When it comes to social media marketing, there are no greater giants than Facebook and Instagram. You most likely have a social media marketing strategy in place, but are you putting your efforts toward the right platform for your business? While the two platforms have overlapping users, the specifics of interactions and demographics vary. Depending on your business, it could be beneficial to have organic content and paid advertising on either platform or both. Let’s break down the basics to ensure your marketing strategy goes further!

By The Numbers 

Facebook’s head start has given the company a leg up in terms of user base and popularity. Although Instagram is the new kid on the block compared to Facebook, Instagram’s growth has been competitive. Let’s dive into the numbers: 

Facebook Statistics

• 2.7 Billion Monthly Active Users 

• Facebook is the leading social media platform, reaching 59% of social media users

• On average, Facebook Users spend 34 minutes a day on the platform

• 98.3% of users access Facebook using a mobile device

• 74% of users have a household income over $75,000 annually

Instagram Statistics 

• 1 billion Monthly Active Users

• On average, Instagram Users spend 30 minutes per day on the platform

• 68% of Instagram users visit the platform daily

• 500 million daily active users of Instagram Stories worldwide

• 81% of people use Instagram to help research products and services

While Facebook might have a more extensive user base, Instagram’s users are engaged and searching for new products and services. Furthermore, Facebook’s numbers cannot be ignored and having a presence on Facebook is vital for most businesses. The numbers alone can’t tell the full story, so let’s keep diving deeper.

Get To Know The Audience

Whether paid or organic, all of your content should be created with a strategic purpose. That means knowing your audience and the audience on each platform to ensure your content leads to results.

One of the major differences between the two platforms is that Instagram has a younger user base. A majority of Instagram users are under 30, and many are in their teens. Users 12-34 years old are interested in searching for the next trendy products and turn to Instagram for that research due to its visual nature. This provides brands an excellent opportunity to reach a younger demographic with stellar branding and visuals. Facebook, on the other hand, has an older audience. One significant benefit of an older audience is that they typically have higher incomes and more disposable income. Depending on your product or service, this could be highly beneficial. For example, a home repair company would more likely have greater success on Facebook. Meanwhile, a beauty brand would likely see better results from Instagram.

Which Platform Is Right For Your Brand? 

The type of content your brand posts on Facebook and Instagram is also important. A common mistake is treating Instagram and Facebook the same. Content created for Facebook will not always translate well to Instagram and vice-versa. Keep in mind the differences in audiences and tailor the content to each audience for the best performance.

Original vs. Curated Content 

Facebook is an excellent platform for curated content like blogs, news, or content shared from other accounts. Sharing curated content can help your brand establish credibility. Unlike Facebook, Instagram is meant for original content and should always tie back to your brand. Even when jumping on a viral meme trend, your brand should be the focus. 

Company News 

Facebook is the best place for company news. Since Facebook is not as visual as Instagram, you have a better chance of your audience reading the full update. Additionally, Instagram posts with a link viewed from a mobile device are not clickable. One way around this is to post the news as a story, but sharing on Facebook should be your main priority. 

Behind The Scenes

Instagram’s story format makes sharing quick and fun behind-the-scenes posts easy. This is the perfect place to show off your brand’s personality. 

Contests 

Running a contest to boost engagement is a great idea on either platform. However, it is crucial to keep in mind the nature of each platform. For Instagram, you may want to ask users to tag other users and share the posts in their stories for maximum reach. For Facebook, you’ll also want users to tag other users, but you’ll want to encourage them to share the posts to their newsfeed for maximum reach. On Instagram, a brand hashtag is a great way to view all photos entered into a contest, while hashtags are not used as much on Facebook. Think through the goal of your contest first and then and determine the best platform based on that. You can always lean on one platform as a funnel to drive traffic to the contest on the other platform.

Where To Advertise? 

Like your organic strategy, you need to look at your target audience to determine which platform is best for your brand. If you are looking to reach a younger target demographic, then Instagram is the place for your business. If you are looking to reach users with more disposable income, Facebook is the right place to advertise. It is not uncommon to advertise on both platforms, but keep in mind what works for one platform does not always work for the other. You may want to create various images, videos, and copy for each platform.  

Tips for Advertising 

A/B Testing 

An A/B test, also known as a split test, is an experiment for determining which variation of copy or images is resonating with your audience. A/B testing is a great way to gather insights about your audience and make data-based decisions.

Lean On Video

Over the last few years, we have seen a significant rise in video. In fact, 84% of people say they have been convinced to buy a product or service due to a video ad. As you create your video, one thing to keep in mind is that most social media users are accessing Instagram or Facebook from their mobile devices, which means they most likely have their sound off. Be sure to add closed captioning to your videos. An added benefit of using video is that you can retarget users who have viewed your video for an additional touchpoint. 

Add a UTM 

An Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) helps you better understand how users are reaching your website. By including a UTM in each of your ads, you’ll get a better understanding of which platform is driving more traffic to your website. Depending on the results, you may want to shift the budget or stop advertising on one platform entirely. 

Most Importantly…

Facebook and Instagram are not interchangeable platforms, but both serve an important purpose when it comes to your social media strategy. When determining the right platform, think through your target audience, the type of content you’d like to publish, and analyze what is already working for your brand. You may find that one platform makes more sense for you, both platforms are necessary, or you may need to allocate more budget and posts to one platform over the other. 

If you’d like help developing your social media strategy, look no further than the team at Clover Collective. They are pros at partnering with people like me to create comprehensive social media plans to put you in front of the right audience at the right time. Schedule a call to get moving today!

Ytzel McDaniel is the Social Media Manager at award-winning Integrate Agency. A graduate from St. Edwards University, with a degree in Public Relations + Advertising, Ytzel brings with her a strong background of effective communication skills that translates into content created with purpose. She has a beautiful eye for aesthetics, design and bringing a brand to life through voice, visuals, and graphics! Putting this content to good use, allows Ytzel to represent a brand's personality through various social media platforms. When she isn’t #trending or going viral on social, you can find her with her pup Elliot at Zilker enjoying the sunshine or at a SoulCycle Class.