Google Ads or Facebook and Instagram: where should you start?

When customers are already looking for a solution

Google Ads Search campaigns can display ads to people searching for products or services. For an offer with an explicit need, investigate what people search for, where they are and what they intend to do.

“Repair service” and “how to repair it myself” do not express the same buying intent. Start with relevant questions and phrases. Check advertising-tool estimates for the intended locations and languages; an estimate is not a sales promise.

When the offer needs to be shown first

Facebook and Instagram are worth considering when your product or service can be explained visually: an object, a transformation, a demonstration or a process. Ask whether you can clearly show why the offer matters to someone seeing the ad.

You need materials and messages you can test. An appealing photograph without a product explanation and a next step can generate interest without preparing a useful sales conversation.

Compare readiness as well as platforms

• Offer: is it clear what customers can buy or request?
• Destination: does the page or conversation continue the ad’s promise?
• Materials: do you have relevant copy and visuals for variations?
• Response: who handles enquiries and when?
• Measurement: can you distinguish a useful enquiry from a click?

If a piece is missing, spreading a budget across more channels may make the underlying problem harder to understand.

Define a first test

Choose one offer, one area and one meaningful action: an enquiry, appointment or purchase. Separate platform spend from management, creative production and any changes to the landing page.

Illustrative example: a service business tests one offer and records whether each enquiry fits, receives a reply and progresses to a quotation. This gives a more useful comparison than counting clicks across two platforms.

Questions to ask an agency

Ask why the channel was chosen, what will be measured and how unsuitable enquiries will be handled. A budget makes sense alongside those assumptions. No single amount guarantees results for every business.

You can start with Google Ads or Facebook and Instagram advertising. If you lack suitable materials, include content preparation in the plan from the beginning.