When it comes to advertising online, it’s difficult to ignore the two giant platforms visited by billions of people every day – Facebook and Google. You might be happy to find out that both these platforms offer excellent advertising opportunities for people with small and large budgets alike. But should you go for Facebook ads or Google ads?
This is an interesting question as both types of ads are powerful and effective if used correctly. If you’re new to advertising online, keep reading this article to learn everything you need to know about Facebook ads and Google ads.
The Basics of Facebook Ads
Facebook ads come in various sizes and shapes and they are very useful to promote a product or a service. With that being said, it’s important to look at the average person who visits Facebook. This person is probably looking for entertainment or socialization opportunities. He or she is probably not interested in buying something or learning something new. Still, this person might not even know that they have an interest in certain products or services.
In other words, if you’re using Facebook ads, you need to understand that you’re actively seeking people who might be interested in your products. These people might or might not be interested, but you dangle a delicious fruit in their face and wait for their reaction. Facebook ads are ideal if there’s no current demand for a product or service as you get the chance to be seen by millions of people who browse Facebook pages every day.
Making Use of Audience Targeting on Facebook
You might also be happy to find out that you’re not just dangling a fruit in their face and wait for miracles to happen. Facebook also offers numerous audience targeting tools, so you can expose your products and services to the right people. For example, if you sell gym equipment, millions of people have gym and fitness accessories as their interests on Facebook. With just a few clicks, you can decide to advertise to these groups of people only and seriously maximize your chances of making a sale. Facebook offers multiple audience targeting factors such as demographics, age range, interests, income level, location, and more.
The Basics of Google Ads
When it comes to Google ads, the situation is a bit different. Many people go on Google actively looking for something. For example, some of them might be looking for adjustable dumbbells. In this case, you know that these people are interested in procuring fitness accessories, so their buying intent is there. You just need to take advantage of that by coming up with the right Google ads to be displayed to some of these people.
When Using Google Ads Is Recommended?
You might want to use Google ads when there is already a demand for certain products and services to be more successful. There is a lot of trial and error to go through, but keep in mind that Google is used by billions of people every day, so you simply cannot miss out on this opportunity to advertise to these people. On top of that, you might be happy to find out that there are tons of ad formats you can take advantage of to emphasize your products and services correctly.
For example, the most basic ad form is a text advertisement that can include a certain number of words. This ad can have a specific size and be available on both desktop and mobile devices. You can also go for ads that display high-resolution images as well as interactive map data and other elements. This opens up the door to endless ad crafting techniques, so you can attract the attention of the right people when promoting your products and services.
Using a Mix of Google and Facebook Ads
Many people have seen Google ads and Facebook ads as two rivals and they think that you should stick with just one of them. In reality, they both have their advantages and disadvantages. Ideally, you should go for a mix of Google ads and Facebook ads because their internal mechanisms are quite different. You definitely want to get exposure on one of the largest social media platforms out there that offers unmatched audience granularity. At the same time, you definitely want to display ads to people who have already expressed their interest in certain products and services. If your budget is smaller, go for one of these two types of advertisements and gradually expand to the other one as well. Monitor and adjust your ad campaigns to be more effective and get a higher ROI. With a little bit of effort, you will see that you’re able to advertise on both Google and Facebook platforms and be successful with it.
