Facebook Advertising VS Google Advertising

It’s tempting to begin this article by referring to the Facebook VS Google debacle as an ‘age old debate’, but realistically it is a very modern debate that business owners are only recently having to question. Because digital advertising is still a new concept for many businesses, it can be difficult to understand where the best places to get ROI (return on investment) are.

Most people already understand that Facebook advertising and Google advertising are two of the best and most effective solutions for digital marketing (alongside app development Sydney) but it is still difficult to decipher which one suits your business best. Not everyone has the same type of business, so the answer will differ between different people.

Either way, there are many questions you need to ask yourself to determine whether Facebook advertising or Google advertising is more important for you.

• What type of business do you have?

Is it a product-based or service-based business? Generally speaking (very, very generally) we are currently seeing better returns on Facebook for product-based businesses, but better returns on Google for service-based businesses.

You may need to consider the behaviours of your audience to understand what is best here. If your audience already knows about your product/service and needs your product/service, they will already go ahead and search for it – as such, you need to catch them in the moment they are searching (on Google). If your audience probably doesn’t know about your product/service and mightn’t necessarily need the product/service, they won’t be searching online for it – meaning you need to catch them on a different platform (on Facebook).

• What are the goals of your digital marketing?

Those who are seeking brand awareness and long-term customer acquisition might be better off opting for a Facebook campaign. Facebook allows you to specifically craft campaigns with different stages – including brand awareness, interest and purchasing phases.

Those who are wanting to highlight themselves above their competitors and catch clients that already know they want/need the product or service, Google campaigns may work better. Google ads will put you at the top of the search page, meaning you are listed above competitors and positioned well to capture the attention of your audience.

• How much budget do you have to use for marketing?

Ideally, you will be able to split your budget between Facebook and Google. However, if you have a small budget, you may only have the option to delegate costs towards one area. You might also be spending money in other digital marketing areas, like mobile app development.

What’s the cheapest type of advertising?

Many people ask our digital marketing agency whether Facebook or Google advertising is cheaper. The truth is that both platforms can be cheap or expensive – it depends on whether you’re using your budget wisely or just slapping some random campaigns together without any thought. It’s also heavily dependent on your industry and whether your competitors are also using the platforms.

The actual cost of advertising is also less important that the return you’re getting. There’s no point in spending money cheaply if you get no response – that’s just wasted money all together. Bear in mind that Facebook advertising also allows you to simultaneously advertise on Instagram, so this can be considered a value-add for most businesses.

To get the most out of your advertising budget (on both Facebook and Google), it’s important that you spend a decent amount of time properly setting up your campaign to ensure it has the chance of being effective. You need a tightly formed audience (so no money gets wasted on people who don’t have an interest in your brand), a winning bid (so Facebook/Google prioritise your ads over competitors), and highly engaging content in both written and visual format (to entice your audience into reading the ad).

While deliberating how you will attribute your advertising budget, you also need to consider other forms of expenditure and advertising. Have you thought about Twitter advertising (which could be appropriate if you are trying to reach a politically minded, young adult or middle age audience)? Have you thought about YouTube advertising (which is highly appropriate if you have high quality video advertorial content to use)? What about TikTok advertising (a platform that has risen in popularity quicker than you can believe)? Perhaps digital influencer marketing or video marketing or email marketing or otherwise could suit you best?

Stay tuned to our digital marketing blog – next month we will reveal our conclusion on whether Facebook or Google advertising is better for your business.