Facebook and Google are text-book definition tech giants, and their respective user bases spread far and wide. Let’s face it; there are very few individuals who presently exist that these companies, to some degree, don’t know about. Their every move can create ripple effects in the lives of most individuals.
Facebook officially launched Facebook Ads on November 6th, 2007, although, advertising on Facebook existed much before that, in the form of ‘Facebook Flyers.’ And, Google launched its Google ad platform back in October 2000.
So, it’s quite safe to say that both these market juggernauts got it right, considering that in time, they’ve evolved and shaped the way we do business.
At some point, both these companies were going to infiltrate take-over and forever change the marketing landscape. And, by being able to access such vast amounts of personal data, marketers from every corner of the globe are now looking to cash-in on this.
In most cases, businesses are restrained by a predetermined marketing budget. So, the big question that now arises is, which of these platforms is the best fit for a particular business, and how does a company go about figuring that out?
Do you utilize both these platforms, or do you choose to invest in more of one over the other? Let’s discuss it today!
Facebook vs. Google Ads:
When seeking to draw a comparison between Facebook and Google Ads, both these platforms appear as though there exists a fierce rivalry between them. On the contrary, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The primary purpose of leveraging these platforms is to increase leads and sales, achieve maximum visibility, and to scout for new customers. With the ultimate goal being – maximize ROI.
Let’s take a quick look at the differences between Google Ads and Facebook Ads to gain a clearer understanding of how they operate.
Google Ads, formerly known as Google AdWords, is one of the largest and most popular pay-per-click advertising platforms around. What this means is that, on this platform, advertisers only pay when a user clicks on their ad.
Today, the term ‘paid search’ and Google Ads are synonymous. ‘Paid search’ focuses on the use of text-based ads and targeting keywords, and can increase brand awareness by 80%. Essentially, advertisers are paying for the potential to find new prospects based on the search terms or keywords they enter into Google’s search bar.
Let’s say you were to search for the services of a plumber or mechanic near you. Google’s query results page will not only be able to give you a list of merchants whose services you can employ, but it goes another step further by plying you with suitable options based on your location as well.
Technology, you beauty!
But, from an advertiser’s point-of-view, Google Ads lets you set up a campaign that has an array of settings that can be adjusted to suit your needs. Once a campaign has been set up, your ad enters into a bidding round with other advertisers who have selected similar keywords. Whichever ad has the most relevant content, and the highest bid is the ad that Google will display.
Just like Google Ads is associated with the term ‘paid search’, Facebook Ads have adopted the title of ‘paid social’.
With the number of social media users at an all-time high, tech giants such as Facebook are the perfect stomping ground where changing consumer behaviors and patterns can be studied and analyzed. As such, it has become a potentially lucrative and highly competitive facet to digital advertising strategies of most businesses.
Unlike Google Ads, Facebook Ads do not work through keywords, but instead, paid social helps users find businesses based on their online behavior. These things might interest them, likes/dislikes, etc.
Choose a Strategy that Works for You:
After a brief comparison, one can agree that both Google and Facebook Ads are incredibly powerful advertising platforms. The strengths and potential applications of both these platforms should be viewed from a complementary perspective, rather than from an adversarial point of view. Both of these platforms should be incorporated into several measures to form a more comprehensive advertising strategy.
Let’s delve into the advantages/strengths of both Google Ads and Facebook Ads. This will give you a better understanding of how you can make the best use of either of these platforms.
Google’s advertising offerings are divided across two primary networks – the display network and the search network. The search network includes the entirety of Google as a search engine.
Advertisers can bid on keywords & phrases to locate and target prospective passengers, whereas Google’s display network offers advertisers visual ads. This is an excellent option for advertisers whose marketing goals aren’t conversion-driven. For example, if advertisers want to increase brand awareness using banner ads.
Google has immense reach (close to 2 trillion searches each year). No, surprise there! It, therefore, can connect advertisers with potential customers, far better than any other platform can.
Google is continuously looking to better the user experience of its platform and as such, focuses on the relevance and quality of ads, and not just on how much advertisers are willing to spend. The better the user experience as a result of relevant shared content will more likely encourage the user to continue to use Google – retention through engagement.
Google Ads has even introduced several formats that can be tailored to suit the requirements of a business.
Facebook, on the other hand, boasts a genuinely vast audience. Its real strength lies in the granularity at with advertisers can potentially target users. Advertisers can create ‘lookalike audiences’ by uploading information from their databases to Facebook.
This is then filtered using Facebook’s data and information provided by 3rd party brokers to match users whose information an advertiser has uploaded. This allows advertisers to potentially double the reach of their advertisements by targeting new clients.
Facebook Ads are visually compelling as it is an inherently visual platform, and they have a high ROI. There are several factors, such as scope, campaign objectives, and messaging that can affect the budget of Facebook Ad campaigns. They are surprisingly affordable considering their potential impact and the specificity by which advertisers can target customers.
Last Words:
While there may be individuals out there who will debate that Google Ads are better than Facebook Ads or vice-versa.
It has been found that Google Ads will aid your business in finding new customers and facilitate a quicker return on your marketing investments.
Facebook Ads allow users to find and explore you, and this may lead to a better return on marketing investments in the long run.
As mentioned earlier, it would be wiser to simultaneously employ the full extent of services offered by both these platforms to increase the revenue growth of your business correspondingly. You should aim to build your brand using Facebook and to close sales using Google (when customers use Google to search for your brand, once brand interest has been piqued).
Your Facebook audience can be targeted more appropriately using the data you collect from Google Ads. With more efficient targeting, you will be able to utilize your marketing budget better and maximize your chances of a higher ROI.
Let us know which one worked better for you!
Nirmal Sarkar is a Biotechnologist from the city of Joy, Kolkata. He is the founder of this blog and covers a wide range of topics from Gadgets to Software to Latest Offers. You can get in touch with him via nirmal@hitricks.com
