Email marketing: what it is and how to implement it

Google Ads vs Social Ads

"I know half my advertising is wasted money. I just don't know which half" 

                                                                                                   Henry Ford

 If you work in online marketing, you may recognize yourself in the quote from Henry Ford and are faced with the question:

"In which channel is my media budget best invested: Google Ads or Social Ads?"

So that you as an advertiser don't end up like Henry Ford and you can be sure that you invest your budget or daily budget sensibly in the right advertising platform, it is helpful to deal extensively with your options and to be aware of them right from the start to do what you want to achieve with your campaign.

As a rule, there is no “better” or “worse” and no “right” or “wrong” because ideally, the two do not duel but rather work hand-in-hand in the form of an integrated and cohesive promotional strategy. In practice, however, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in particular often face the challenge that they lack the necessary budget for a cross-channel strategy or do not have enough time.

SMEs therefore often have no choice but to decide "for" or "against" Google or social ads. In this article, you will find out which criteria are decisive for the selection of Google or social ads and what advantages they bring.

What are social ads and how are they used?

First things first: Social ads are paid advertising formats in social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. LinkedIn in particular has experienced a real boom in recent years and is currently a highly competitive advertising channel in the B2B sector.

The DACH region currently has 17 million active members, and the trend is rising. Instagram has almost 28 million active users in Germany and Facebook even more than 32 million across Germany.

While you as an advertiser reach your addressees on Facebook and Instagram almost exclusively in a private context, LinkedIn is primarily used professionally. The LinkedIn community is increasingly looking for B2B topics and your targeting can be tailored to them based on the very precise professional information provided by the users.

The prerequisite for placing advertisements on LinkedIn is your own LinkedIn company page and access to the LinkedIn Campaign Manager, which is used to manage the ad formats.

One of the great advantages of LinkedIn Ads is the granular targeting and the different goals that you can set individually:

Awareness:

• Brand Awareness

Consideration

• Website Videos

• Engagement

• Video-Views

Conversion

• Lead Generation

• Website Conversions

• Job Applicants

Depending on the campaign goal, the prices of your ads on LinkedIn also vary here, because you are not investing in this social advertising network for the ad itself, but for the results achieved. Which activity you pay for also depends on your goal: In the case of "Website visits", for example, only when interested users click on the link in your ad.

In general, we have found that prices on LinkedIn in German-speaking countries are usually in the two-digit range. The "cost per lead" on LinkedIn, on the other hand, can also be in the two to the three-digit range.

To publish Facebook and Instagram ads, you also need a Facebook company page or an Instagram account. You can manage the ad formats centrally via the Facebook Business Manager.

Similar to LinkedIn, you can also choose between different goals on Facebook and Instagram:

notoriety:

• brand awareness

• Range

consideration:

• Traffic

• interactions

• App Installation

• video views

• lead generation

• news

Conversion:

• Conversions

• Catalog Sales

• Store Traffic

For Facebook ads and Instagram ads, you should calculate at least ten euros per ad group per day. When making your decision "for" or "against" social ads, you should also plan a learning phase for Facebook and Instagram advertising campaigns of at least seven days.

How do Google Ads work and how are they used?

Google is the most essential search engine worldwide. Google users are four times more likely to click on an ad there than on any other ad network. More than 80% of advertisers use ads on Google for PPC advertising campaigns and globally 70,000 terms are typed into Google every second. To be able to place Google Ads, you only need an advertising account.

Essentially, Google differentiates between seven campaign types:

1. Such a Campaign

2. Display Campaign

3. Shopping Campaign

4. Video Campaign

5. App Campaign

6. Local Campaign

7. Smart Campaign

Each type in Google has its raison d'être, but the most used here are still search and display campaigns. The former is shown within the Google search network. As an advertiser, you can reach the search network via the Google search bar, in which Internet users can enter any questions or search terms.

Do you remember that we mentioned earlier that social ads are particularly useful if your target group does not know you yet?

It's not that easy with the Google search network, since users usually don't search for terms or companies that they don't know. While we are mostly in the push marketing area with social ads, we are mostly in the pull marketing segment with Google Ads.

A brief digression on the push and pull method: With the push, you “push” your service into the (potential) customer’s awareness. This works very well with social ads, for example, since users can also come across your product while scrolling through their newsfeeds.

In the area of ​​the Google search network, the pull method applies: Here you actively try to attract your addressees and convince them of your performance.

That means they have to have had touches with your brand before typing it into the search bar.

Or your product offers the solution to a problem that many people are looking for. In this case, there is also the possibility of getting into the heads of users who do not know you yet via the Google search network.

The decisive factor here is to precisely evaluate the search volume of your favorite keywords and to consider your quality factors – ie using the free Google Keyword Planner to check exactly how often the terms are entered in the search bar and whether they fit.

You should also know the prices of the individual keywords before you start on Google Ads and check the competition in the market environment. Apart from the search network, you can also use the display network to reach internet users who don't know you yet. With Google, however, the target groups are a bit broader and the targeting options more limited than with social ads.

Google Ads announcing is based on C.P.C ( cost per click). In concrete terms, this means that you pay per click on your ad. With the free Ads Keyword Planner, you can calculate the approximate costs for your (text) ads. This calculation can help you a lot when deciding "for" or "against" social ads.

Because if your budget is €50 per day and the average click price of your keyword set is €15, you can only pay for 3-4 clicks per day. With smaller budgets, social ads are often a smart choice due to the precise targeting options and the generally lower click prices, to also take your quality factors into account.

Social Ads vs. Google Ads: Similarities & Differences

Now that was quite a lot of input.

That's why you can see the similarities and differences between the two B2B online marketing giants at a glance:

Google Ads vs Social Ads: Similarities

• Both the push and the pull methods are possible on both advertising platforms.

• You can use numerous variants of text ads for your advertising on both advertising channels

Google Ads vs Social Ads: Differences

• With social ads, you can set the targeting more specifically + accurately

 

• You can reach the “decision-makers” particularly well on LinkedIn

 

• You tend to need a higher budget

 

• Advertising is perceived more strongly on Google while using social ads with good content are hardly perceived as such perceive

 

• Google Ads are particularly well suited to serving an existing demand

 

• Social Ads, on the other hand, subtly strengthen your brand identity and create authenticity

 

• You can also select specific campaign goals for your advertising

Advantages and disadvantages of the respective paid ads

In the B2B context, the two advertising options Social Ads and Google Ads show their individual advantages and disadvantages. LinkedIn offers you specific targeting options and is currently a “must-have” for every B2B company. Showing a presence here is an important statement, regardless of the paid background.

In the area of ​​Facebook and Instagram ads, we see the general decision "for" or "against" the channel as necessary:

• Does your product fit the respective advertising channels?

• Are your addressees represented here?

• Would you like to increase brand awareness and generate more reach?

Then you are on the right track with this form of advertising and you can use it to your advantage.

Playing ads on social networks, whether on LinkedIn or Facebook, offers you the chance for successful push marketing. The visual aspect should not be forgotten either, because you can let off steam creatively with social ads and stand out from your competition with meaningful visuals.

Google Ads is a good choice, especially with a higher (daily) budget and for high-demand products. The advertising platform makes sense, especially if your products do not require a lot of explanation. If you offer the perfect solution to a frequently searched problem with your product or service, then you should also think about investing in Google Ads. Keep in mind that this form of advertising will broaden your target audience.

The criteria for the right paid channel in B2B

Here you can see all the criteria that you should consider when making your decision:

Budget

➡️ If your available media budget is rather low, then social ads often make more sense

High/low competition

➡️ If your competition in Google Ads is too strong, then it is better to rely on social ads

The goal of the campaign

➡️ If you want to create brand awareness, then social ads are often suitable. If your potential customers already know your product and are looking for similar products, then Google Ads is a good choice.

Level of the funnel

➡️ If your target group is in the upper part of the funnel, then either social ads with the goal "awareness" or "reach" are optimal. Google ads are particularly suitable in this phase if your product/service solves frequently searched problems.

 

➡️If you are in the middle of the funnel as a company, you have the opportunity to place social ads and choose the goals "Traffic" or "Engagement". Google ads are also suitable for this phase, but you often need a higher budget and cannot narrow down your target group as much.

 

➡️For the lower part of the funnel, you can select the appropriate campaign types in Social Ads. The “Conversions” goal, for example, is very suitable here. Google search ads are also good for this, consider the search volume of your keywords and the quality factor.

Conclusion: Your success with paid ads in B2B online marketing

As already mentioned at the beginning of the article, it is not about fundamentally deciding against a form of advertising. Rather, it is about picking out the channel for your planned project that represents the better investment in your individual case. For further projects, you may decide to go with the other channel.

Google Ads generally reaches a broader, less specific target group than social ads, but uses a well-thought-out keyword strategy to serve the search interests of your target group. They are also particularly good for generating brand awareness and buying interest, especially if you have created a new brand. If you want to increase sales or leads and cover a large search volume with your focus keywords, then Google Ads is the right choice for you and your potential customers.