Google Ads vs Social Media Ads: What’s Right for Coworking Spaces?

You’ve got some advertising dollars set aside, and you’re ready to start putting them to work for your coworking space. After doing your preliminary research, you may have started debating between Google Ads versus social media ads.

But which is the right option for your space?

In order to pick the right advertising platform for your space, it’s important to understand the:

• Similarities and differences between Google Ads and social media ads
• Consumer intent behind each type of advertising
• Intricacies of the coworking world and how they might impact your decision 

In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know to make your ad spend count.

Google Ads vs Social Media Ads: The Similarities and Differences Between the Two Avenues

While both Google Ads and social media ads are forms of advertising, they’re actually more different than you might think.

Social media ads offer benefits like:

• Visual Impact: These ads are ideal for compelling content, making them suitable for brands with aesthetic appeal, like modern coworking spaces.
• Brand Awareness: Social media ads are effective for building brand recognition and engaging users who might not be actively searching for coworking spaces.
• Timeliness: Social ads are useful for promoting time-sensitive events or offers, capturing interest during specific moments or holidays.

On the other hand, Google Ads are:

• Intent-Driven: Google Ads target users actively searching for coworking spaces, capturing high-intent traffic which often leads to quicker conversions. So, rather than
• Evergreen: These ads maintain relevance over time as they respond to consistent search behaviors, reducing the risk of ad fatigue.
• Direct-Response: Google Ads are focused on driving immediate actions, such as bookings or inquiries, making them highly effective for lead generation.

ut what does that actually mean for coworking spaces? 

Defining Audience Intent and the Impact of Google Ads vs. Social Media Ads 

When deciding between Google Ads versus social media ads for your coworking space, the choice boils down to your goals. 

It’s important to consider two factors:

1. The intent of the audience your ads will be catered to
2. The longevity and impact the ad will have on its audience 

Social media ads are great for putting your brand in front of people, sharing timely membership specials, and elevating general brand awareness.

However, the audience for social media ads is determined by leveraging demographic, interest-based, and behavioral data. So, while they can include creative visual formats like videos, images, and interactive content that showcase your space, events, and members, you need to remember that:

1. The audience seeing your social media ads might not be proactively interested in office space and
2. They may scroll right past your ad with minimal engagement if they’re not interested in the services your coworking space offers at that exact moment

On the other hand, Google Ads are intent-based, meaning they’re served to people who are proactively searching for the services you offer. 

So, due to that higher level of purchase intent, Google Ads are pretty potent in terms of driving conversions and direct responses. 

When debating between Google Ads versus social media ads, you can break it down like this:

• If your primary goal is to capture the attention of professionals who are currently in the process of actively looking for office space, Google Ads would likely be more effective 
• If your aim is to increase general awareness of your coworking space or build a long-term brand presence, social media ads could be more beneficial

With that said, a strategic combination of both can provide the best results.

The Right Choice for the Coworking World: Understanding the Industry-Specific Pros and Cons of Social Media Ads

As a flexible office industry pro, you know we operate in a unique world. And the reality is that various ad types work better for some industries than they do for others.

For instance, some of the industries that typically see the best results from social media include:

• Entertainment and Media: These industries thrive on social media due to the highly engaging nature of their content, including trailers, behind-the-scenes peeks, and celebrity interactions.
• Fashion and Retail: These sectors benefit significantly from social media platforms like Instagram and Pinterest, which are ideal for showcasing visual content like clothing and accessories​.
• Healthcare and Wellness: These industries use social media to educate the public, share health-related content, and enhance patient engagement, which can be critical for building trust and community​.
• Hospitality and Tourism: Social media platforms help these industries showcase their venues and services, interact with customers, and promote travel deals and experiences​.
• Food and Beverage: Restaurants and food brands rely heavily on visual content to entice customers, making platforms like Instagram and Facebook ideal for engaging potential diners.

However, social media tends to be less impactful for:

• B2B and Industrial Companies: While there are exceptions, businesses that operate in highly specialized or niche B2B markets often struggle to gain traction on social media compared to B2C brands. The customer decision-making process in these industries is typically longer and more complex, relying less on impulse driven by social media engagement.
• Technical and High-Value Products: Industries selling high-value items or services requiring significant investment, such as heavy machinery or large-scale enterprise software, may find social media a less effective platform due to the need for detailed information and personalized sales processes that social platforms cannot fully accommodate.

So, while some membership tiers, like day passes and coworking desks, might fall into the lower-value, impulse-decision categories, services like dedicated desks, private offices, and team suites will likely require a more thorough decision-making process for your prospective members. 

It’s a lot harder to sell a higher-priced service as an on-the-fly purchase.

Where to Invest Your Ad Budget for Your Coworking Space 

So, which ad platform should you choose for your coworking space?

If you’ve got a big enough budget, we’d recommend doing both Google Ads and social media ads, finding a strategic balance based on your goals. This is especially true if your goals are to:

• Sell lower-value memberships
• Build brand awareness

If your budget is limited, we’d recommend opting for Google Ads since they tend to be:

• Served to audiences who are proactively seeking the services you’re selling, and often further down in their buying journey 
• Generally more impactful for bringing in tour bookings and converting new membership leads, and less focused on general awareness building 
• More evergreen than social media ads

The best advertising choice for your coworking space boils down to your budget, your service offering and your goal. 

We know it can sometimes feel overwhelming to make these kinds of decisions on your own. And that’s where Spacefully can help. 

Want to learn how we can supercharge your lead generation? Book a free introductory call to learn how Google Ads can bring new members into your space starting today.