Know your objectives before spending with Google AdWords or Facebook Ads

If you are like most businesses in today’s economy you are trying to get the most for your money by spending it in the most efficient places. When it comes to online advertising though, there are so many choices: Google AdWords, Microsoft Ad Center, 7 Search, Facebook Advertising, Twitter Advertising, Stumbleupon Paid Discovery, LinkedIn Ads, Yahoo, Bing, the list could go on forever. Two of the most prominent choices are Google AdWords and Facebook Ads. So which should get your businesses hard earned money? If you read last week’s post about “How to choose the ‘right’ Web metrics without becoming overwhelmed,” you will notice a theme developing, the best way to choose Web metrics is also the best way to choose where to spend your online advertising dollars. Know your business’ objectives.


Why is it important to know your objectives? “Your answer will go a long way to determining which channel is a better fit. The reason is fairly straightforward: the Web audience doesn’t search Google and check their Facebook Profile…in the same way” (Casey, 2011, para. 8). If your business is looking to brand you will approach online advertising differently than you will if your business is seeking to sell something specific. Facebook sessions tend to last longer than Google search sessions according to Casey (2011), which makes them better for branding and for relaying a specific message to a specific group, like a small fan base. Google on the other hand is better for broader Web searches for specific products since you can focus more strongly on audience intent by choosing and buying keywords.

Some additional pros to using Facebook ads includes being able to select your audiences likes and interests, education, sex, work experience, and how your company may or may not already be connected to the audience or their friends. This sort of “granularity and control” (Corrigan, 2012, para. 4) is not available with Google AdWords. However, Google AdWords provides a more “focused and purposeful” (Corrigan, 2012, para. 7) environment where the searcher is specifically looking for something. Since Google still dominates search with nearly two-thirds market share it does have its advantages to Facebook Ads as the go to place for search and specificity (Thompson, 2012, para. 5).

Once you have determined the scope of your objectives whether they are small or grand, and whether you will use both Google AdWords and Facebook Ads, or just one, you will want to be able to measure your return on investment. This may also help you focus on which tool is right for you. Google AdWords “provides marketers with the ability to track and monitor results with Google’s own analytic software” (Corrigan, 2012, para. 10), as well as the ability to make changes to the cost per click or impressions to meet your changing needs. Facebook, on the other hand, has had difficulty providing businesses the return on investment figures they desired. After the recent exit of General Motors media spend, Facebook has launched a new tool that it hopes will help marketers see the value in continuing to spend their advertising dollars with the platform by tracking user’s off-Facebook activity after they view an ad (Shearman, 2012).
There are benefits to using either platform for online advertising, but it is most important to focus on your business objectives when choosing the right one. If you want to build brand awareness, engagement, or create loyalty Facebook is probably the right place for you. If you are looking to create immediate sales or leads for your company for a specific product you will probably be best suited with Google AdWords. Good luck and happy marketing!

References

Casey, K. (2011). How to choose between google AdWords and facebook ads. Informationweek - Online, Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/894599085?accountid=2837

Corrigan, J. (2012, June 29). Facebook Ads vs. Google AdWords: Tips on which to invest in! [Web log post]. Catalyst. Retrieved from http://www.catalystsearchmarketing.com/facebook-ads-vs-google-adwords/

Shearman, S. (2012, Nov 28). Facebook's ROI tool. Marketing, , 12-12. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/1265619132?accountid=2837

Thompson, A. (2012, July 26). Facebook ads or Google Adwords: Which one’s for you? [Web log post]. ProBlogger. Retrieved from http://www.problogger.net/archives/2012/07/26/facebook-ads-or-google-adwords-which-ones-for-you/