There’s no doubt that today Facebook Ads and Google AdWords are the fastest ways to get a lot of targeted eyeballs. Within just minutes, your business can get an ad in front of the right prospects and boost business immediately. But the drawback is that both options are sometimes expensive, and they can produce undesirable results at times.

The fact is that many businesses set up their campaign incorrectly with the wrong goals in mind. And when they fail, they blame the platform. The truth is, the company is not at fault, but rather the business is not a proper fit or has used the platforms in an attempt to achieve the wrong goals.

So, before you decide to use Google AdWords or Facebook Ads, let’s discuss which situations each platform is best for, and how utilizing these services will help you achieve your goals.

Conversion or Awareness?

Awareness: If you want to expand a customer base, Facebook Ads is the right tool. The value of the platform will vary depending on what kind of business you’re in.

The following tips will help you use Facebook Ads to promote your business.

• Your ad must be visual to ensure that the ad is treated positively with Facebook’s algorithm and will be more memorable.
• Include a USP to make sure your ad prompts the viewer to visit your website, and not a competitor’s.
• It has to be relevant so your relevance score – issued by Facebook – is higher.
• Include a call to action that entices the viewer to click your ad.

Targeting a Specific Audience: There are several ways you can use Facebook Ads to target audiences to achieve your goals, including:

• Producing a Facebook Ad for customers who are on your email list but who haven’t “liked” your Facebook page.
• Segmenting your email list by the purchases customers have previously made.
• Creating lookalike audiences that are similar to your custom audience.

Conversions: Different from Facebook Ads, AdWords is effective because people are searching for something they need right now. These businesses don’t have to spend money to raise awareness of their product or service.

Businesses can track conversions to modify their campaigns, increase conversions, and accomplish their overall goals. So if your business wants a cost-effective way to increase conversions, it’s worth considering investing in an AdWords campaign.

Driving relevant traffic: Even though an ad doesn’t always end in a conversion, AdWords helps drive relevant traffic to a landing page. It’s important to ensure that you’re driving relevant traffic to keep your campaign profitable. Because AdWords is a PPC platform, you will be paying even if there is no sale.

There are a few metrics that are important to measure, including:

• Click-through rate, which measures how often people click on your ad.
• Quality Score, which determines your ad ranking and how much you pay.
• Conversion Rate, which indicates you how many times a visitor has clicked on your ad, resulting in a conversion.
• Keywords to make sure you’re spending money on the correct ones.

Which One is Better For Your Business?

There’s not a particular situation where one platform is better than the other. Businesses must evaluate their options and identify their goals before embarking on a campaign with either.

Once you make a decision and begin your campaign, always measure and track your campaigns to ensure their accuracy, that they are targeting the correct audience, and remaining cost-effective.

Because Facebook and Google are always changing, you need someone who can stay on top of trends to advise you, and we can help!

We can assist you with all facets of your marketing strategies including Website Design, SEO/SEM, Online Reputation Management, a Blogging Program, Email Marketing – or any other marketing tools – so give us a call today at 203-746-5901 or send us an email to sales@BlueOrchidMarketing.com to get started.