Google vs Facebook vs LinkedIn: Which ads are best for Education Marketing?

Adverts are a vital tool in attracting people to your school, college, or university. But which platform is best for education marketing and what do you as an education provider need to consider before choosing a platform for your adverts?Keep reading to discover the pros and cons of Google Ads, Facebook Ads and LinkedIn Ads.

Facebook Ads

Facebook has a large base of active users, with roughly 2 billion users. This means you will be guaranteed to attract potential students.

Another positive is that it is largely inexpensive and is a cheaper option than other platforms.
Targeting is powerful. Because Facebook users have already provided data about themselves, it is easy to find your audience and micro target them, which will allow for more detail.
Facebook is also great for engagement. There are strong communities already on this platform, which you can use to your advantage and create your own community. You can build awareness through your ads and these will appeal to both existing and potential students.

In terms of the ad format, there are plenty of options for you. Be sure to check out HubSpot for more information on the formatting!

There are, of course, some negatives and limitations with Facebook Ads, such as the potential for clutter due to the structure of the newsfeed and there being a lower click rate than Google. The other thing to consider is that Ads that do not link to external sites cannot be tracked via UTM parameters. 

The takeaway: Facebook is great for targeting consumers and increasing consumer engagement and awareness.

Google Ads

Google is the largest search engine and because of this the reach of your ads will be broad.
Google is also the biggest display ads network, so when people are browsing the internet, your ad will appear and lead them to you.

Google Ads are best for those searching with intent, or more simply, they know what they are looking for and where to find it. If you want those in your local area searching for your school, then Google is great for this. It will drive consumers straight to you.

In terms of the ads themselves, there is a wide range of formatting options and ad types.
The downside of Google Ads is that pay per click can be expensive. In addition to this, Smart campaigns or Discovery campaigns cannot be tracked.

The takeaway: Google is great for those searching with intent and can reach a wide range of people, with a wide range of ad types.

LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn is a more specific platform, aimed at professionals, with approximately 740 million users.

LinkedIn is best for people who have not shown search intent, unlike Google. This means that people can be led to you, without having a clear idea about what they are looking for.
Audiences are clear and defined, and sometimes niche. LinkedIn users have already provided a wide range of personal data so you can target them directly with your ads to meet your criteria of who you want your ads to reach.

You are also able to filter targeting options to education. Within this, you can narrow down targeting to fields of study, member schools and degrees.

You can get a free trial and demo, as well as sponsored content and the chance to use InMail which is direct email ads.

Unlike Facebook and Google, there are a few negatives with using LinkedIn. You are unable to set up external ads. While there is a good ad format, there are not as many options as Facebook. The audience is quite narrow, so the reach is not as big. Cost per click is more expensive and there is less flexibility of ads than the other two platforms already mentioned.
In addition to this, Carousel or Message ads cannot be tracked and leads who submit Lead Gen Forms on any ad type will sync to HubSpot, even if the ad type is not trackable (mentioned on HubSpot).

The takeaway: LinkedIn is great for those who know what they are after, but due to its smaller number of users the reach is lesser. The filtering options, however, are great to narrow down targeting.

So, which platform is best for education marketing?

While there is no set answer, the above information should help you consider what you are aiming to achieve and what would be best for you. For education marketing, Facebook and Google are your best options. Maybe you want to use both? Maybe you want to trial just one?
Facebook is great for providing awareness and targeting consumers. It is mostly B2C (consumer based)

Google is great for those searching with intent, with a wide range of ad types. It is B2C and B2B (targets businesses and consumers)

LinkedIn is more specific in its users, but it does have good filtering to narrow targeting. It is primarily B2B (business based)

Need help with your school ads strategy? 

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