A Conventional wisdom teaches us that mankind evolved from hunters to gatherers, and in doing so were able to form static, larger and more successful groups – it was one of the pivotal moments in human history. But the most successful communities were those that didn’t put their eggs in one basket, allowing then to maintain a balance in their approach and mitigate the risks of a single method failing and rendering the community no longer viable.

But what an earth does the evolution of mankind have to do with digital marketing, and specifically the two channels of Google Ads and Facebook marketing? Well, like our forebears, we are prone to favour which we are familiar with, and sometimes find it hard to recognise a change in the environment and push ourselves to adapt. Google Ads and Facebook marketing are strong channels in their own rights, however can deliver a more successful marketing strategy when used together. Many small businesses are adapting their plans across both channels to deliver a stronger more coherent plan for their business.

Google Ads has one very clear and important central tenet that is vital to remember; the user has actively entered a search term.  Usually, they have made the mental leap to identify a potential need and are already in the mind frame to purchase. Google Ads is therefore a vital element of any successful digital marketing strategy, and a business must hunt those individuals with a focused precision. A successful hunt will result in a likely sale; the holy grail of a business, which generates cash through the tills, new relationships and opportunities for more sales. To ignore the search-based marketing channel would be to risk losing sight of what almost all businesses exist to do – sell ‘stuff’.  As with any single marketing strategy, just relying on hunting through Google Ads increases risk. It’s a little more expensive than other marketing streams and it’s well known that getting people to actually commit to buying online is a problem all companies face. In a manner similar to the hunters of early mankind, those who rely purely on hunting could often be disadvantaged by circumstances outside their control – the arrival of a rival ‘tribe’ (online competitor) with more money to resource their Google Ads for example.

Facebook Marketing – The Gatherer

If Google Ads is about the hunt, then Facebook is about the gathering.  It’s more efficient and cheaper than Google Ads in terms of conversions, but it doesn’t have that crucial search intent, hence it’s akin to generating brand awareness and gathering leads.  Facebook’s marketing tools and focused campaign plan is both flexible and fully customisable so it’s more likely to generate a crop of interest and traffic, which can be nurtured over time to deliver those all-important sales.  Facebook marketing can be the less immediate of the two channels in delivering a sale, however it can and should be used to build the brand and profile of your business through delivering content and ads which interest your audience.  It also works to deliver social proof, something which potential customers actively search out in today’s market.

Optimised for success

Whilst both Google Ads and Facebook marketing present obvious benefits, the best option is a balanced approach of both, primarily because their differences work well together.  Developing a balanced strategy that leverages those strengths requires all involved to invest some additional time and effort in understanding and executing an effective hunter-gatherer approach, but that additional effort has got to be worth it. After all, if evolving and adapting to master new and novel techniques worked for our ancestors, then we should probably learn from their success!