HVAC Online Marketing: Choose Facebook Ads, Not Google AdWords
Because of its flexibility, online marketing is becoming more popular each day. Facebook ads and Google AdWords are among the best ways to advertise your HVAC company. But, some people prefer Facebook ads over Google AdWords. Here are the reasons:
Facebook Ads Are Relatively Affordable
The Cost per Click (CPC) for a Facebook ad is almost 70% less than Google AdWords CPC. What you should understand is that Google AdWords use keywords when advertising. So, you must use an appropriate keyword for your product or service to appear at the top when customers search.
Some keywords are more popular than others, so most people tend to use them. The increased competition for these keywords pushes their prices very high. HVAC terms in Google Adwords have some of the highest cost-per-clicks, with some reaching $250 or more for a single click. This is unlike Facebook, whereby the cost of any word you use remains uniform even if its competition is high.
On top of this, Facebook also has more bidding options that may cost even less, including the Cost per Action (CPA) and Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM). You can also try these two options and measure their performance.
Better Targeting
With Google AdWords, you can apply a random keyword and hope it will be visible to customers. It is like gambling, especially when you do not have the budget to pay for a better keyword. Facebook ads use a different approach. The system provides you with the keywords and an estimate of their potential.
These keywords are aligned to the interests of Facebook users. They can be TV shows, sports, job descriptions, health programs, books, and relationships. Therefore, it becomes easy to target a specific audience rather than everyone on Facebook.
For instance, if you run an HVAC company in Philadelphia and want to target people between 30-55 years old who live within Philadelphia, Facebook ads can help you get them. However, Google AdWords cannot since it has no such specifications.
Facebook knows a lot about their users because they list their preferences when creating an account, so it’s easier to target the audience you need and avoid wasting time on an audience that may not be interested in your services. Google AdWords knows little about its users and cannot target them properly.
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An example of Facebook’s detailed targeting. (Courtesy of Air Conditioners USA)
Facebook Ads Allows You to Use Images
This feature of Facebook ads is very powerful. You can attach an image alongside your text which shows what the product you are advertising looks like. For example, ads with photos of air conditioners or complete HVAC systems can attract more clicks than using only text.
That is because images are eye-catching. Google AdWords does not have this feature. It only relies on texts, and not many people take their time to read through a text ad unless they need what you are offering. An image will attract those people considering new furnaces or full systems simply by putting it right in front of their eyes.
Besides images, Facebook ads also allow you to use videos. You can show eye-popping graphics that draw in customers to your business.
An example of a Facebook image ad. (Courtesy of Air Conditioners USA)
Facebook Ads Have More Freedom
The task of putting up a Facebook ad is less tedious than Google AdWords. Besides images and videos, there is more space for text. Google AdWords allows only 75 characters, but Facebook ad allows as many as 135 characters. The higher count means you can give more details about your products for better understandability. Also, unlike Google AdWords, Facebook ads recommend which words to use to avoid any potential copyright issues.
There are no restrictions on how creative you can get with Facebook ads. You can decide to use images, videos, and text all at once or only one of them at a time. You can also invite the target audience to participate in a contest and increase your brand awareness or email list.
It is Easier to Set-Up a Facebook Ad Account
Setting up a Facebook ad account is straightforward and user-friendly, unlike the Google AdWords account. It is also easier to manage since you will only be checking how your ad is performing and making a few adjustments whenever necessary. Google AdWords requires a lot of effort to manage. If you make a slight mistake, you may not get any results.
You Can Know Your Customers
Advertising aims to either get new customers or emphasize your product to the existing ones. Facebook ads allow you to know new and old customers.
You will know your regular customers, and it can be easy to offer them discounts to keep their loyalty. The custom audiences feature also allows you to target the customers that have used your services before. It increases the possibility of making a sale because a person who has previously had you in their home making service calls or installs is more likely to buy it again.
Even more interesting is that you can use the “lookalike ads” feature to target people with the same interests as your current customers.
With Google AdWords, it is impossible to do any of this since you do not know who your current or new customer is.
The current cost per click for HVAC keywords using Google AdWords is enough to choose Facebook Ads instead. Couple that with the number of ways Facebook can target your ads to their users, it easily becomes the current champion in the battle with Google AdWords as your best choice for online advertising. For more help, contact the Facebook Ads experts at HVAC Grow.Looking for a reprint of this article?
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