This week's Pace Notes:
"Should we put more money into Google or Meta?" is the question I get most from brand operators. It's also the wrong question. Here’s why.
Google and Meta aren't two horses in the same race. They sit on opposite ends of the same buyer, and the brands that treat them as interchangeable overpay on one side while starving the other. Understanding the difference will answer your budgeting question.
Let's get into it →
What we’re breaking down:
The real difference between search and social for an automotive brand, intent versus interruption, why most teams mis-fund both, and a simple gut check for deciding which dollar belongs where.
The winning line:
Google captures demand that already exists. Meta creates demand that doesn't.
Picture two suspension customers.
The first types "Bilstein 5100 2018 F-150" into Google at 9 a.m. They’ve already decided on brand, part, and fitment. They're not browsing, they're buying, and they're hunting for someone to buy from. Showing up there (Google shopping for instance) is how you close buyers with intent. That's Google's gift: it puts you in front of someone who already decided they want the product.
The second buyer is scrolling Instagram at 11 p.m. with zero intent to spend. They didn't wake up wanting coilovers. But your Meta ad stops the scroll, the ad shows their exact truck transformed, and now they want something they didn't know they wanted thirty seconds ago. Nobody searches for a product they don't know they want, so you can't capture that demand. You have to manufacture it. That's Meta.
Same brand, same product, two completely different jobs. Automotive ads perform great on both platforms right now. The opportunity was never the platform itself, it's matching the platform to the job.
Why most people get it wrong
Common misconceptions (three things teams get backwards):
One → they grade both platforms on the same metrics. They expect Meta to convert a cold scroll the way Google converts a part-number search. These platforms arrive at their ROAS target differently. Don’t get caught up in apples to oranges metrics like CPM or frequency when comparing.
Two → they run the same creative on both platforms. Winning the sale on each platform requires meeting buyers at different points in their buying journey. Advertising you product spec sheet only works on high intent google traffic. Brand building? That happens on Meta.
Three → they don’t understand targeting. On Google, your targeting is the keyword. The buyer hands you their intent by typing it. On Meta, your targeting is the creative. The algorithm reads who reacts and goes and finds more of them. A weak concept on meta isn't just a weak ad. It's broken targeting.
The line to remember
Search captures demand. Social creates it. Fund them accordingly.
How to get it right
Map your sales to intent. Split your revenue into "they already want it" vs. "I have to make them want it." That ratio tells you where the next dollar goes.
Send high-intent demand to Google. Part-number, fitment, and symptom searches are bottom-funnel buyers. Win them with Shopping and search.
Send demand creation to Meta (with variation). Creative is the targeting, so one ad can't do five jobs. Build a spread that speaks to each buyer and let relevance sort them.
Match the KPI to the job. Don't ask a top-of-funnel Meta ad to post a bottom-of-funnel ROAS on its own. Judge each platform on the work it's actually doing, and wait for blended campaign results.
Measure a business metric, not a vanity one. Track add-to-carts, booked calls, landing-page visits (not impressions).
You don't need to pick a platform. You need to know which job you're hiring each one to do.
Cheers,
Sterling Voth
Founder, Voth Agency
P.S. - If you want killer ads for your automotive brand, book a call with our team! :)