Which is better, Facebook ads or Google Ads?
It should be noted that in any complete digital marketing plan, you typically do not limit your ad spend to just one platform, but often times use both paid search and paid social media advertising together. However, if you were to choose just one, it is important to note the strengths, opportunities, and risks of both types to help you decide which paid advertising strategy will work best to meet your goals.
In the world of Pay Per Click (PPC), there are two ways you can go. Google advertising shows your ads when someone is searching for your service. Social Media, such as Facebook ads and Instagram Ads serves and displays your ad to people who might be interested but have not specifically conducted a search. Both platforms have unique strengths and opportunities to generate qualified leads from homeowners who need contractor home services.
You can choose to target consumers in one of two ways. The first is to show your ad to as many people who meet your audience targeting and go for impressions through the most popular social media platform on Planet Earth, a.k.a. Facebook and Instagram. This is the basic social media advertising model. Facebook ads provide the astonishing capability to accurately target your desired demographics in terms of not only age, gender, and location, but also based upon actual consumer interests and buying and viewing behaviors.
Facebook ads contrasts with Google AdWords using key terms and searched phrases to find new home renovation customers. Facebook advertising helps your target market find your company even before they realize they need you, based on their personal, freely shared behaviors, interests, and community engagement. This vast level of laser-targeted advertising was never available until the last decade.
Facebook ads can also be used to retarget people who have previously visited your website. This can be done by creating a custom audience using the Facebook ads manager. This is a great way to bring back someone in a longer sales cycle such as a major home improvement project like installing a new bathroom.
The rub with Facebook is that many users are not on Facebook looking for an immediate solution to a problem they have. Although many people do request recommendations for a local product or service and Facebook in fact has a specific icon to make such a request on available on every post. In general they are seeking to find out what their friends and colleagues are doing or chatting with someone about an interest they have. However, these social engagements allow Facebook’s artificial intelligence system and algorithms to analyze these interests and then coupled with demographic information, show your advertisement in someone news feed that is likely very interested in the services you provide.
Google Ads Have their place
In the alternative, Google always you to create a digital advertisement that is displayed only to people who are actively looking for a certain type of service like a home improvement contractor, by searching with a specific keyword or phrase. However, just like Facebook, you can limit your target audience based upon where they are physically located. This is particularly important when considering marketing services to do at someone’s home, like remodeling a kitchen. You will have access to millions of people searching, but your ad will only be shown to those who at this moment have an interest in what you provide.
Since Google is only showing your ad to someone who is searching for something, you know that they are looking to solve a problem fast. Unlike Facebook, you may not get as many impressions, and you pay a lot more each time someone clicks on your ad and is taken to your landing page on your website, but you know you are paying for someone with an active interest.
For an updated perspective in 2021, Check out our Blog article on Google ads vs Facebook ads, which is better for a home improvement company.
