The Difference Between Advertising on Facebook/Instagram vs Google, and Why It's Ruining Your Facebook Ads.

It's the showdown of the century.

Two of the heaviest hitters in the game going toe-to-toe for the title.

On the left corner: wearing the green, blue, yellow, and red-striped trunks; Google!

And on the right corner, wearing blue and white trunks; Facebook!

Okay, I'll stop.

Sorry, it's just that it's so easy to compare the two powerhouses. In fact, many people end up in long-winded debates about which of the two platforms are better.

However, one thing that is undisputed amongst the best digital marketers, is that the most effective way to advertise on each platform is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, so the best way if you combine both of them in your digital marketing strategy. 

If you want to get a deeper understanding on how to utilize each platform check out our courses; Facebook Ads for eCommerce, or How eCommerce should set Google Ads Targets.

The reason most people FAIL at making effective Facebooks Ads is that their approach is one that mimics what would work with Google Ads.

They approach Facebook Ads as if people are on Facebook, actively looking for their brand. This couldn't be further from the truth. What do I mean? Well, allow me to explain.

Let's take a quick look at a series of photos illustrating how someone uses Google:

Like most people, this person goes to Google to get an answer.

In this case, this person is looking for a design furniture store nearby, and as soon as he hits "enter," a list of different advertisements populate at the top of the screen.

Let's assume this person is one of the minorities who actually DO click the ads at the top and selects one.

Which ad do you think this person will most likely select?

Most likely the one with a small discount incentive.

Why? Because they are already actively looking for a designer furniture store, and that small discount gets them over the hump.

This person now clicks on the ad, it takes him to a page in which he finds the right furniture that he was looking for, he then purchases the furniture on their website and the item arrives at his door a few days later. Now, this is an example of an effective ad... FOR GOOGLE!

Why Not on Facebook?

Far too many times I see local businesses doing this same exact ad on Facebook; where you scroll through your newsfeed and then BOOM!

There's an ad from some local business I've never seen before, where it's telling people to come into their business by offering some sort of discounted price on their products or services.

This is the WRONG way to get people in the door through Facebook.

Now, you may be asking "why is this wrong?"

The reason is because of the difference in the "buying temperature" of the audience you are targeting.

Let me explain.

People are actively searching for something when they visit Google, on Facebook they are not.

Safe to say their "buying temperature" (their likelihood to buy something from you) is pretty high if that thing they are searching for is a product or service.

So when you approach them with a discount on your ad, it works, because they are already looking to buy.

Now, when using Facebook or Instagram to advertise your business, business owners have the underlying assumption that the same, ready-to-buy people who are actively looking for a design furniture store on Google are the same people who are seeing your ads on Facebook. This is not true.

Facebook is a totally different animal than Google. How?

1. Google allows you to target people in your local area based on what they are searching for.
2. Facebook allows you to target people in your local area based on what their interests and behaviors are.

How does Facebook define interests and behaviors?

Good question!

Here it is:

So on one hand, you're targeting people based on what they want/ are actively looking for on Google.

On the other hand, you're targeting people who have shown some interest, or who are likely to have interest on Facebook.

And believe me, these interests and behaviors on Facebook are scarily accurate.

Because of these differences, the approach to advertising on Facebook has to be more of slowly increasing the buying temperature for these people who have shown some interest in purchasing plumbing services.

How to Properly Advertise on Facebook?

This is done by split-testing different types of ads to people who have expressed interest in design furniture, and slowly figuring out which of these people actually have a high buying temperature; and who does not.

THEN, once you have figured out the two different audiences, one ready to buy, one looking to buy down the road; then you should send two different ads to these two very different audiences.

You MUST approach Facebook with a farmer mentality, and Google with a hunter mentality.

On Facebook, your results are seen 1 to 3+ months down the road because you are planting seeds in people’s minds, you are giving them value, and slowly building trust.

Then after 90 days or so, you will begin to see the fruits of your labor. 

Google on the other hand is more immediate because you are "sniper" targeting people on what they are actively looking for.

Business owners must understand that both farming and hunting are ESSENTIAL, but they both have very different approaches to achieving the same end result.

Now, if you are interested in seeing an exact walk-through on how to take a complete, cold audience on Facebook and "warming" them up over time so that they buy from you, just give us a call and we are more than happy to go over this with you!

So down to the point, If you combine Facebook and Google you can achieve amazing results since you are planting the idea in peoples head that they might need a new designer table, and when the time is right and, they have seen your Facebook ads for a while, they go to Google to find what they are looking for and, there it is… your ad for a designer table, and the customer clicks home your beautiful designer table.

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