to trust managing your marketing to professionals.
Whatever works for you, make sure that you don’t stop monitoring your data and are able to apply changes if something is not working.
