The question "Meta Ads or Google Ads?" comes up in almost every D2C founder call. The short answer: they do different jobs, and most growing brands need both — just not on day one.
Meta Ads: demand creation
Meta (Facebook + Instagram) is where you show your product to people who didn't know they wanted it. It's brilliant for visual brands — perfume, beauty, apparel — because the creative does the selling. You reach cold audiences, build desire, and retarget the ones who engaged.
Best for: new brands, launch campaigns, retargeting, and anything visual. On one perfume D2C brand we ran a small-budget Meta Ads test in 10 days by leading with UGC-style video and scaling the winner.
Google Ads: demand capture
Google catches people who are already searching — "buy oud perfume" or "Shopify expert". They have intent; you just need to be there. This converts well but only works if people already know the term they're searching.
Best for: proven products, high-intent keywords, and defending your brand name from competitors bidding on it.
Which first?
- New brand, no search volume yet → start with Meta Ads to create demand.
- People already searching for you → add Google Ads to capture them.
- Small budget → pick one, get it working, then expand.
A simple rule
Use Meta to make people want it, Google to catch them when they go looking. Start with one channel, measure sales not likes, and only add the second once the first is profitable.
Not sure where your first ad dollar should go? Let's plan it together.
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