Facebook vs. Google Adwords

[The Niche Man]

I'm hearing a lot of talk about Facebook replacing Google Adwords as the best place for PPC advertising. Has anyone tried Facebook PPC yet, and are you getting positive results? What's the downside and is the cost about the same?

There's a lot of get rich programs coming out concerning FB, just want to know is it really that hot or just hype? I know Facebook has over 600 million subscribers, but are they buyers, freebie seekers or just viewers? A major difference no one talks about.

[theplugindude]

You need to understand that ppl browsing in FB are NOT buyers..
THey are just out there to have fun..
And like google adwords..You can NEVER have auto pilot income in FB becoz of Banner blindness which leads to a reduction of CTR..
So - Google Adwords Rocks!

[Alex Lin]

I have tried facebook ad. My personal thought the traffic is not as good quality compare to adword. Visitors from adword are information seekers and real buyers. But facebook isn't target at keyword, visitors are just happened to be interested in your product when they saw it at the right corner and are not at final stage of decision to buy.

[zimzalabim]

Facebook offers good options for targetting your ads to specific groups of people/demographics. And very easy to set up.

Sure - the visitors are there though how many of them bother to look along the right hand side of the pages when they are logged in to Facebook is the key.

Are Facebook users there to interact with their friends, post on their wall etc or there to hunt out stuff to buy?

Yours,

Andy.

[the_icon]

IMO FB is a waste of time for the majority of the traffic it boasts. 500m users are not 500m buyers.

However if you can find a specific niche that people are into and offer them something for nothing that helps them then you can lead them into your blog or something like that.

For example, niche = model trains. You can laser target a certain demographic and then point them towards your model trains blog. Have in here a newsletter to sign up for. The type of people that go for model trains (just one of a million examples btw) like newsletters etc.

Hook them in and a few emails later, hit them with a CB product related to the niche.

Theres no point in firing in str8 away on FB ads because they are not there to buy. However drip feed them stuff they find useful and once they start trusting you then they may buy from.

[harrydog]

Having used facebook ads I can confirm that the users of facebook ARE NOT buyers. they are there to socially interact, they are not seeking info or looking to buy anything. There is a use for advertising on facebook and that is to drive people to a free offer or a fan page where you can share valuable info.
If you are looking to drive people to sales pages or squeeze pages PPC will win every time hands down.
Having bought some of the FB products it is obvious that the makers of these products don't use FB advertising or make any money out of it. The only way I see that using FB to make money is by building a creditable community around a subject or niche and passively market to them.
This is just my humble opinion
thanks
mark

[HaydenR]

That said, facebook is the future for outreach and generating impressions/brand recognition?

[Mike McAleer]

Originally Posted by HaydenR

That said, facebook is the future for outreach and generating impressions/brand recognition?

Yes... I could agree with that. Facebook is an impression building machine. I also agree that Facebook is not a place to find buyers. When I am on FB, I am just looking to chill, not be bombarded with ads.

[Vlad Bacioiu]

Even this is a good question if Facebook seems to be the future leader(next brand), I myself get the idea that google adwords is the best.I use it successfully

[Mrmuscle90]

It really depends what it is that you are advertising but ive had alot of success with facebook ads.

[SShip]

My choice is Adwords. I've been getting my clicks for one cent.

[Hassan Zobeen]

Google is investing 68% of their total income on Adsense publishers. I think Google is not a fool to go in loss by facebook, I know the income of facebook is more then or approx. equal to google, If google closer the service of Adsense & Adword, Google will go in the loss,
Yahoo which is a popular most site after Google, Facebook started a service liek adsense but after one or two meeting yahoo closed this service. You can read articles on Yahoo publisher account. you will come to know about the main story of closing this service of publisher's accounts

[mindmarketing]

I've tested a few campaigns with average results. However I had less than impressive results when I first started using Adwords.

It's defiantly a plus to be able to target markets with a specific demographic makeup. You custom pick attributes like the Age, Interest, Affluence, Geographic Location and FB lists the number of estimated users who fit that profile.

I guess the flip side to that even with so many variables, a lot of your advertising campaign is out of your control since you have no way of targeting motivated buyers.

Definitely set your campaign up with an external landing page of some kind. Unless you want to pay people to "Like" your FB page.

Marky Z definitely needs to come up with a better system for tracking ad campaigns too. You basically get a grid tallying your impressions, clicks, actions and your ad cost. I would LOVE to be able to find out just a little more about the people who are actually clicking my ads.

Does anyone know of a way to check competitors campaigns in FB? Like SpyFu for Facebook advertising? That would be sweet.

[MrWonton]

If your goal is brand awareness, then Facebook is fine. The demographic targetting options are pretty awesome!

If your goal is direct response, you just can't beat the Google Search Network.

[JackTriggs]

Getting strict is FB on ''internet marketing'' landing pages though

[giljimenez]

Coincidentally I was talking to a friend just last night. He said he spent $100 and went from
1,000 subscribers to his youtube video to 4,000 almost immediately.

I've spent tons of money on Google Adwords about 5 years ago. Made a lot but
lost a lot testing.

Facebook's advantage is that members put every interest they have on their profiles
so attracting a target market is tons easier.

I tried starting a facebook ad last year but it got disapproved because of the image
I used. Which made no sense. It wasn't offensive, inappropriate, or any of the sort.

Hopefully, they are less particular.

But I've heard great results through using their ads.

You'll really never know the real answer until you take action yourself.
I'll be looking into it again soon.

Hope this helps!
Gil

[darrenmonroe]

Originally Posted by The Niche Man

I'm hearing a lot of talk about Facebook replacing Google Adwords as the best place for PPC advertising. Has anyone tried Facebook PPC yet, and are you getting positive results? What's the downside and is the cost about the same?

There's a lot of get rich programs coming out concerning FB, just want to know is it really that hot or just hype? I know Facebook has over 600 million subscribers, but are they buyers, freebie seekers or just viewers? A major difference no one talks about.

Hey there my brother from another mother.
I have a saying "New Sh*t is old Sh*t with better branding" And THUS Facebook appears because all of the "GURUs" got kicked from Google world.

Facebook is the new baby daddy for the online marketer....until they get tired and kick them out.

So.....test it out as all marketers should but hey lean on no traffic strategy EXCEPT the one that converts. And even then diversify.

[PPC-Coach]

Adwords is going the way of the dodo bird for affiliate marketers. They just do not want us on there period. They're doing everything in their power to shift to the big spenders who are doing branding campaigns. Think of companies like Coca cola or Fedex. They want them and then they want small business owners, (but not as badly). They know that small accounts are a pain in the ass and are weeding them all out now. That said it's still possible to make it work there, but you have to play by their ever changing rules to do so. If you know they want a small business, be one.

Facebook is interuption marketing. People go on their to socialize, so GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT. Then give them what they need. (I've heard that somewhere before...LOL). It's definitely possible to be very profitable with FB but don't take the direct linking easy route. It's only easy in the setup. They're not going to buy from you until they know you. So get to know them. With their targeting you can setup communities that you can then market to easily, (without them even knowing). It's a longer haul and involves an investment up front to get the traffic, but pays off in spades. Now because of that, most short cut seeking affiliates, (90% of you), will never bother with this route. I know because I've seen it first hand.

[darrenmonroe]

Originally Posted by PPC-Coach

Adwords is going the way of the dodo bird for affiliate marketers. They just do not want us on there period. They're doing everything in their power to shift to the big spenders who are doing branding campaigns. Think of companies like Coca cola or Fedex. They want them and then they want small business owners, (but not as badly). They know that small accounts are a pain in the ass and are weeding them all out now. That said it's still possible to make it work there, but you have to play by their ever changing rules to do so. If you know they want a small business, be one.

Facebook is interuption marketing. People go on their to socialize, so GIVE THEM WHAT THEY WANT. Then give them what they need. (I've heard that somewhere before...LOL). It's definitely possible to be very profitable with FB but don't take the direct linking easy route. It's only easy in the setup. They're not going to buy from you until they know you. So get to know them. With their targeting you can setup communities that you can then market to easily, (without them even knowing). It's a longer haul and involves an investment up front to get the traffic, but pays off in spades. Now because of that, most short cut seeking affiliates, (90% of you), will never bother with this route. I know because I've seen it first hand.

Good point the conversation IS the brand. (Seth Godin)
But I dont know if I would call it interruption marketing as much as Linkedin is with the emails. Sure you could turn those emails off but the point is you have a greater opportunity to be directly marketed vs Facebook.

[Capitalist_Pig]

I don't know if it is kosher to link to your own site here, but I wrote a couple of posts a while back.

What I've Learned About Facebook Ads talks about my experience using Facebook ads to sell a physical product and build a following, and I also did a breakdown of a single example of a Facebook ad that I found to be somewhat successful.

It all boils down to what's been said above - Facebook users aren't looking to buy something. You're probably not going to see huge success trying to sell something directly - though some have. My approach is to get users to follow your business page, then use regular updates to keep them engaged, and soft sell to them over time. It's just like building an email list in a lot of ways.

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by PPC-Coach

Adwords is going the way of the dodo bird for affiliate marketers. They just do not want us on there period.

I disagree. I have very few problems promoting affiliate sites via AdWords.

[ohwowmart]

Google has already peaked. There are too many competitions in the Adwords market, saturated market means high ppc. Facebook is new but eventually it will reach to that point.

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by ohwowmart

There are too many competitions in the Adwords market, saturated market means high ppc.

Disagree completely. I am getting extremely targeted clicks for as low as $0.02 each.

[Aussie_Al]

Originally Posted by prats2992

You need to understand that ppl browsing in FB are NOT buyers..
THey are just out there to have fun..
And like google adwords..You can NEVER have auto pilot income in FB becoz of Banner blindness which leads to a reduction of CTR..
So - Google Adwords Rocks!

I totally agree - Facebook ads might be good for some CPA offers but forget about getting them in "buying mode"

Adwords for me

[kellyburdes]

There are some people who are using social media very effectively, but most people making money off social media are those teaching how to make money off social media.

I have a very good friend though who has built a $1.5million a year business using Facebook, Twitter and Stocktwits, and that's it. So, it is very possible.

Personally I've not had tons of luck myself with it, but having seen his results I know that it's not just the how to make money on social meda

[Lee Wilson]

I've not tried Facebook ads yet but I'm willing to bet those who are saying "it don't work" are doing it wrong and not testing / spending enough to find out why it doesn't work. The argument about FB users aren't buyers is a silly one. Newspaper readers and TV viewers aren't there for the ads, yet this has proven succesful for many years at a far greater cost to the advertiser compared to what you can do with PPC and the almost instant access you have to valuable testing data.

Out of 500m people, on any platform for any reason, there will be a huge amount of buyers. It's your job as an advertiser to find out who they are, what they want and how to sell it to them. What is 500m? Take away the multiple accounts, the marketing abuse / backlinking accounts, the young kids etc, that 500m will be significantly lower, but you can bet it still leaves a huge number of people worth marketing to - better targeted, and for a fraction of the cost of advertising in national papers / magazines. If you can't make something work with that then personally I wouldn't blame the venue.

[Capitalist_Pig]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

Disagree completely. I am getting extremely targeted clicks for as low as $0.02 each.

Mind sharing how? I thought the minimum CPC on Adwords was $.05...

Though maybe you're the guy that keeps giving me $0.01 EPC ads on my Adsense account

[Elion Makkink]

Originally Posted by The Niche Man

I'm hearing a lot of talk about Facebook replacing Google Adwords as the best place for PPC advertising. Has anyone tried Facebook PPC yet, and are you getting positive results? What's the downside and is the cost about the same?

There's a lot of get rich programs coming out concerning FB, just want to know is it really that hot or just hype? I know Facebook has over 600 million subscribers, but are they buyers, freebie seekers or just viewers? A major difference no one talks about.

I think facebook ads can be targetted more specifically and are more personal since they could be based on interests, education etc. Both do have advantages and disadvantages.

[Chris Worner]

Because you had poor results with FB Ads that means they are a waste of time?



If it is such a bad platform, then all the big name corporations and affiliate marketers who promote offers such as CPA must be completely dumb then.

Chris

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by Capitalist_Pig

Mind sharing how? I thought the minimum CPC on Adwords was $.05...

Though maybe you're the guy that keeps giving me $0.01 EPC ads on my Adsense account

Careful keyword selection, obtain a QS of 10, make use of the content network.

[Elion Makkink]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

Careful keyword selection, obtain a QS of 10, make use of the content network.

Sorry, but what is obtaining a QS of 10?

[Zeb]

I agree that FB ads advantages are brand awareness. It's not suited for affiliate marketers. While i'm just talking out of my opinions and not experience, it's common sense that FB users are not on FB to do any buying (though there might be a small minority who do buy) compared to google's search results (who users use to do research on products etc).

[Myheavens]

Well, I will Go with Google adwords as I dont have much success with facebook as an affiliate...

[galengruman]

As has been already pointed out, Facebook gives you better targeting, but you need to reckon about why people go to Facebook, & how receptive we're going to be to what you are promotion.

[Alishalopej]

Facebook is a new platform for online marketing and of course an easy way to create a fan base yet its cheaper and easily accessible to everyone because Facebook has become like "where there is internet there is face book" so I think its a great relief especially for those small online businesses that can't launch big funds for marketing.

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by Frank Abagnale

Sorry, but what is obtaining a QS of 10?

Oh, sorry. Quality Score is what determines ad placement and the cost you pay per click. Highly targeted ads and good click-throughs create a high quality score.

[Elion Makkink]

Originally Posted by galengruman

As has been already pointed out, Facebook gives you better targeting, but you need to reckon about why people go to Facebook, & how receptive we're going to be to what you are promotion.

Excellent way to determine whether to use fb or adwords!

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

Oh, sorry. Quality Score is what determines ad placement and the cost you pay per click. Highly targeted ads and good click-throughs create a high quality score.

How are highly targeted ads defined then? When lots of people click on it while searching with the same keyword?

[wolfmmiii]

Originally Posted by Frank Abagnale

How are highly targeted ads defined then? When lots of people click on it while searching with the same keyword?

By targeting highly-focused keywords and building landing pages that closely match them, you can obtain a decent quality score right off the bat. If you chosen keywords correctly, you can generate a high CTR which drives QS even higher, pushing down CPC

[Elion Makkink]

Originally Posted by wolfmmiii

By targeting highly-focused keywords and building landing pages that closely match them, you can obtain a decent quality score right off the bat. If you chosen keywords correctly, you can generate a high CTR which drives QS even higher, pushing down CPC

Great! Thanks for the information, I didn't know about this until now

[John Hocking]

For Selling, Google Adwords is still the best.

But Google is making a mistake by blindly baning advertisers and not giving them the ability to fix the issues. Many people have no choice to look to facebook and other sources.

I really like the way you can target the demographics of a user on facebook. This can help you get your offer in front of your best propect.

The issue with Facebook, is they are not looking to buy anything. You have to disrupt the view with a catchy image and ad title.
Creating fan pages and using the ads to get people to like them works better than trying to direct sell from the ad.

You can also use Home | Quantcast to help you determine the demographics of the site you are trying to promote.

You can also use Alexa Internet - Website Information

[Tyler Abernethy]

I would DEFINETLY say that you should follow by this rule

70-90% ---- Adwords
10-30% ---- Facebook

only use a lot of Facebook IF you have a product/service that targets a lot of buyers, for example. learn to invest, **** tons of people who see that will join your email list just to see whats up, or buy your product just to check it out

Regards,
Tyler Abernethy

[Uncleflag]

QS =quality score.

[William Prawira]

My personal opinion:

Facebook is better and a better way to gather mass...Why? If you are using google adwords, it's most likely that adwords users set different domain for different niche. While in facebook, you can set different apps, different niche (different but related one) on the same page. So when people see your ads, they click on it, they are forwarded to your landing page, and if they see around, they can see your other landing page as well

It's true that facebook users mostly are not there to buy things, but you still get a lot of "likes" . The one that likes your page, is a free advertisement as well. This likes number usually goes up along the way even if you leave it there just like that.

[Billy Rey]

brand recognition, and fanbase collection is my approach with fb ads. Definitely worth it.
Its like listbuilding but the people have pictures lol


Just remember to write good ad copy and use an attractive photo and keep on testing.

[scottyaks143]

Facebook is always the best!!

[anupkayastha]

I'm getting luck with Adwords.

[tottenmarg]

i think facebook users are just viewers, even if it has 600 million users, most people just browse facebook for searching their friends relatives, away from them. You cant expect them to be interested for some reason on advertising..

[suryaworldedu]

nice posting. Thanks for sharing these information.

[seoforu]

I think both of them are good options as they can get you traffic but if the requirement is to choose one then I will go with Adwords.

[rain21]

google adwords are still better than facebook ppc