We’ve been asked this question numerous times: “I have a pretty limited budget… should I be advertising on search or social platforms?” Well here’s your favorite answer: It depends. But it really does! I’ll explain why:

Advertising on search, otherwise know as Search Engine Marketing (SEM), can be an extremely powerful platform because your ads populate when a user is specifically searching for your keywords. That user clearly already has intent or interest in what they searched – significantly increasing your chance of converting a user into a lead if your ad is clicked.

So, when should you use Search PPC over Social PPC?

First, do your research. How searchable is your program? Use tools like Moz orGoogle AdWords Keyword Planner to research potential traffic and to also find related keywords.

Next, use Google AdWords Keyword Planner to determine what your average cost per click (CPC) might be. Keywords like “online mba” or “rn to bsn program” can be extremely competitive depending on your geographical area — these keywords can cost over $100 per click!

Finally, determine your monthly budget. If you only have $1,000 to spend on a program during a month’s span, that gives you a daily budget of about $30 a day.  If your average CPC is similar to what you can afford for your daily budget, you may only be able to afford 1-2 clicks a day – that is not enough traffic to gain traction and build history with your campaign. This is when you turn to Social PPC.

When should you use Social PPC over Search PPC?

Social PPC platforms such as Facebook Ads, Twitter Ads and LinkedIn Ads are gaining more and more popularity. They can be the perfect alternative to Search PPC if there isn’t enough search volume for your keywords or if you are working with a limited budget. These platforms offer some pretty unique targeting options that may make Social PPC your first choice anyway!

Demographic Targeting
These social platforms have great targeting options to help you target your ideal student. Are you trying to drive leads for your Masters of Arts in Education program? Target users by job title — teaching related, previous degree — Education related, or job industry — Education.

Custom List Targeting
Upload an email list of your recent graduates or a list of students who failed to graduate and target them with specific advertising. Use an Undergrad Business alumni list to market your MBA or use a list of students who didn’t finish their degree to advertise your new degree completion program.

Images
Rather than only being able to promote messaging via text on the search engines, Social PPC platforms allow you to include imagery and logos with your message to make your ads much more eye-catching. We all scroll through our news feeds and timelines until we get to a picture anyway so this is an awesome feature to take advantage of on these platforms.

All in all, there are pros and cons for both Search PPC and Social PPC. You may be able to get cheaper traffic on Social PPC but you often see higher conversion rates on Search PPC. If you have the chance, test out both! And most importantly, track your results. I’ve seen things work differently for every client!

Have questions or results you want to share? Email me athayley@convergeconsulting.org or tweet me your thoughts / questions @HayleyWarack.