Instagram ads or Google Ads for a med spa?.
One creates demand, the other catches it. Most practices need the second one first.
· 6 min read
Instagram and Meta ads are strong in aesthetics because the result is visual and the audience is broad. They work by putting a treatment in front of somebody who was not looking for it, which builds demand and fills quieter weeks.
Google catches people already deciding. Someone typing lip filler cost near me is further along than anybody scrolling a feed, and that intent shows up in close rates. For a practice that needs bookings this month rather than awareness this quarter, search comes first.
The complication in paid social is policy. Meta restricts before and after imagery and body focused creative, and enforcement is inconsistent enough that a compliant looking ad can still be rejected. Build creative that works without transformation photos, keep result imagery on your own site where you control the context, and expect to refresh ad creative every few weeks as performance decays.
Run both once the basics hold, and measure them the same way: consults booked, consults shown, and revenue in the following twelve months. Social will look worse on last click attribution and better on booked revenue, which is worth knowing before you cancel it.
The short version
- Search first for bookings now, social for demand you create.
- Design social creative that works without before and after photos.
- Compare channels on booked revenue, not last click.
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