When does paid social work better than Google Ads?
Search captures demand that already exists. Social creates demand among people who are not searching yet. Paid social tends to win when the product is visual, the buyer can be described by job title, interest or life event, or search volume in your category is too low to scale.
For most local service businesses, search comes first and social adds reach. For B2B, LinkedIn targeting by role and company size often earns its place early.