# Google ads vs. facebook?



## warehouse (Jul 23, 2018)

Not sure which one truly delivers better results...


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

warehouse said:


> Not sure which one truly delivers better results...


 Facebook is good for targeting a niche. People who may not be looking to buy, but may buy when the see the product.
Google display is somewhat similar to facebook. 
Google adwords is for targeting people already looking to buy, and do a google search.


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## c22 (Jun 23, 2012)

why not both?


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## warehouse (Jul 23, 2018)

Agreed. But curious as to others level of success. Bang for buck, etc...


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

warehouse said:


> Agreed. But curious as to others level of success. Bang for buck, etc...


 Bang for buck depends on market research and strategy.
Here are some basic examples

*Adwords example 1:* If you are targeting the keyword "t-shirts", you will be burning money.
*Adwords example 2:* If you are targeting the keyword "beer t-shirt", and you have 50 different beer t-shirts, you will be making money.


*Facebook example 1:*
If you advertise a funny bacon t-shirt to everyone living in California, you will be burning money.

*Facebook example 2:*
If you advertise a funny bacon t-shirt to everyone living in California, and interested in BBQ (group hobbies etc) you will be making money. A good idea is to have a few other funny designs in the same category/niche (stake, burger, hot-dog, etc).


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## danversatrans (Aug 1, 2017)

That is well put TABOB  .....


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## pippin decals (Aug 26, 2015)

Facebook has been my whole business. Every customer becomes a new friend, and then their friends see my work and then it goes on and on .


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

pippin decals said:


> Facebook has been my whole business. Every customer becomes a new friend, and then their friends see my work and then it goes on and on .



That's a special case method for artistic people, or generally people whose niche is what they do. If you are Justin Bieber you will be selling thousands of shirts (as he does). If you are a YouTube with talent, then again you can sell t-shirts. Here is one I find funny https://www.youtube.com/user/msadaghd Many-many more methods to create your own niche.


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## NoXid (Apr 4, 2011)

TABOB said:


> Bang for buck depends on market research and strategy.
> Here are some basic examples
> 
> *Adwords example 1:* If you are targeting the keyword "t-shirts", you will be burning money.
> ...


Having depth of product in the niche being targeted is why ads can work for larger companies while being a waste for smaller ones--there is just a lot more product to leverage the ad expense across that might click with the potential customer.

Outside of some on-platform advertising, it has been a bust for me, and I agree with Tabob's take on this (at least about what doesn't work, but I suspect he is right about what does work too). Unfortunately, my best developed niches are not avertisable, so I can't try what I think would work.

In another thread, Tabob said that advertising success, in part, requires, "_knowing what to sell_." Here is where most of us fail. We create our smart-a$$, pretty, offensive, _art_, our *babies!* And then try to get people to buy them. "Starving artist" is a cliche, but it is based on fact. You do not often hear the term "starving accountant." I'm still not sure how to bridge the difference (for myself). If it were just money, I could go back to the day job and get 401k matching and healthcare, as well as a lot more money.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

NoXid said:


> In another thread, Tabob said that advertising success, in part, requires, "_knowing what to sell_."


That's what I said here too... "_market research and strategy_".
Not an easy thing to do, and big companies are spending millions in market research (active and passive).




*Also this:*


> Outside of some on-platform advertising, it has been a bust for me


 *is because of this*


> Having depth of product in the niche being targeted is why ads can work for larger companies while being a waste for smaller ones--there is just a lot more product to leverage the ad expense across that might click with the potential customer.


 Within a marketplace, you provide the variety (AKA "depth of product") for others, and others are provide the variety for you. This also is why (in most cases) having a shop in a shopping center is more profitable than having a small isolated shop. 



Advertising is not an easy thing to do, and this is why advice people to start with Ebay, Amazon, and Etsy. If you cannot sell there, you have no chance doing it on your own either.


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## Swaham (May 7, 2018)

Google ads, as well as Facebook ads both, have their own values and it depends on the business which will be better. If you are in E-commerce service it will be better if you do both facebook ads as well as google ads While you are having any business other than E-commerce it prefers Google ads.


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## TieDyeShirts (Jul 5, 2018)

If you have created some awesome graphic, then, go to Facebook ads to display them.


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## SunEmbroidery (Oct 18, 2007)

I read a thread on a webmaster forum a couple of days ago and they believe that a lot of small and medium business owners are using Facebook ads because they just can’t compete with larger companies for Google adwords. They were saying that a lot of new businesses don’t even think they need a web site and instead plan to do all their online marketing on social platforms. Of course they (webmasters) weren’t happy about this because this is one of the reasons why they’ve lost clients. Business evolves in cycles...


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## webtrekker (Jan 28, 2018)

SunEmbroidery said:


> I read a thread on a webmaster forum a couple of days ago and they believe that a lot of small and medium business owners are using Facebook ads because they just can’t compete with larger companies for Google adwords. They were saying that a lot of new businesses don’t even think they need a web site and instead plan to do all their online marketing on social platforms. Of course they (webmasters) weren’t happy about this because this is one of the reasons why they’ve lost clients. Business evolves in cycles...


People are using advertising on social platforms wrong. Rather than just selling stuff on facebook or whatever, they should be using it to promote their own online store, or integrate their store with facebook. If successful, they may not need facebook after a while.


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## TABOB (Feb 13, 2018)

SunEmbroidery said:


> I read a thread on a webmaster forum a couple of days ago and they believe that a lot of small and medium business owners are using Facebook ads because they just can’t compete with larger companies for Google adwords. They were saying that a lot of new businesses don’t even think they need a web site and instead plan to do all their online marketing on social platforms. Of course they (webmasters) weren’t happy about this because this is one of the reasons why they’ve lost clients. Business evolves in cycles...


Surely these "new businesses" need to have an online shop to be able to sell. How they advertise is a totally different issue. Obviously the reason webmasters lose business, is not related to advertising, and does not belong in this thread. 

As I have already explained with examples above, Facebook ads and google adwords are totally different types of advertising. Facebook ads cannot do what Adwords do and vice versa. There is of course a third type of advertising, the "display advertising" offered by the various display networks... but that's probably way too complicated for the average Joe.


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## lankmastaflex (Jun 11, 2018)

Google ad is worth it to get you site bumped to the top of your region. That way you can be above the top T-Shirt company in the city. 

If you're from Atlanta, make sure your website comes up in the sponsored section of google when someone puts in "custom t-shirt atlanta". Facebook probably isn't as good as doing that.


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## sublial (Mar 24, 2011)

What about advertising on ebay? 
I see shirts advertised and white toner printers.
What is better?
AL


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## ms6276176 (Jul 17, 2018)

one is pull marketing (google ads (search))
one is push marketing (Facebook ads)
choice is yours


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## sublial (Mar 24, 2011)

How do you apply and to whom to advertise on both Google and Facebook?
AL


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## lucycarter (Jun 17, 2019)

If you looking to increase leads for your business then Google Ads is the best option available but if you are looking to increase your reach among clients and customers , then Facebook Ads is best among all social media platform.


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## sublial (Mar 24, 2011)

Research and then test market on eBay. I am doing exactly that Bob. It is pointing me in the right direction by just seeing the activity versus what I was doing before I did new research.
Example: Why do people purchase a $15,000 to $20,000 printer to make the same end product as a $975.00 printer?
This may sound crazy but to understand this for marketing and advertising purposes is essential.
Thanks Bob,
AL


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## Skiver9 (Jul 29, 2019)

Google i find more productive, search for keywords to use and you will get more hits, more hits, more reach you will get. 

you have to understand it more on a personal level to proceed further. no offence. 
billions use google, and its the most hits ive had using it.


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## PatWibble (Mar 7, 2014)

I have a friend who was spending £400 a week on ad words, to gain about 100 sales per week of a £30 niche product. The cost per sale was high at about £4, which is similar to the commision and paypal fees on ebay or Amazon. The plus side is that he was getting better margin by selling from his own website than he would get by selling on ebay.

He was appearing at the top of the google listings nationaly for his product, but it took several months for the trade to build to a sustainable level.


There are two points here -
1 - Ad words are as expensive as any other type of marketing, and a budget needs to be invested before there is a return. There is no guarantee that clicks convert to sales.
2 - Niche products have a finite market by definition. Although it is possible to generate trade with ad words, when competitors follow your lead the pie doesn't get any bigger but the slice gets smaller. A small increase in competition can lead to an exponential decrease in sales. Ad word spend per sale goes up.


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## hakunamatata1 (Jul 30, 2019)

Tried both.... none worked for me. Its too expensive.
Now trying seo again... been 8 months... am stuck on 2nd page. nothing beats top google ranking


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## sublial (Mar 24, 2011)

Test marketing is working on ebay as far as traffic. I think I will now direct my webmaster to make my web site towards this direction to get sales.
AL

_____________


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## binkinfoosl (Feb 13, 2020)

Facebook is good for targeting a niche. People who may not be looking to buy, but may buy when the see the product.
Google display is somewhat similar to facebook.


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## animarket (Jul 8, 2010)

It's amazing how some of these old posts keep getting love. From day 1, net new - Facebook is best hands down. Just have to know how to target your market. It's the easiest way to get brand awareness too. If your product is awful - forget Facebook, Google, SEO, etc. You have to have a GREAT product no matter what channel you use.


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## barfridge (Mar 27, 2020)

Both can be very effective however in my experience I have seen most success with retargeting campaigns that promote catalogue sales using Facebook pixel tracking. These automated campaigns show products that people have previously viewed on your website in their Facebook feeds and Instagram feeds and encourage them to come back to finalise their order.

In all instances the most important metric to watch is ROAS (Return On Ad Spend). Generally I’m happy if I see a ROAS above x8 though I often see ROAS up to x30. The best campaign I’ve run had a ROAS of x178 however it had to end early as we ran out of stock.


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## LancerFlorida (Mar 20, 2018)

This is the part if the T-shirt business for gown-ups. Suddenly the realization that making the t's, however complicated we make it, is the EASY part.
Every business owner will share 'marketing' is the never ending challenge. Even mediocre product thrive with exceptional marketing.
The first evaluation you must make is what do you have the most of, Time or Money?
If it's time they invest in LOCAL and niche marketing. This can mean all within you sphere of influence (those who may know you from pre-school), folks with whom their exists a shared experience (today that is everyone if you can get a proper platform), a niche from which one can create a shared value. Invest your time and calling, meeting, blogging and blogging. How many businesses do you know that have ONLY a FB presence? That should be a clue.
If it's money you need to spend it in a leverage-able fashion. I would begin with investing the time or resource to create a social media 'Pillar Post." That is an authoritative blog to which you will refer or link all other marketing and social engagement. For example a 6,000 word post on how to evaluate apparel based on manufactures specs. Every product you list should be linked to the appropriate section of the pillar post. Now you have something to 'run with' when 'breathable' is a part of the description.
The same can be done to create relevance in "long tail' searches such as "T's with dogs in Dunedin Florida." Developing digital presence in searches for Dunedin and/or Florida and/or dogs and T's that build on the pillar post will create search engine relevance which could mean after to buy the initial traffic (budget thousands of dollars for your first year) your 'information' will allow you to create the internal list so you can reduce your contributions to FB and big G. Remember, LIST BUILDING, is a strategy that pays well when part of long term goals.
Last word....STAY OFF AMAZON.
What do I do? FB and G&G. The advise offered on this forum for how to help small business owners during the C-19 event will prove incredibly insightful. This was all about turning 'good will' into strategic advantage. This ship has not sailed yet so opportunity still exists with niche t-wearers.


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## CustomCreatives (Oct 6, 2020)

pippin decals said:


> Facebook has been my whole business. Every customer becomes a new friend, and then their friends see my work and then it goes on and on .


I have got a little business from FB not much is there anything specific you do?


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## Leona R Thomsen (Sep 29, 2021)

warehouse said:


> Not sure which one truly delivers better results...


I would say facebook is easy for getting started. Firstly, you don’t need a website to run ads. Plus you can use the same ad campaign manager to run the ads on Instagram, which is a huge advantage imo. If you have some idea about your customers, you are likely to get some results. 
With Google, you need to set up a website, worry about keywords and making the right bids, and a lot of other stuff. That said, Google is a much more stable platform compared to FB.


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