Learn how Google Display Ads and social media advertising support different stages of the customer journey, and how using both strategically can maximize your marketing results.
Google Ads is often the first advertising platform businesses think about, but it’s not always the best place to start. While Google Display Ads and social media ads can both help grow your business, they serve different purposes. The best choice depends on your goals, where your audience is in the buying journey, and what you’re trying to achieve.
Start with Social Media
If you’re advertising for the first time, social media is often a great place to start. Platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram), LinkedIn, and TikTok make it easy, and often more affordable, to test different audiences, messaging, and creative before expanding your advertising efforts.
One of the biggest advantages of social media advertising is its ability to target people based on who they are. Platforms like Meta use rich demographic, behavioural, interest, and engagement data to reach audiences most likely to connect with your business.
You can build audiences based on factors such as age, interests, purchasing behaviours, life events, or previous interactions with your brand, making it especially effective for building awareness and generating demand.
It’s also a cost-effective way to learn about your audience, test different ideas, and identify which messaging and creative perform best. These insights help you make smarter advertising decisions and get more value from your marketing budget.
Expand Your Reach with Google Display Ads
Google Display Ads work differently. Rather than focusing primarily on who someone is, Google Display focuses on what someone is doing.
Your ads can appear across millions of websites, mobile apps, and YouTube, reaching people as they browse relevant content, research products or services, or demonstrate purchase intent.
Google can target users based on in-market audiences, website placements, contextual keywords, topics, and search behaviour, allowing businesses to connect with potential customers while they’re actively exploring solutions.
Display advertising is also an excellent way to keep your brand visible throughout longer buying cycles. Someone may not be ready to purchase today, but repeated exposure across the web helps build familiarity and keeps your business top of mind when they are.
Use Both Channels Together
Both Google Display and social media platforms also support remarketing. If someone visits your website but leaves without taking action, you can reconnect with them through ads on social media or across Google’s Display Network.
Using both channels together helps reinforce your message and encourages potential customers to return.
Because you’ve already identified which audiences and messaging perform best through social media, those insights can strengthen your Google campaigns. At the same time, Google’s ability to reach people actively researching products, services, or industry topics helps complement your social media efforts and improve overall campaign performance.
A Smarter Advertising Strategy
Rather than choosing between Google Display and social media, think about how the two platforms work together.
Social media excels at building awareness, educating potential customers, and nurturing demand by targeting people based on their interests, behaviours, and engagement.
Google Display complements this by reaching people based on what they’re actively researching or reading online, helping keep your brand visible throughout the buying journey.
For many startups and growing businesses, beginning with social media can be an effective way to learn about your audience before expanding into Google Display.
As your business grows, combining both platforms allows you to reach customers at different stages of their decision-making process while making the most of your advertising budget.
Every business has different goals, customers, and budgets, so there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. The strongest advertising strategies leverage the unique strengths of both platforms to build awareness, generate demand, and convert more customers over time.
About Author
Roshni Wijayasinha is the Founder and CEO of Prosh Marketing, a marketing consultancy that provides Fractional CMO and Fractional Marketing Director services to startups, scaleups, and small-to-medium-sized businesses.
With over 20 years of marketing leadership experience, she has launched more than 100 products, brands, and companies across 20+ global markets and has worked with organizations including Microsoft, Sony, Kobo, Thinking Capital, and Foxquilt.
She founded Prosh Marketing in 2017 to help growing businesses access experienced marketing leadership without the cost of a full-time CMO.
Through strategic planning, team development, and marketing implementation support, Prosh Marketing helps organizations build scalable marketing foundations and sustainable growth.
In addition to her work with clients, Roshni teaches startup marketing at York University’s Schulich School of Business, mentors entrepreneurs, contributes to the Forbes Communications Council, and invests in women-led startups through The Firehood.
