Often, marketers view advertising platforms like Google and Facebook as competing forces, pitting them against each other to determine the winner. However, there’s a more effective approach.

Instead of framing it as Google versus Facebook, consider Google PLUS Facebook. Each platform possesses unique strengths and weaknesses. Yet, when combined into one powerful marketing force, they surpass their individual capabilities, potentially delivering exceptional results, especially if competitors remain fixated on the “versus” mentality. The key is to leverage each platform’s strengths and allow them to complement each other. Here’s how to begin. Want to know where your Google Ads performance needs improvement? Get a free personalized account audit with our Google Ads Performance Grader!

1. Spark Brand Searches on Facebook, Seal the Deal on Google

A well-executed Facebook campaign can not only yield excellent results by engaging and converting a cold audience but also boost searches for your brand on Google. This presents a prime opportunity to “close the deal” when users seek information about your brand after encountering your Facebook ad.

nexus-security observed a 34% surge in brand searches on Google after running Facebook ads. The reason is straightforward. Many individuals who view your Facebook ads may express interest in your offer but desire additional information about your company and products/services. Instead of clicking the ad, they navigate to Google and search for your brand to gather the desired information. By incorporating your brand name as a keyword in your search campaigns and aligning the messaging with your current Facebook ads, you guide your cold Facebook audience to precisely what they’re seeking on Google. This reinforces your marketing message and projects credibility. You might be thinking, “Why target my brand name as a keyword when my website already ranks first on Google for it?” The answer lies in the ability to test and optimize your messaging’s click-through rate (CTR) and conversions, ensuring consistency with your Facebook ad messaging. Below is a real-life example demonstrating this strategy. The Facebook ad targets a cold audience unfamiliar with this brand.

The corresponding Google ad, featuring consistent messaging, awaits those Facebook users.

In essence, you can effectively reach a broad, unfamiliar audience on Facebook and finalize conversions on Google when they search for your brand.

2. Utilize Facebook Ad Headlines as Keywords

Building on the concept of using your brand name as a keyword, this strategy is relatively straightforward. As previously discussed, a successful Facebook campaign can readily reach numerous prospects and generate significant brand searches on Google. However, with the right approach, it’s not just the brand name that people will search for—it’s also your ad headlines. A compelling headline can prove more memorable than a brand name, prompting more direct searches. Although it might seem unexpected, it’s quite logical. A strong headline like “Turn invoices into cash,” as illustrated below, can be significantly more memorable than the brand name itself, encouraging those who saw it to search for it when seeking additional information.

This Fundbox ad successfully drove people to Google to search for terms such as:

• “turn invoices into cash”
• “turn invoices into cash company”
• “invoice to cash” And numerous other related search terms. The headline’s directness and memorability triggered numerous searches and resulted in a high volume of conversions. Fundbox simply provided a direct “answer” to the search query, demonstrating strong credibility to users seeking more information about the intriguing Facebook ad they encountered.

3. Retarget Searching Users Based on Their Queries

Sections 1 and 2 focused on retargeting Facebook’s cold audience on Google, regardless of ad clicks. By implementing actual retargeting, we can further enhance the Facebook-Google connection and amplify its impact. If you manage campaigns on both platforms, you likely recognize the significance of retargeting. (If not, familiarize yourself with it promptly.) However, retargeting extends beyond displaying identical ads to all past visitors. Cross-platform retargeting offers a powerful approach. This strategy involves retargeting users who landed on your website from Google on Facebook, and vice versa. There’s a clever way to maximize its effectiveness: Use Facebook to retarget individuals who arrived at your website from a search ad, displaying content tailored to their specific search query. While it might sound complex, it’s actually quite simple. Here’s an example of this tactic in action: The following ad was shown to users who searched for “eBay templates” on Google.

This is easily achievable (provided you use dedicated landing pages instead of directing everyone to your homepage). To ensure the delivery of the appropriate “answer” ad to the right users, segment your Facebook custom audiences. Navigate to the audience tab and create a custom audience precisely aligned with the landing page linked to the Google ad. Here’s how it works in our example:

I simply segmented my audience based on individuals who arrived at the site via “AdWords” and landed on the templates landing page. Now, you can utilize Facebook retargeting to reach users who clicked your search ads, presenting content relevant to their initial search query.

4. Discover More Users Similar to Your Search Visitors

The power of Facebook lookalike targeting is undeniable. To avoid going off on a tangent, I’ll keep it concise. If you’re unfamiliar with it, I highly recommend exploring it further. For those already leveraging lookalike audiences in their Facebook campaigns, here’s a valuable tip: Craft lookalike audiences based on the search behavior of your website visitors.

You’re likely aware of the best practice of using your top users or customers as a seed for your lookalike audiences. While this holds true, there’s more you can do. You might encounter challenges creating a high-quality seed due to the need for a large number of homogenous audience members. In other instances, you might see positive results with your top lookalikes but wish to expand further (common for advertisers with substantial budgets). The solution? Create a lookalike audience based on visitors from your search campaigns. This allows you to connect with more individuals who resemble those actively seeking what you offer. You might wonder, “Why target users similar to my search visitors if they didn’t convert?” It’s simple: Just because users who clicked your Google ads didn’t convert doesn’t mean their lookalikes won’t. Exercise caution, however. Some individuals in this lookalike audience might also belong to your regular lookalike audience. Prevent duplicate targeting by excluding your customer-based lookalikes from your search-based lookalike audiences.

Final Thoughts

Shifting my perspective from “Google vs. Facebook” to “Google plus Facebook” has significantly improved my overall outcomes. Based on my experience, it fosters a broader perspective and facilitates superior strategic planning.