Digital ad campaigns can go a long way to helping your small business grow. They can help your business reach a wider audience faster than traditional ads. This can often get you faster results in a more cost-effective way.
But what type of ad campaign should you run? Google Ads and Facebook Ads both have different strengths and weaknesses. In this article, we’ll detail the differences between the two to help you narrow down what will work with your business.
For personalised advice, contact our team at Somer Design today.
Google Ads
Google Ads follow the pay-per-click, PPC, model of advertising. This means that every time a user clicks on your ad your business is charged a fee. However, this also means that you are only paying for the advertising when it has been effective.
Google Ads, are ads that appear above or below search results on Google. Likewise, it can also appear in other Google apps such as Google Play, Maps and even other Google search partners. This constantly puts ads for your business in front of potential visitors and customers.
Strengths of Google Ad Campaigns
Google Ads has several strengths backed up by data. Here we’ll detail the different ways Google Ads could impact your local business.
93% of global traffic comes from Google. It is often the preferred method of searching for businesses and products. As such, advertising with Google Ads will get a lot more natural traffic directed towards your site.
Paid Google Ads can likewise help increase a brand’s awareness by up to 33% or more. Brand awareness can help increase your perceived reliability and trustworthiness, encouraging customers to engage with your business.
Google has estimated that their ads deliver an 800% return on investments. This means the effectiveness of a Google Ad campaign will not only affect your bottom line but improve and increase your marketing capabilities going forward.
Weaknesses of Google Ad Campaigns
While an effective Google Ad campaign can provide a lot of great benefits for your business, there can also be some drawbacks worth considering.
While the PPC model can be useful, if you have a high click-through rate costs can quickly add up. Once your payment has been used up, your ads will immediately stop circulating. This requires you to consistently maintain your Google Ad campaign with time and money you may not have.
Likewise, depending on the industry some areas of business have a higher cost per click than others. Highly competitive areas can drive costs up making your initial marketing expense higher.
As such, your landing page must then be able to convert visitors into customers. As Google Ads only sends people to your site, your site must be able to convert them into users to counteract the marketing cost.
Facebook Ads
Facebook Ad Campaigns are run exclusively through the Facebook advertising platform. This means your ads can be seen on the Facebook feed, messenger and other apps and websites like Instagram.
Facebook Ads are conducted with a payment threshold model. These are prices or budgets you can set for how much you are willing to pay for your ads over a set time. This can be set to a daily budget or a total budget for your long-term campaign.
Once your ad costs meet the threshold budget or the set endpoint, you will stop being charged for your ads. With this model, you pay for your ads up front to begin your campaign. Likewise, the cost of your ads is determined by an auction system of bids and performance.
For highly competitive areas, an area with multiple bids from different businesses will have a higher cost.
Facebook Ad Campaign Strengths
Facebook Ads come inbuilt with an audience. With over three billion users worldwide, they can be extremely targeted to the most relevant people. This can make your ads more effective than other forms of advertising.
Similarly, Facebook Ads also come in a range of diverse formats. They can be videos, slideshows, single images and much more. With this level of flexibility, they are highly adaptable to different platforms and often more engaging than single banners.
Facebook is also designed to encourage user engagement. One survey found that 59% of users contacted a brand through the platform. This means that they have a high rate of engagement, potentially making it more likely to convert users.
Facebook Ad Campaign Weaknesses
While Facebook has a high rate of engagement, helping with brand awareness and credibility, it can also have a lower click-through rate. The ads can be placed in a way that people often miss or scroll passed on their daily check-in.
Likewise, it is also highly competitive. Many other businesses utilise Facebook Ads so your campaign must be unique to get the best results. Similarly, Facebook Ads and campaigning can often require more maintenance than other campaigns. People on Facebook are more responsive when the brand is responsive.
Often this means consistently engaging with your audience, rather than just sending ads. Furthermore, it is common for people to block Facebook Ads, preventing your message from getting to your audience.
The Difference Between Google and Facebook Ads
Facebook and Google Ads both have their differences. For instance, the intent of the different systems has a large impact on results. Google Ads are displayed towards people actively searching for something related to your business. They are more inclined to buy, as they have set out to do so.
Facebook Ads, while targeted to more relevant people, must first interrupt their attention. You are targeting people who may not be interested in buying and must do more work to convert them.
Likewise, the difference in their payment methods is important to consider. Is it better for your business to use a set budget or pay only when people engage with your ads?
Facebook Ads are more visual and engaging than Google Ads which can capture more attention. But Google Ads targets users primed to engage and buy. It’s important to consider what your business represents and which form of campaigning aligns with your values and goals.
Where to Start?
Having all the information is an important part of making the right choices for your small business. Online advertising can make a huge difference for your bottom line. But once you’ve made your choice, how can you make sure you run an effective campaign?
At Somer Design, we are experts in digital marketing. We can help you set up, monitor and maintain your online ad campaign. No matter your choice, we can help guide your marketing decisions with reliable strategies and techniques.
Reach out to our team today, for digital marketing that will make a difference.
