In our October Instagram Live, we answered your questions about social media ads, and last month, we dug even deeper into Google Ads. 

To begin, let’s discuss how social media ads and Google Ads are different. 

The main difference in the two types of advertising is the platforms where they run. When people talk about social media ads, they’re referring to ads on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, TikTok, and Pinterest. These are all platforms that allow you to scroll your feed and interact with others.

Google Ads, then, are run on Google Search and other companies in Google’s network, like Google Maps, YouTube, and Blogger. Google Ads are based on keywords that a potential new customer enters into their search bar. The ads appear at the top of the page and throughout the search results. 

When someone searches on Google, they usually do so with intent, meaning that Google Ads capture users at the moment they are looking for something specific. This tactic is super powerful when it comes to converting clicks to sales. Conversely, users on social media are in a more relaxed, social mindset. Given this perspective, social media ads are great for building brand awareness, attracting and engaging with followers, and driving leads by influencing purchasing decisions. 

Because of these differences, it’s important to tie your goals to your ad choice. Think about how a user engages within the platform when determining where to run your ads. 

Many of our clients ask if Google My Business is the same as Google Ads. 

They are actually quite different! Google My Business is a section that you see to the right of your search results. It includes details about your business, including address, hours, photos, and reviews. Google My Business is very important to your digital footprint: It allows you to manage your online presence and local visibility of your brand alongside search results.

Google Ads appear directly in the search results and are noted with Sponsored — that’s how you know it’s an ad. These ads blend rather seamlessly into other search results, which is helpful for a positive user experience. 

At Carlisle & Co., we take a specific approach to set-up Google Ads for our clients.

There’s a lot that goes into this behind the scenes! If someone shows interest in Google Ads or if we believe they would be a good fit based on a client’s goals, we begin by completing three types of research.

Brand research

Here, we chat with the client about their brand and review their website and social media pages. Our goal is to get a good sense of their business: what they do, what they need, what they want to focus on, and more. 

Keyword research

For keyword research, we spend a lot of time browsing a brand’s digital footprint to determine the terms they use most often. We put ourselves in the shoes of the brand’s target audience and think about how they would search for and interact with the brand. For instance, for a client in the medical field who wants new patients, we may explore a keyword like “best doctors office in [client location].”

Note that these keywords also tie into the website content and search engine optimization (SEO) efforts that fall under our digital marketing services. Whether we’re writing a monthly blog post, building out a new website, or pursuing Google Ads, we’re always working with these relevant keywords in mind. 

Competitors research

As we’re completing the keyword research, we’re also noting what sites pop up in current search results and who is running ads — meaning our client’s future competitors.

Once we’ve compiled our advertising data and analytics, we pull together a forecasting report and budget strategy. 

The forecasting report includes an initial keyword list along with an estimation of search volume and the cost-per-click (CPC) ranges for each keyword. Taken together, our research and reports allow us to create a plan for best showcasing a client’s offerings and reaching their target audience. There are endless options that we can customize for each need and business goal.

Want to know more about Google Ads? Check out our November Instagram Live for the rest of our conversation!

If you’re looking to expand your online reach with digital marketing services, please reach out to our team today.