Google Ads and Meta Ads account for well over 50% of digital ad revenues. In some markets, like the UK, it’s over 70%. Both platforms are excellent ways to reach your target market. However, when used together, they can help brands reach a wider audience and make an impact at different stages of the sales funnel.
Many brands already use Google and Meta Ads. But typically, they employ them to do the same thing. However, each platform excels at different stages of the customer journey.
Let’s explore the different strengths of each ad platform.
Meta ads
Meta ads are excellent for awareness. Meta connects ads to users based on a mix of demographics, interests, location, and other factors.
As a result, users are served ads while they browse the app. It’s a perfect way for users to discover products and services.
Meta Ads’ most significant power is as a top-of-funnel advertisement. The ad platform targets cold prospects, i.e., people who haven’t heard about your brand. This approach is more long-term, and some marketers suggest spending about 80% of their Meta Ads on connecting with a broad audience of prospects, some of which will gradually move to the consideration stage upon seeing an ad.
Google Ads
Google Ads are more intent-based. For example, Search Ads serve users advertisements based on the keywords they’ve entered into the search engine.
As a result, Google Ads are best for middle and bottom-of-funnel situations because users are already aware of the product and actively seek information that can help them evaluate a product or service.
Google Ads are great at turning prospects into leads. Of course, achieving this means aligning your marketing message with your landing pages. But as a general rule, when a prospect is searching for your brand, that intent is a surefire way to know they are interested in what you do and want more information.
Of course, it’s worth noting that both Google Ads and Meta Ads can be used as standalone approaches for marketing and advertising. They both have options that allow you to make full-funnel sales. And they are both very effective at their job.
However, the purpose of this article is to find ways for you to get an edge over your competitors. As such, we propose that by using these platforms together, you can develop a strategy that allows you to wring extra value and ROI from your campaigns.
So, let’s explore how you can use Google Ads and Meta Ads together.
How to use Google Ads and Meta Ads together
As mentioned above, many marketing teams already use Google and Meta Ads.
However, instead of looking at their complementary strengths, they often use both in the same way.
Much writing in the marketing community about these two platforms compares their performance. Most of these comparisons are made to see which is better at driving sales and revenue. However, we think this is the wrong way to examine the problem.
Instead of comparing the two to see which one brings the best return on advertising spending, perhaps the best approach is to understand what they can do together.
How Google Ads and Meta Ads serve different sections of the sales funnel
Figuring out how to unlock Google and Meta Ads’ potential requires us to think about how prospects use each platform for different customer journey stages.
Let’s imagine that a potential user is browsing Meta. They see an ad for your product or service. The ads target these users based on their interests and various other information. Sometimes they will click on the ad; however, quite often, the creatives and copy will just lodge in their mind.
Now your business is on their radar. What next? Often, they will Google your business to find out more. They want to see what others have to say about your brand. Some content they are interested in is reviews, product comparisons, related YouTube videos, etc.
So instead of clicking an ad and getting sent to your landing page, they are looking around the internet to find out about your product. They’ve moved into the research and consideration phase, but you won’t know it because they haven’t necessarily clicked your ad. Or, in some situations, perhaps they have clicked your ad, but they are showing intent at a later date.
Where Google Ads come in
Now is a perfect time for Google Ads. Let’s think about how Search Ads work. At its simplest, you choose keywords that your audience searches for. This can include any terms and phrases related to your brand. That’s perfect when you want to capture users’ intent when searching for a solution.
Five ways to use Meta Ads and Google Ads together
Now that you understand each platform’s relative strengths let’s look at how to use them together.
#1. Multiple touchpoints
Statistics suggest it takes around six to eight touchpoints to make a sale. Customers rarely buy a product the first time they hear about it. So, Meta Ads can work as one touchpoint, with Google Ads providing different interactions to move customers along.
#2. Boost brand searches with Meta Ads
As we’ve mentioned above, many prospects look at Meta Ads but don’t click through. However, while their Meta ad might not have “converted,” that’s not to say they aren’t paying attention. Indeed, some people will see an ad and then go to Google to learn more about the business.
So capture this intent by including your brand’s name in your Google Ad keywords. When your prospects search for your business, your ads or landing page will appear at the top.
#3. Match your messaging across both platforms
The next thing you need to do to ensure Google and Meta Ads are working together is to match your messaging. Run similar or complimentary copy on both platforms so that users get a consistent message when searching for your brand name.
Pro tip: You can also align your Meta Ad headlines with your Google keywords. For example, if your Meta ad copy slogan is something like “guaranteed next day flower delivery,” consider using that phrase as part of your Google Ads to capture any users that have imputed the term after seeing your Meta ad.
#4. Combine visuals and texts on both platforms
One of the best things about social media ads is their visual impact. Because text and video are such a big part of these platforms, it makes sense to use them to promote products with a striking appearance.
However, what if you have a product that looks great but has functions and features that need to be explained? That’s where combining both platforms will work well.
Again, the principle is similar. Create awareness or interest with Meta Ads, then close the deal with Google Ads copy that connects well with your prospects’ pain points. It’s all about taking advantage of intent and serving ads when your audience searches for particular terms.
#5. Cross-platform retargeting
Using Google Ads to capture cold prospects from Meta could be seen as retargeting. However, it’s not very precise because it looks to capture the set of users who have seen an ad but haven’t clicked through. Because these users haven’t engaged with your brand yet, there is no data to retarget them.
But what about when you do have intent data? You can use cross-platform targeting.
This trick is simple if you use unique landing pages for specific campaigns. So, if you have a Google ad that connects a keyword (or keywords) to your landing page, you can also use this information on your Meta Ads.
For example, you could work the search term into your Meta headline or ad copy. Because you know that your typical user employs this term when searching for your brand, it can signal that this term will connect with your potential audience on Meta too.
Summary
Google Ads and Meta Ads are two of the biggest ad platforms in the game. Most marketing teams use both platforms, but not everyone understands how to use them together to unlock more sales, leads, or other types of conversion.
The key takeaway here is that each platform is good at specific things. Meta Ads are best at driving awareness, while Google Ads are better at closing deals. When used in harmony, you can build a sales funnel populated by your Meta ads, thanks to the platform’s sophisticated audience targeting. Then, as that audience searches for information about your product or service, you can use their intent to push them toward conversion.
It’s simple, effective, and a great way to outwork any competitor using each platform separately. So try it out today!
