Google ads vs Facebook and Instagram ads for a hair restoration clinic
By the Margin Media team · Updated
For a hair restoration clinic, Google ads reach people who are already searching for a clinic, while Facebook and Instagram ads reach people who have thought about it and not yet acted. Google enquiries tend to be closer to booking. Social enquiries need faster contact and more follow-up. A sensible order is Google first, then social.
How do the two differ?
They differ in what the person was doing a second earlier. On Google, they typed a question about hair restoration and your ad answered it. On Facebook or Instagram, they were looking at something else and your ad interrupted. The first is demand you catch. The second is interest you have to build.
| Google ads | Facebook and Instagram ads | |
|---|---|---|
| Who sees them | People searching for a clinic or procedure | People chosen by area, age and interests |
| Where the patient is in deciding | Actively looking | Thinking about it, or not yet |
| What the ad is | Mostly text | Photos and video |
| Time to a booked consultation | Shorter | Longer, with follow-up |
| Limit | Only as many people as are searching | Wide reach, less intent |
| Rules to learn | Health advertising policies | Health and appearance policies |
When is Google the better choice?
Google is the better choice when you need consultations soon and people in your area are searching for what you offer. It is also the easier channel to judge, since each search term shows what it produced. Its ceiling is the number of searches. Once you appear for all of them, more budget does not create more searchers.
When do Facebook and Instagram earn their place?
They earn their place when Google is already working and you want to reach people earlier in the decision. Hair restoration is something people consider for a long time before searching. Social ads start that conversation. Be careful with images and wording: both platforms restrict ads that dwell on personal attributes or imply a result.
How does Margin run ads for a hair restoration clinic?
Margin builds and runs the ads on Facebook and Instagram, in an ad account your clinic owns. The budget is your money, paid to the platform. Each campaign has its own booking page.
Because social leads need speed and patience, every lead is called or texted within a minute and followed up by Mia, our AI receptionist, until they book or say no. Texting waits for carrier approval of your number. Each month you get a report on what each booked consultation cost.
What Margin sets up for this.
- Ads on Facebook and Instagram, in an account you own
- Follow-up until they book or say no
- A monthly report and strategy call
What a business needs is decided on its audit. It is a one-time setup fee and a monthly fee, with exact numbers on the audit.
How Margin works for cosmetic and elective medical practicesSee the portal with a sample businessThe Surgery Accelerator, for plastic surgeons
Related questions
Can a hair restoration clinic use before-and-after photos in ads?
Each ad platform has its own rules on this, and they change, so read the current policy before building an ad around such photos. A hair restoration clinic also needs the patient's consent and should check its own professional rules.
How much should a hair restoration clinic spend on ads to start?
Enough to learn something, for long enough to see consultations and not only clicks. A hair restoration clinic should set a monthly amount it can hold steady for a few months and judge by cost per attended consultation.
Do Instagram ads work for hair restoration clinics?
They can reach people who are considering it, but those people are earlier in the decision than someone searching Google. A hair restoration clinic using Instagram should expect to follow up for longer before a consultation is booked.