Both Google AdWords and Facebook Ads are superb online marketing tools, and until recently, they were both seen as competitors. However, this is not entirely true—Google AdWords and Facebook Ads are not rivals. So, rather than deciding which is “better,” you should ask yourself what your goals are, and which platform can achieve them.
Let’s explore both to determine which you should be using, and for what.
Google Adwords
What is This?
Well, this is the most widely used advertising tool in the world. With an average of 228 million searches per hour, Google is the biggest marketing platform there is. These ads are for people who are searching for a specific item, service or piece of information; Since the ad is shown when a user is actively looking for something, the chances of getting them to perform a specific action is much better. If performed correctly, this usually translates into an impressive ROI.
Adwords Strengths and Weaknesses
There is a massive reach associated with Google, accounting for over 75% of the search market share. There are a lot of ad formats and it offers some pretty strong targeting options, but local marketing is where its strength lies. Whether people are looking for a nearby restaurant or a roofing contractor, they usually look it up in Google. It is in this specific moment in which your ad is shown, thus, having greater chances of success.
Pay-per-click advertising means that you will be charged a certain amount of money only when users click on an ad. The platform uses a very interesting bidding system to show ads when a search is performed. However, this does not mean that the highest bid will take the price, in fact, other factors come into play, allowing you to optimize your ads and lower the cost of your ads.
On the downside, targeting options are limited in comparison to Facebook. Your targeting options are not as granular as Facebook Ads, which means that you will need to focus on the keywords, ad quality and your landing page’s ability to convert.
Facebook Ads
What are These?
Facebook Ads are an excellent tool to build brand identity or to create a purchasing impulse on your target audience. The main difference is that Facebook users are not actively looking for your product or service, they rather look at your ads in a passive way. So, you have to decide whether you want to use these ads to build brand identity or be ready to persuade your audience to buy immediately.
Facebook Ads Strength And Weaknesses
The main advantage of facebook ads is its incredible targeting potential. Unlike Google, which is mostly focused on keywords, Facebook’s strength lies in its granular targeting options. This allows you to target a very specific audience that fills your buyer’s persona criteria.
With its targeting option, which includes careers, interests, relationship status, number of children, and many more options, you can narrow down your target until you find the perfect audience. This level of specificity is really hard to find on other marketing platforms and it does a great job at allowing people to interact with your brand in a very personalized way.
On the downside, ads shown on Facebook are passive. Although you can target an audience that has some interest in your product or service, this does not mean that they need it at that specific moment. So, you can use them for branding purposes or be extremely specific and craft an ad that has more chances of compelling your audience into buying from you at that specific moment.
How To Identify Which One Your Business Should Use?
Ideally, you could be using both platforms to market your services and products. However, even if you do use Facebook and Google, you must also understand what your goal is for each.
AdWords is excellent for bottom-of-the-funnel prospects, which means that they will see your ad when they are ready to buy from you; they are looking for a solution to their problem, you must show them that you are the best option for them.
Facebook is best for attracting new customers and creating a brand image. Your ad will be shown to people with very specific interests and characteristics, which can lead you to create a strong base of prospects in a very affordable way.
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S-FX.com Small Business Solutions is a boutique web design and technology consulting agency geared towards start-up businesses, small businesses and non-profit businesses. We specialize in implementing low cost technology solutions to maximize efficiency and reduce business operating costs.
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