Facebook or Google | What Paid Search platform is best for your Chicago business?

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Paid Placement programs are the microwaves of the Internet. Google Adwords can literally thrust your website to the front of the search engines. Google provides you with a captive audience and displays a list of their selected advertisements on the top of their search page. These ads link directly to your website or landing page immediately guaranteeing a focused audience. This is totally text based paid search. The revenue model of choice is CPC. You bid on what you want to pay for a visitor.

Facebook on the other hand, offers you paid search with a banner. You can add an image to your ad. Another big difference is that Facebook allows you to select user profiles and demographics. You have the choice of either selecting CPC or CPM (cost per thousand viewers).

Both of these paid search models allow you to turn on and off your ads with the click of a button. You are also able to modify your ad content to change your audience mix. Both of them also give you transparent tracking models so you can manage your spend online and track your conversion rates. They both can be targeted geographically as well.

I have a small marketing business and rely on organic marketing but, I am considering using both Facebook ads and Google Adwords. This will be a split test and my guess is that I will be happy using both of them to generate leads. The reason that I think both will have their advantages is, even though very similar in revenue models and account management, both attract different types of customers.

Google Adwords will attract immediate buyers who are more immediate in the purchase cycle. The competition will be higher for these customers but they are ready buyers. Facebook ads visitors on the other hand, are not actively seeking your services. You have to create a value proposition that is different than those you might offer an Adwords customer. The good news is that your competition is not ad great. These people only now decided that they needed you.

The real beauty of both of these services is that they are like marketing taxicabs. The meter is running and you can get out wherever you want. These are ideal ways to get customers to your business. I am going to test my website with these similar marketing channels once my website is completed. Leave a comment and I will respond.