Social Ads vs Google Ads: Which Strategy Boosts Business Growth?

A question we get a lot from our clients is which ads should we run? Google or social media ads? In today’s article, we’ll detail this so that you can more easily understand which is the best choice for your business. 

As we have had significant experience in this area, we’re excited to guide you through this crucial decision that can significantly impact your online presence and drive growth. With the digital landscape constantly evolving, it’s essential to understand the strengths of each approach to make informed decisions about your advertising campaigns.

You’ll discover that both social media marketing and Google Ads offer unique advantages for businesses looking to increase website traffic and generate leads. Social platforms like Facebook provide powerful targeting options, allowing you to reach specific audiences based on interests and behaviors. On the other hand, Google’s search engine dominance means your ads can appear right when potential customers are actively searching for your products or services. As we explore this comparison further, you’ll gain valuable insights into how each strategy can impact your conversion rates and help you achieve your business goals.

The Power of Social Ads

In the world of digital marketing, social ads have become a game-changer for businesses aiming to boost their online presence and drive growth. You’ll find that leveraging social media platforms can significantly enhance your brand visibility and engagement with your target audience. Let’s dive into the key aspects that make social ads a formidable tool in your marketing toolkit.

Platform Diversity

One of the most exciting advantages of social ads is the ability to diversify your marketing efforts across multiple platforms. By spreading your ad spend across various channels, you can take a more user-centric approach and expand your reach to different demographics. Consider these fascinating facts:

  • The most popular social media platforms in South Africa include WhatsApp (93.9% usage among social media users), Facebook (88.4%), TikTok (73.6%), and Instagram (71.8%)
  • Social media’s total user base has skyrocketed from 970 million in 2010 to 3.81 billion.
  • In 2024, South African social media users typically manage multiple accounts, with the average user estimated to handle around 8.1 accounts, reflecting high multi-platform engagement.

This growth in multi-networking is partly due to the increasing number of platform choices and the specialisation of individual platforms.

Visual Appeal

The power of visual content in social ads is truly remarkable. As a marketer in the digital realm, it’s crucial to consider that 65% of people are visual learners, making visual content an essential part of any marketing strategy. Here’s why visual content is so important:

  • Visual content receives 94% more views than text-only content
  • Posts with images on social media platforms receive 150% more engagement compared to those without visuals
  • Tweets with visual content get 18% more clicks, 89% more likes, and 150% more retweets than text-only tweets
  • Facebook posts with images receive 2.3 times more engagement than those without

To harness the power of visuals in your social ads:

  1. Invest in high-quality, compelling visuals that align with your brand
  2. Use a mix of images, videos, and infographics to keep your content diverse and engaging
  3. Tailor your visual content to each platform’s unique audience and format requirements

Engagement Metrics

To unlock the full potential of social ads, it’s essential to understand and effectively measure social media engagement. This is no longer a nice-to-have but a strategic must-have. Here are key metrics to keep an eye on:

  1. Likes and reactions
  2. Comments
  3. Shares and reposts
  4. Click-through rates (CTR)
  5. Follower and subscriber growth
  6. Mentions and tags
  7. Time spent on content

By measuring these engagement metrics, you can:

  • Gain insights into your audience’s preferences and behaviors
  • Assess the ROI of your social media campaigns
  • Benchmark your performance against competitors
  • Spot issues early and respond promptly to potential crises
  • Optimise your content strategy for maximum impact

To effectively measure engagement, calculate your engagement rate using this simple formula:

(Total engagement / Total followers or reach) x 100

This relative measure allows you to compare performance across platforms and campaigns, giving you a clear picture of your social media success.

The key is to keep trying new things, looking at what works, and improving your social media strategies.

Google Ads: The Search Engine Powerhouse

When you’re looking to boost your business, Google Ads is a fantastic tool, thanks to its dominance in the search engine world. With its huge reach and smart targeting options, Google Ads gives you a great chance to connect with potential customers right when they’re thinking about buying.

Targeting Based on Search Intent

One of the best things about Google Ads is how it can target people based on what they’re searching for. This means you can reach folks who are actively looking for products or services like yours. 

For example, commercial keywords show that someone is thinking about buying something or researching a purchase. These are really valuable because they often lead to more sales. On the other hand, informational keywords suggest that someone is just looking for information and might not be ready to buy yet.

Remember, keywords that show high buying intent usually cost more to bid on, especially at the lower end of the price range, which shows how valuable they are to advertisers.

The Display Network

While search ads are great, Google’s Display Network (GDN) offers another way to reach potential customers. The GDN covers over 90% of the internet, so your ads can show up on millions of websites, videos, and apps.

Display ads are different from search ads in a few ways:

  1. Format: Search ads are just text, but display ads are visual, like banner ads or sidebar ads.
  2. Intent: Search ads engage with people who are actively looking to buy, while display ads reach people earlier in their buying journey.
  3. Reach: The Display Network can reach more people than search ads, which only show up on Google’s search results pages.

One big advantage of the GDN is that it reaches lots of people at a low cost. This makes it great for building brand awareness or reaching people who might not be actively searching for your products yet.

Tracking How Well Your Ads Are Doing

To make sure your Google Ads campaigns are successful, it’s important to keep an eye on how they’re performing and analyse the results. Google gives you several tools and metrics to help you track and improve your campaigns effectively.

One of the most important things to look at is your Return on Investment (ROI). This shows you how much profit you’re making compared to how much you’re spending. 

By using the powerful features of Google Ads – from targeting based on search intent to comprehensive performance tracking – you can create really effective campaigns that help your business grow and get the most out of your ad spend.

Comparing ROI: Social vs Google Ads

When you’re trying to decide between social ads and Google Ads, understanding the return on investment (ROI) is super important. Let’s look at the key factors that influence ROI for both platforms.

Cost Per Click Comparison

When it comes to advertising costs, social ads and Google Ads can be quite different. As of August 2024, Facebook Ads are generally cheaper, with an average cost per click (CPC) of R13.63. Google Ads, on the other hand, average R74.68 per click. But these numbers can change a lot depending on what industry you’re in.

For example, if you’re selling clothes, you might only pay about R7.96 per click on Facebook. But Google Ads can be much pricier, with an average CPC of R47.60 across all industries. Some Google keywords can be super expensive – like “insurance”, which costs a whopping R971.72 per click!

Conversion Rates

While CPC is important, what really matters is how many clicks turn into actual customers. This is where Google Ads often shines. When someone searches on Google, they’re usually ready to buy something, which can lead to more sales.

Social media ads are great for getting your brand out there and connecting with people. They might not lead to as many direct sales, but they can be a cost-effective way to get leads. Social platforms are really good at targeting specific groups based on what people like and who they are.

Let’s look at the average cost per action (CPA) for both:

Platform

Average CPA

Facebook Ads

R330.57

Google Ads (Search)

R866,43

Google Ads (Display)

R1336,27

As you can see, Facebook Ads generally cost less per action, which is great if you’re on a tight budget.

Long-term Value

When planning your advertising, it’s important to think about the long-term benefits too. Social media platforms like Facebook are great for building relationships with customers over time.

  1. Brand Awareness: Social ads let you create eye-catching content that sticks in people’s minds.
  2. Audience Targeting: Facebook’s targeting options are really detailed, helping you reach exactly who you want.
  3. Remarketing: Both platforms let you show ads to people who’ve already shown interest in your brand.

Google Ads might cost more, but they’re great for engaging people right when they’re ready to buy. This can lead to higher-quality leads and potentially more valuable customers in the long run.

Many businesses find that using both platforms together works best. This way, you can reach people at different stages of their buying journey and create a well-rounded marketing strategy.

Conclusion

Digital advertising offers lots of ways to grow your business. Both social ads and Google Ads have their strengths. Social platforms are great for visual appeal and targeting specific audiences, helping you build brand awareness and connect with potential customers. Google Ads are perfect for reaching people who are actively looking for what you offer.

The best choice depends on what your business needs and who you’re trying to reach. Often, using both strategies together works best, as it covers different parts of the customer journey. To get the most out of your marketing, it’s important to keep an eye on how your ads are performing and make changes as needed. If you’d like help figuring out the best strategy for your business, feel free to get in touch with us at contact@leadagency.co.za for a free chat about your marketing plans.