Determining how to spend your ad dollars is a common question for business owners looking to advertise their products or services online. Businesses typically have a set budget for advertising, so they aim to spend their money the most effective way possible. If you’re looking to reach a wider audience but don’t want to go over on your budget, it’s important to use the right platform to do so. But, is it better to use Google or Facebook to accomplish this?
The answer is not so simple.
Both Facebook and Google have unique advantages and disadvantages when you use them to advertise. Facebook knows who people are and Google knows what people are looking for. A wise business owner just needs to know which to use for each different campaign. We’ll go over it some more below.
Advantages of Using Facebook
Facebook gives us a way to get closer with our customers, as well as target those customers for future ads. The social media platform’s algorithm assesses your day-to-day Facebook interactions, including pictures, posts, and clicks. These algorithms update and actually change what you see on your wall and in the ads section. Why is this important? Well, it’s one thing that Facebook ads will provide you—ads targeted specifically toward a particular demographic. You can pinpoint who sees your ads, which in turn comes out to a lower cost per click.
Facebook also allows you to get personal with your audience by promoting interaction, videos, and visual ads. The updated algorithm causes a decrease the traffic of business pages overall, but you can still get plenty of traffic if your followers share your content and their followers like and share. In other words, you get more reach if you generate more reach. With Facebook ads, you can be a bit more informal and playful with your customers, so don’t be afraid to add some personality into your posts. This will keep your current customers interested and generate new traffic in the process.
Advantages of Using Google
Advertising with Google is a different ball game, but still very effective. While Google lacks the engagement and interactivity of Facebook, it’s a perfect tool for growing your reach and adding customers who would otherwise never be exposed to your business. Google utilizes pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, which allows you to use specific keyword variations that serve highly relevant ads to people searching online.
There are more than 3.5 billion individual searches per day. That kind of potential reach is unparalleled. Targeted PPC ads can put your page at the top of the search results when people are looking for specific products/services. You’re marketing to people that have a high intent to purchase, potentially leading to instant sales.
The Verdict
So, the short answer is that both forms are valuable to your business. Google is great at advertising to people looking for specific products, while Facebook is great at promoting interaction and offering stylish ads to a specific audience. It’s important to use both of these massive platforms to maximize your advertising dollars. Keep in mind that strategy plays an important role in each format. For Google, figure out the common searches relative to your company and choose keywords that would rank highly.
If you need help getting your business out there, contact Business Builders today. We are a digital agency specializing in all things marketing, branding and web design. Our team would love to help you grow your business!
