Using online advertising is now a staple in the realm of digital marketing, and it is increasingly gaining popularity and acceptance thanks to the vast availability of social media sites and search engines. It’s these platforms that have made it necessary for businesses to create a powerful online presence to remain relevant.
There are several techniques businesses use for promoting their messages online. Two of these are paid social and paid search advertising. These methods make it easy for online users to find your business and the services or products you offer.
While both methods can be effective before you dive into using one or the other, it’s essential to understand what they are and how they work.
Getting to Know Paid Search
The paid search advertising platforms show ads in response to a user’s search queries. People see your business’s ads because they are actively searching for a solution to a specific problem. The audience is typically ready (or almost ready) to make a purchase. This is good news for your business.
If your goal is to get in front of potential customers with high purchase intent, paid search is hard to beat. You don’t have to convince the person they have a problem. Your job is to convince them that the solution you offer is the best one.
Getting to Know Paid Social
In contrast to paid search, paid social ads appear when people are browsing a social media platform, such as Reddit, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. Unlike paid search, the audience is actively searching for a solution to a problem.
On the surface, paid social advertising is like other classic forms of advertising, such as TV commercials, billboards, and radio ads. Instead of having to wait for your customers to come to you, you highlight a need and offer your business up as a viable solution.
The hope here is that people will resonate with your message and buy from you. Unfortunately, this is often an uphill battle.
The good news is, unlike TV ads and radio, you can track the performance of the paid social ads. This makes it easier to figure out how people are responding and then adjust your message or targeting efforts.
Another benefit offered by paid social advertising is that you can reach as big of an audience as you want. This means that if you want to build awareness for your services, products, or business, it’s hard to beat paid social’s reach.
What Option Is Best for Your Business?
In a perfect world, you would market everywhere on all platforms, all the time. However, for most companies, this isn’t practical. Financial and time limitations make it challenging to take advantage of all the advertising opportunities out there.
With that in mind, consider this question: should your business focus on paid social or paid search?
Ultimately, the right answer for your business depends on what you are marketing and who you want to market to. Also, consider your marketing goals.
Consider the following three common scenarios to find out which option is best:
Fast Results
If you need fast results, paid search is best. This is an effective way to find people who have already reached the bottom of your marketing funnel.
Keep Costs Down
If you want an affordable way to generate leads, paid social is a better solution. This is because you aren’t targeting the bottom of the funnel leads, which are well-known for costing more.
Build Awareness
While sales and profitability are important, there are only a certain number of people conducting online searches related to your business at once. If you want to grow beyond that point, build awareness.
Paid social is best. This allows you to share your product or service and generate more interest.
Getting Help
If you want to utilize paid search and paid social for your business, then seeking professional help may be a smart move. Generating effective advertising campaigns takes time and effort, so having help is a must.
If you are ready to get started with paid search or paid social, contact us. We are here to help you achieve your digital marketing goals.