Imagine you're walking down the street and the sole of your much-loved sneaker finally separates. Your sock starts flapping in the wind.
"Now I need another pair of sneakers!" you exclaim, and a well-dressed man walks up with a pair in his hands. "These ones are 50% off," he tells you.
That's Google Ads.
Now imagine you're walking down the street and the sole of your much-loved sneaker is almost separated. You're concerned, but keep walking.
A man, noticing your rapidly-deteriorating footwear, walks up with a pair of sneakers in his hands. "Hey friend!" he exclaims. "You look like you might need a new pair of sneakers. These ones are 50% off!."
That's Facebook Ads.
Because the Google Adman approached you when you were in clear need, you'd be more likely to buy from him. But perhaps he'd have to pay a bit more to be on that street in the first place.
Because the Facebook Adman approached you when you weren't 100% thinking about buying a replacement pair of sneakers, you're less likely to buy. So perhaps he wouldn't have to pay so much.
That's the difference between Google and Facebook: the first platform puts your business in front of people looking for your solution. The second puts your business in front of people likely to be looking for your solution at some point.
Both platforms are awesome, massive, and (when we follow your sales funnel all the way down to the "customer" stage) there's really not much difference in terms of cost.
So, in the real world, when should your business advertise on Google, and when on Facebook?
This article will break it down.
When should you advertise on Google?
This section covers the three primary reasons to advertise on Google based on three business objectives:
Driving direct sales
Standing out from competitors
Retargeting
Advertise on Google When You Want to Drive Direct Sales
Advertising boots on Facebook is a challenge, because nobody's looking to the platform to provide them with new boots.
On Google, however, that's exactly why someone might be there.
So you should be there for them.
For instance, when I type "buy men's leather boots" into Google, the first page explodes with ads. My search is high-intent (as if my shoe just broke on the sidewalk), and if you sell boots, your business should be there.
Advertise on Google When You Want to Compete
It's likely that your competitors aren't paying to show up on Google search results for their own brand name - especially as they'll already own top spot organically.
As a result, there's an opportunity for you to show up when someone searches for them.
Advertise on Google When You Want to Retarget Lost Visitors
Retargeting, or (remarketing, as it's called by Google) is an incredibly useful form of advertising, given that it targets only people who you know are interested in your business.
You know that, because retargeting ads are only shown to people who visited your website and left.
Remember, the point of retargeting isn't to drive a sale there and then. Instead, it's to keep you top-of-mind as people shop around.
My recommendation for remarketing is actually YouTube.
Yes, it's more costly and time-consuming to create a great video ad, but YouTube ends up being cheaper and you get a lot more time with your prospective customers.
Advertise on Facebook when…
Because Facebook users aren't on the platform looking to engage with a brand or buy, they're cheaper.
It also means the click-through-rate is significantly lower. But that's okay. We can do something about that with the ridiculous targeting capabilities that Facebook gives us.
And, with Facebook ads, we're not necessarily looking for click-through anyway.
This section will cover the three primary reasons to advertise on Facebook:
Increasing brand awareness
Generating leads
Promoting your sale
Advertise on Facebook When You Want to Increase Brand Awareness
If you're just looking to put your brand in front of your target market, and get people talking about you, Facebook Ads are perfect.
For one, "per impression"(1000 views of your ad) bidding can cost as little as 50 cents.
Consider, as well, that Facebook's ads are visual in nature. You can showcase the look of your boots, or software, or whatever, far more effectively than in a Google search ad.
And information which includes graphics or images is recalled 300% more than information without visuals.
So, when it comes to brand recall and brand awareness, Facebook Ads are where it's at.
Advertise on Facebook When You Want to Generate Leads
Facebook is a great "top of funnel" advertising platform.
People may not be interested in buying directly from Facebook, but they may be inclined to enter a contest, download an ebook, or register for a webinar (top of funnel conversions).
Remember, though: If you're going to use Facebook to generate leads, you need to have a strategy in place to turn those leads into customers. Otherwise you're just throwing money down the drain.
Here's the full breakdown of a Facebook Ad we ran for one of our clients promoting entry to a contest:
First, targeting:
And here's the Facebook Ad:
And here are the results:
For this ad campaign, our client spent 31 cents per contest entrant: $57.72 total.
They ran four campaigns like this one on Instagram and Facebook, driving 759 entrants.
If even 10% of the contest entrants decided to purchase a pair of Doc Miller's compression socks ($20 retail) down the line. - That's $1,460 profit.
Looking to run a Facebook ad campaign like this one? GenTech's managed account team can help set it up. Speak to a representative today to get your questions answered.
Now, you're not going to get these results every time you run a Facebook Ad.
But, if your contest prize is good, your audience is well targeted, and your Facebook Ad effectively communicates the value of the prize, this isn't out of the realm of possibility.
Advertise on Facebook When You Want to Promote a Sale
The Facebook newsfeed is a bit like Costco.
You go in there for one thing (like to see your cousin's baby photos) and, sometimes, you come out with one of those flat carts full to the brim with things you didn't know you needed.
I don't go on Facebook to buy, but if I see something that looks desirable and that thing is discounted?
Who am I to argue with 60% off headphones?
Final Thoughts
Hopefully this walkthrough makes the Google vs Facebook argument a bit clearer.
To recap:
Advertise on Google when you're looking to...
Drive direct sales
Show when your competitors do
Retarget your website traffic
Advertise on Facebook when you're looking to…
Increase brand awareness
Generate leads
Promote a sale or discount