A lot of people ask me what the difference is between Advertising on Google and Facebook. The biggest difference between the two advertising platforms is: Google is focused on getting you customers that are searching for your products and services right now. Facebook is focused on getting you customers that generally have an interest in the products and services that you offer. On Google, it’s immediate: Someone is searching for “lawyer in Flint” right now and an ad shows up for your business. On Facebook it’s passive: we don’t know if the person we’re advertising to is specifically searching for your products or services right now, we just know that generally, they’re interested in your products and services – so an ad shows up for your business.
How Google Advertising Works
Google Advertising is advertising in the search results on Google. For example, if I own a car repair shop in Tallahassee, FL, I want my advertisement to show up when people search on Google for “Car Repair in Tallahassee”. So, what we do is pay Google so that my business shows an ad when anybody searches for the term “car repair” in Tallahassee. The ads that display on Google searches have some text about your business, has a phone number, and links to your website when clicked on.
That is very simply how Google advertising works. It’s great for capturing new customers that are looking for your products and services at this very moment. These are people searching that need your products and services right now.
How Facebook Advertising Works
Facebook advertising, on the other hand, isn’t based on any kind of “search terms” or anything like that. Facebook advertising allows us to show our advertisement to potential customers that are likely interested in your products and services.
For example, if you are a lawyer in Flint, Michigan, we can run ads on Facebook to people in a target area, like Flint, and directed towards people that generally would have a need for a lawyer. For example, if you’re a lawyer in Flint that specializes in estate planning and wills, we know that people that are interested in estate plans are likely married individuals with families that’re probably in the age range of 40 and over. So we can run advertisements to people on Facebook in those geographics & demographics. The ads that display on Facebook can be in picture, video, or photo gallery format and link out to your website when clicked on.
What’s the difference in cost between these two types of advertising?
There is a big difference in cost between Google Advertising and Facebook Advertising. While both platforms are based on a pay-per-click pricing model (meaning you only pay when your ad is clicked on) there is a big difference in the price.
Google is highly competitive and more expensive per click. Based on the area that you’re located in and the type of industry that you’re in, the cost-per-click on Google can range very widely. The cost-per-click can be anywhere from $5/click to $50 – $100/click if it’s a very competitive market. For example, if you’re an attorney in New York City there is so much competition for the service that it could be very expensive to compete with other companies like it that are also advertising on Google.
Facebook, on the other hand, is cheaper. There are less businesses using Facebook advertising, so there’s less competition. So typically, you might pay $0.30 – $5.00/click depending on the type of business, advertising, and competition in a given area. With Facebook Advertising still not being utilized as much by advertisers, it makes it very inexpensive in its current state for businesses.
Summary
The big discussion for a business is: Which one is better for my business? The answer can be both, or it can be one or the other. If you have a large advertising budget and you need people that are searching for your products and services right now – then Google Advertising is for you.
For example, if you’re a heating and cooling or electrical business, you need people that are searching for your services right now. Google advertising is the way to go.
If you’re a business that is more geared towards younger people, or in entertainment, or dining – or businesses along these lines, you’re likely to perform better on Facebook. The reason for that is because you’re going to hit a large amount of people that are using these social media platforms, like Facebook, very heavily.
So, the choice on which advertising platform to use for your business is really based on your company need. They both can be effective, but they both carry different costs associated with them, and it really is based around the goals of your business.
