When it comes to deciding to choose a social media and
online advertising channel, a company must consider their goal. There are a few
similarities between Facebook and Google AdWords, such as their massive
potential audience, and the fact that both are basically PPC (pay per click)
advertising channels. However, The web audience uses Google and Facebook
differently – they check their Facebook accounts and they search Google, not the
other way around. Depending on what the company wants to achieve in their
marketing campaign, one or the other will be a better fit.
Both advertising channels use systems that are mostly
self-service for the smaller advertiser, and they both have the ability to
target very specific market segments, which is where the major differences lye
between the two platforms. Futhermore, Facebook does not allow for mobile
advertising options, retargeting options, partner sites, and keyword-based
contextual targeting options (Meredith, 2012). If a customer is driving through
a town and needs to pick up a prescription or other items, chances are they
will use their phone to locate the destination. An effective local SEO campaign
and mobile-specific ads can help customers see a particular pharmacy first (Meredith,
2012).
Google still dominates the search game with nearly
two-thirds market share, according to Experian HitWise while Facebook is The
Social Network--it seems just a matter of
time before they announce 1 billion accounts (Meredith, 2012). However, one can
assume that Facebook sessions lasts much longer than a typical Google Search,
so Facebook Ads are perhaps better if companies want to build brand awareness
or get a specific message across. Facebook Ads may also be better if the said
message is targeted towards a certain audience, such as fans of a specific
movie or TV show, or an alumni group. It’s not impossible to achieve the same
targeted people-centric campaigns through Google’s AdWords, but it would be
more difficult to do. With Facebook ads, companies can target their ads by age
range. Offering a special on make-up or hair products? They can create
campaigns by gender. There are a number of demographic categories that can be
combined to reach a specifically targeted audience.
However, when it comes to pure web searches, Google is the
clear leader. Google Adwords is more suited to driving actual clicks and
conversions around specific services and products. It all comes down to intent
– while Facebook users are only checking up on status updates and posting
photos, Google searches are specifically searching for keywords and have a
clear goal.
Basically, Facebook Ads are better suited to building
brands or delivering a message to a target group over a longer period of time,
while Google AdWords provides an easier way to capture consumers that are dead
set on buying specific products or services. Let’s check out this brief video of how one local real
estate agent use Facebook Ads to grow her business (Elias, 2012).
In summary, if the question is which channel to use, think
of Google and Facebook as venues. Either venue is capable of achieving your
objective whether that be awareness building or driving purchase, a company
just has to be sure it’s advertising in the right spot and in the right way.
Companies should advertise for awareness at the entrance (generic keywords on
AdWords or unaffiliated users on Facebook) and for purchase in the back (specific
keywords on AdWords or existing fans on Facebook) (Elias, 2012).
References
Elias, H. (2012). YouTube Video: Better Than Google
AdWords - Why Facebook Ads Are All You Need. Retrieved on November 12, 2012
from, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-Zub5MRGx4
Meredith, A. (2012). Show Me the Money – Google AdWords
and Facebook Advertising. Retrieved on November 12, 2012 from, http://scalablesocialmedia.com/2012/10/google-adwords-facebook-ads/
