Are Google Ads or Facebook Ads Better for Medical Practices?
The world of online marketing can be complex and overwhelming to navigate. The cost of advertising online can be expensive – the cost of not advertising online even more expensive! So how do you know where to spend your marketing dollars online? Recently one of our subscribers wrote in and asked me, “I only have a limited marketing budget. Which would you recommend I spend my advertising dollars on, Google Ads or Facebook Ads?” It’s a great question with a fairly simple answer. Google Ads! Why? Because Google Ads are the new Yellow Pages. When people need a service provider, they turn to Google. Facebook, on the other hand, is more like a coffee shop. People turn to Facebook when they are looking for experiences, entertainment, opinions, or escapism. Ads related to this aspect of marketing do well on Facebook. Medical Practices, however, tend not to fall into these categories. So your ad revenue is better spent on Google Adwords. Where Facebook is Helpful Facebook allows you to target people who buy certain types of things. On Facebook you can see things like what your customers look like, how they act, and what they enjoy doing. It is a great place to engage with customers on a personal basis and build your brand. Best Ways to Utilize Google Ads You should start by testing your Google Ads using text ads. These text ads are most beneficial when you are only advertising in Google Search. This is where I recommend you spend the most of your marketing dollars in online marketing for your Medical Practice. If you are offering new services that people may not necessarily need at the moment, you might consider advertising on the Google Search Network. When you find text ads that are converting good traffic to your website, turn those text ads into Image Ads and Banner Ads on the Google Display Network. When you begin utilizing the image ads, play around with them. You should try a huge variety of approaches with image ads to test which ads convert traffic the best. A good rule of thumb is to experiment with between 25-50 images. A Deeper Look at Facebook Ads vs. Google Ads Google Ads represent a fixed set of offers in a passing parade of people. Facebook Ads on the other hand represent a fixed set of people in a passing parade of offers. If you opt to utilize Facebook Ads, your job as a marketer is to keep offering free stuff to people in your ads to grow your Medical Practice email marketing list or Facebook likes (I highly recommend focusing on the first option). Finally, if you are going to use Facebook Advertising in conjunction with your Google Ads, I suggest you utilize the Facebook Power Editor, which is a Google Chrome extension. The Power Editor allows you to create custom audience targeting and also has a feature allowing you to target your current patients (using your email list) when you have new services to offer or when you are hosting an event at your Clinic. Want to learn even more about maximizing Social Media Marketing for Your Medical Practice? Check out this great online tutorial by clicking here, or make plans to join us in June at the Medical Marketing Conference at the Disneyland Hotel.
Article By: Tina Bell Tina Bell is the Director of Marketing for HealthCARE Express®, where her responsibilities include spearheading the company’s social media and internet strategies, leading the in-house physician recruitment team, and developing aggressive programs to promote patient satisfaction and effective service recovery. Tina speaks nationally at industry conferences including the Medical Practice Association of America and the National Association of Occupational Health Professionals. She is the director of business development for Medical Practice Success and an independent Medical Practice marketing consultant.
