Double Your Impact: Using Paid Search and Social Ads Together Effectively

Businesses need to be where their customers are—across numerous channels—in today's fast-paced digital world. Whether it's social media advertising or paid search, relying entirely on one platform might restrict your potential and reach. Paid search and social media integration allow you to build a full-funnel approach that engages users throughout the entire purchasing process.

This post will discuss the best ways to combine social media ads with paid search to gain the most impact and explain why doing so can improve your results.

Understanding the Differences Between Paid Search and Social Ads

Before diving into how to combine these platforms, it's important to understand their unique strengths:

• Paid Search Ads: These ads appear on search engines like Google and Bing. They’re typically text-based and triggered by user search queries, making them highly intent-driven. Paid search ads are effective for capturing potential customers who are actively searching for specific products or services.

• Social Media Ads: Social ads appear on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Unlike paid search, they’re shown based on user behavior, demographics, and interests, not search queries. Social media ads are perfect for creating brand awareness, fostering engagement, and driving conversions through visual storytelling and targeted messaging

Both ad types offer unique benefits that, when combined, can amplify your overall marketing strategy.

The Benefits of Combining Paid Search and Social Ads

Integrating paid search and social ads creates a synergy that allows you to engage users at multiple touchpoints throughout their buyer’s journey. Here’s why this combination works so well:

• Full-Funnel Coverage: Paid search targets users with high purchase intent, while social ads create awareness and engagement at the top of the funnel. Together, they cover all stages of the funnel, from brand discovery to conversion.

• Reinforcing Brand Messaging: Customers often need to see your brand multiple times before purchasing. By running both paid search and social ads, you increase the chances of your message being seen across platforms, reinforcing your brand and encouraging action.

• Cross-Platform Retargeting: You can use social ads to retarget users who interact with your search ads and vice versa. This cross-platform retargeting allows you to stay top-of-mind as customers continue their journey across the web.

• Diversified Traffic Sources: Relying on just one platform can leave you vulnerable to fluctuations in performance. Combining both strategies ensures a diversified traffic source, reducing your dependency on any one channel.

How to Combine Paid Search and Social Ads Effectively

To get the most out of your paid search and social ad campaigns, you need a coordinated approach. Here are a few strategies to ensure they work harmoniously:

Align Your Messaging and Creative Across Channels

Your audience should experience a cohesive brand message, no matter where they see your ads. Ensure that your ad copy, visuals, and offers are aligned between your search and social campaigns. For example, if you’re running a seasonal promotion, use similar messaging and design elements in both your paid search ads and social media ads to create consistency.

Use Social Ads to Build Awareness and Search Ads to Capture Intent

Start by using social ads to build brand awareness and target broader audience segments based on demographics, interests, and behavior. As users become familiar with your brand, they may start searching for your products or services on search engines. This is where paid search ads come in—capturing those high-intent users who are ready to convert.

Implement Cross-Platform Retargeting

Leverage the power of retargeting to reach users who’ve engaged with your brand across platforms. For instance, you can use Facebook’s Pixel to retarget users who clicked on your paid search ads but didn’t convert. Alternatively, use Google’s remarketing feature to serve ads to people who visited your website from a social media ad.

Use Data from One Platform to Inform the Other

The performance data you gather from one platform can help optimize your strategy on the other. For example, if a certain set of keywords drives conversions on your paid search campaign, you can use those insights to refine your social media targeting. Similarly, high-performing audience segments from your social campaigns can inform your paid search bidding strategy.

Track Conversions Across Both Channels

It’s important to track conversions across both channels to get a full picture of your customer journey. Use tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Ads Manager to set up goals and track how users move between search and social ads before converting. This cross-channel attribution will help you understand how each platform contributes to your overall ROI.

Why an Integrated Approach is Key

Combining paid search and social ads gives you a competitive edge by allowing you to target users at every stage of their journey. While paid search captures high-intent users, social ads nurture relationships and drive engagement. Together, they create a powerful one-two punch that maximizes your ad spend and boosts conversions.

At PGH Digital, we specialize in helping businesses create cohesive, cross-platform strategies that bring paid search and social media ads together for maximum impact. Whether you’re looking to drive awareness, boost sales, or retarget lost customers, we can craft a strategy that works for your business. Contact us today to learn how we can help you get the most out of your advertising budget.