Google Ads vs. Facebook Ads: Which is the Best Choice for Your Hearing Practice?

| 7 minute read | Paid Advertising

Google Ads and Facebook Ads (provided by Meta Platforms Inc.) account for 44.8% of ad spend in the US, making them the dominant players in the paid advertising market. As a result, the two are often compared and contrasted as advertisers decide which platform is best for their needs and budgets. 

The truth is that Google Ads and Facebook Ads have unique and complementary benefits, making each useful within a well-rounded ad strategy. For hearing professionals, both Google Ads and Facebook Ads can play a critical role in reaching patients at different stages of their decision-making journey. 

In this post, we’ll explore the benefits of Google Ads and Facebook Ads and explain how you can best leverage each platform for your practice. 

What Are Paid Ads?

Paid ads are a form of digital advertising where businesses pay to place promotional content in front of their target audience. These ads use specific demographics to create and display content related to a product or service relevant to a target audience. The digital landscape is increasingly crowded, and paid ads can help hearing professionals rise above the noise, drive relevant website traffic, generate patient leads and book more appointments. 

The most common form of paid ads is pay-per-click (PPC), where advertisers pay a fee each time a user clicks on their ad. Both Google Ads and Facebook ads are PPC, making them excellent options for managing costs while reaching relevant and local patient audiences interested in hearing care services.

Similarities and Differences Between Google Ads and Facebook Ads: A Quick Overview

Key Similarities  

PPC Model and Bidding Process: As mentioned above, Google Ads and Facebook ads operate as PPC models. Both platforms use an auction process to determine ad delivery. On Google, prices are set in the form of “bids,” which are the costs advertisers are willing to pay for a click on an ad. On Facebook, prices are set on impressions, which determine when and where ads appear.

Robust Audience Targeting: While the basis for audience targeting is different on each platform (more on that later), both Google Ads and Facebook Ads allow advertisers to target specific demographics like age, location, interests, behaviors and more. 

Ad Performance Tracking: Google Ads and Facebook Ads provide tools for tracking campaign performance, including metrics like impressions, click-through rate (CTR) and cost per click (CPC). Metrics help advertisers monitor ROI and understand how to refine their strategy for the best results. 

Visual Elements and Customizations: Both platforms support customized ad creation tools and visuals, including images and videos. Visual components help advertisers create ads consistent with their brand and make them more attractive and engaging to their audience. 

Flexibility and Control: Google Ads and Facebook Ads provide ample flexibility and control over ad campaigns. Advertisers can adjust their campaign bids, budgets, targeting, visuals and messaging based on ad performance. This helps advertisers refine and improve their ads over time, leading to better results in the long run.

Key Differences

Paid Search vs. Paid Social:

  • Google Ads is tied to Google Search. With paid search, advertisers pay to have their ads featured on relevant search engine result pages (SERPs) generated from search terms (keywords).
  • Facebook Ads leverages the platform’s extensive social networking data to show ads to people most likely to be interested in the advertised product or service. These ads appear in places like the news feed and sidebar.

Basis for Targeting:

  • Google Ads primarily targets based on user intent. Advertisers using Google Ads bid on keywords (words and phrases users enter into the search bar) relevant to their target audience.
  • Facebook Ads does not target based on keywords. Instead, it uses demographic data to create a target audience profile based on age, gender, location, interests and behaviors gleaned from users’ interactions on the platform. 

User Intent:

  • Google Ads generally captures high-intent traffic since ads are shown to people actively looking for solutions. This makes it ideal for capturing existing demand at the consideration stage of the marketing funnel.
  • Facebook Ads capture interest in a lower-intent environment since ads appear while users browse their feeds. This makes Facebook Ads especially useful for creating demand, building brand awareness and nurturing leads at the top of the marketing funnel.

Costs:

  • Cost can vary widely on both platforms depending on your target audience, competition within your market and other factors. However, costs tend to be higher on Google Ads due to its high-intent traffic. 
  • Facebook Ads generally offer lower costs while reaching a larger audience and delivering more impressions to help advertisers achieve their goals.

How Google Ads Can Benefit Your Hearing Practice

Google holds over 91% of the search market share, making it the top platform for digital advertising. As a result, Google Search Ads are where we prioritize our strategy and ad spending for our clients in the hearing industry. 

High-Intent Audience. As mentioned above, Google Ads excels at capturing high-intent users, which makes them especially effective during the consideration stage of the patient journey. These are people searching for hearing care using terms like “hearing aids,” “audiologist near me,” or “best solutions for hearing loss.” By targeting audiences like this, hearing practices can make themselves more visible to new patients and increase phone calls and appointment bookings. 

Local Targeting. Capturing relevant local traffic is crucial for hearing practices. With Google Ads, you can indicate a specific radius where your ads will be shown, ensuring that your advertising budget is focused on reaching prospective patients within your service area. 

Increased Visibility and Competitive Advantage. While larger chains or more established competitors might enjoy a broader reach and brand awareness, Google Ads can help hearing practices of all sizes increase their visibility on SERPs, helping to even the playing field in local search results. 

How Facebook Ads Can Benefit Your Hearing Practice

Thanks to its broad audience and social context, Facebook Ads are a great choice for reaching patients during the awareness stage of the patient journey. Sharing engaging, educational content through ad campaigns helps build brand recognition and informs your audience about the importance of regular hearing check-ups. At AudiologyDesign, we use Facebook Ads to help hearing professionals create demand for their services, promote events and boost patient engagement.

Audience Granularity: Facebook users regularly consume and share content related to a wide range of interests, including life milestones, hobbies, community engagement, career updates, personal values and more. This data allows advertisers to tailor specific, effective messages to their target audiences. For example, a hearing practice might target individuals involved in health and wellness groups, senior citizen communities or have shown interest in hearing technology. 

Visual and Interactive Ad Formats: Facebook Ads are excellent tools for visual storytelling. Hearing practices can use images, infographics and carousels to educate a broad audience about hearing loss and the benefits of seeking treatment. Facebook Ads are interactive, allowing users to engage directly with your practice in the comment section. Many practices use Facebook Ads to promote in-office events and special promotions. 

Cost-Effective for Brand Awareness: While every ad campaign is different and costs will vary depending on the industry, audience and campaign goals, Facebook Ads can be a cost-effective option for brand awareness and engagement. You can set and adjust your budget based on the reach and outcomes you desire, making it a flexible option for practices of all sizes.

The Bottom Line

Hearing practices can utilize both Google Ads and Facebook Ads to generate leads, nurture patient relationships and book more appointments. Both platforms offer unique tools and tactics to reach potential patients, but how and when they’re implemented will vary based on your goals. 

If your priority is to boost visibility in search results and capitalize on high user search intent, Google Ads is the best option. However, if your goal is to increase your brand awareness and establish a strong community presence online, Facebook Ads would provide more value. For many hearing professionals, a strategic combination of Google Ads and Facebook Ads offers the best of both worlds. 

If you’re unsure where to start or how to optimize your digital advertising efforts effectively, the expert team at AudiologyDesign is here to help. Book a free consultation to learn more about generating more patient leads and appointments for your hearing practice!