Google, with its high intent searches, was always the bedrock of paid media and the go-to platform for direct response campaigns, but Connective3 gives a few reasons to consider Facebook (and Instagram) first.
Google CPCs are incredibly high
Because Google’s been the main platform for digital advertising since the dawn of the internet, it’s a lot more competitive and often has such high CPCs that sometimes it doesn’t cost in.
For example, paid social is often the platform of choice for gambling companies as CPCs can be upwards of £20 on Google, whereas the equivalent CPC on Facebook might be circa £2.
This means that even with a lower intent Facebook has a greater chance of acquiring customers at the right cost.
Facebook is more visual
A text ad on Google doesn’t deliver a very rich brand experience. However, on Facebook the ads can be highly branded and visually a lot stronger. With click through rates of two to three per cent on Facebook, this means that the remaining 97 to 98 per cent of users have seen the ad and had a greater exposure to the brand than they would get with Google’s text ads, where the power only lies with the click.
Facebook’s data is as good as Google’s
People always say that Google knows everything about you; however, so does Facebook. You even tell it who your partner is, what football team you support, and which brands you shop with. Of course, there is also its connection to WhatsApp, where the theory is that data is shared between the two, and Facebook can see the new house you just sent to your friends to look at. It’s well known that Facebook’s interest advertising is incredibly accurate to your most recent conversations, and as such the ad targeting is very powerful.
Facebook is a distraction platform
People go to Facebook to kill some time and this means that they are looking for something interesting, and are willing to be taken off on a journey. This means that it’s a great platform for brand introducing, and a strong remarketing strategy will see those users convert to customers.
Compete on your own terms
If you’re new to the game and don’t want to compete on Google next to all of your more established competition or just want to have your own share of voice then, again, Facebook may be a better platform of choice. Rather then earning your way into the shopping listings and paying a premium, launch your brand to a targeted audience on Facebook. The highly visual ads will gain cut through and get across your USPs much more effectively than Google’s text ads.
Of course the ideal scenario is a best-of-both approach, as the channels work better together than separately, and work even better again when the teams running the platforms are connected.
That said, it would be unfair to talk about Facebook ads without mentioning the recent changes. Apple has just shaken up Facebook’s targeting and tracking with its iOS14.5 release which encourages users to opt out of tracking, but there are work arounds that help maintain a level of clarity.
Claire Stanley-Manock, Paid Media Director at Connective3, will be at our SEO, PPC & Display seminar on 10 June to discuss how you can tailor your campaigns for the person who is actually searching, filter out wastage, and make messages even more relevant to maximise your paid media spend potential. Register here or email Paul Nichols for more information.