Facebook Vs Instagram: Which Is Better for Your Business in 2023?

In recent years, social media sites have become an essential part in creating a business image. Facebook and Instagram are two of the most used sites today, with almost 2.93 billion and 1.3 billion active users respectively. With every other person using one of these sites to connect with friends, family, and colleagues, it may be tempting to spread your resources across multiple sites.

Bigger doesn’t always mean better, but it can be in the world of social media. If your brand is a major player in the social game, you’re going to want to find out which network can execute better for your business. Will it be Facebook or Instagram?

You may be surprised but there’s more to this question than meets the eye. This article will attempt to help you decide between these two social media platforms and determine which one is best for your business needs in 2023 and beyond.

So who’s it going to be?

Let’s find out!

What are the advantages of using Facebook over Instagram?

The social media giant, Facebook, is one of the three most visited websites on the web, with only Google and YouTube ranking higher. Of the 4.48 billion social media users worldwide, 2.93 billion of them are active Facebook users. Even though this is the case, it doesn’t mean that brand engagement is necessarily the highest.

Facebook has a unique appeal to adult internet users across all age groups, with 18–29 year old's leading the way with an 82% participation rate. This provides businesses with an impressive opportunity to increase their ad visibility.

This means that advertising on Facebook is a beneficial choice. If you want to advertise your blog, other related products, or landing pages, then Facebook is the perfect place to do so. The platform also allows you to include direct links in your posts too.

Instagram followers are limited to one clickable connection in their profile, but there are no links allowed on the pictures. This gives Facebook a clear advantage in this area. However, merely depending on the fact that more people will see your ad won’t necessarily guarantee more conversions. There must be some type of optimization involved.

Among the advertisement formats, video has emerged as the leader. A study conducted by Adweek found that photos are posted more than videos 54% to 3%, yet videos generate more clicks. The majority of these clicks come from people using mobile phones. Mobile ads generate 85% of the advertising revenue, and 98.3% of Facebook users are accessing the platform from a mobile device.

Is Facebook fulfilling all your needs?

Exploring other channels beyond search is a great idea for B2B marketing, especially on social networks like LinkedIn and Facebook.

New research shows that a whopping 89% of B2B marketers are using lead generation through LinkedIn, and 80% of B2B leads can be attributed to it.

Not surprisingly, 92% of B2B marketers prefer LinkedIn, yet it would be foolish to underestimate the power of Facebook for targeted reach and retargeting.

What’s more, Facebook lead ads provide a simpler way for businesses to acquire leads without redirecting users to a different webpage to provide information and access the incentive, lowering bounce rates.

Word Stream found that campaigns using lead ads had a conversion rate of 12.54%, while landing pages had a conversion rate of 10.47%.

How can you leverage Instagram to get more traffic and sales for your business?

Image Courtesy: Tiffany Instagram

Instagram is an ideal site for reaching out to younger people, particularly millennials. It’s a much more visual platform than Facebook, with users tending to be drawn to categories such as fashion, photography, beauty, and architecture to name a few.

Even though the crowd is young, they are still eager to interact and spend time on Instagram, with half of them following at least one business and doing product research within the app. Moreover, more than a third of Instagram users have purchased something online using their phones, and their average expenditure is higher than Facebook users, at 15.4%.

The best aspect of advertising on Instagram is that 72% of marketers are already taking advantage of it.

Instagram’s cutting-edge features, such as reels, product posts, product tags, badges, and guides, are making it an increasingly advantageous platform for marketing. Both small and large companies, like Tiffany, Nike, and Louis Vuitton, are making the most of these tools to solidify their brand image.

A competitive edge on Instagram, when compared to Facebook, allows marketers to reach a desirable, engaged young demographic at a low cost, utilizing the platform’s free resources.

Here are some ways to leverage Instagram to get more traffic and sales for your business:

1. Create an Engaging Profile: It is important to create an engaging profile on Instagram to attract potential customers. Your profile should include a clear description of your business, a clear profile picture, and relevant hashtags that will help people find your business.

2. Post Relevant Content: The content you post on Instagram should be relevant to your business and should be engaging. You should post content that is useful to your followers and has the potential to convert into sales.

3. Use Hashtags frugally: Hashtags are an effective way to reach potential customers on Instagram. You should use relevant hashtags in your posts to make it easier for people to find your content.

4. Engage with Your Followers: Engaging with your followers is a great way to build relationships and trust with them. You should respond to comments and messages and create conversations with your followers.

5. Leverage Influencers: Influencers can be a great way to get more traffic and sales for your business. You should look for influencers in your niche and collaborate with them to increase your reach and visibility.

6. Leverage Instagram Ads: Instagram Ads can be a great way to reach potential customers. You should create targeted ads to reach the right people and get more traffic and sales.

Why not use both the platforms?

Definitely! It may depend on how many followers you have, but running simultaneous campaigns with both Facebook and Instagram is a smart move.

You might want to consider starting with a Facebook ad and then targeting those who didn’t convert with an Instagram ad.

This means that Facebook will drive the traffic and Instagram will help to capture those who weren’t initially converted. Or, you could try the opposite! Run an Instagram ad first to engage with followers and direct them to a particular page.

Those who don’t convert can be included in a later Facebook campaign — especially if they already like your page. Additionally, you can use Facebook’s marketing tools to keep posting content and increase engagement from your remarketing campaigns.

Grow your business by adding value to your marketing campaigns:

The data you submit should be seen as beneficial. I’m not referring to financial gain, but the kind that can turn someone who does not know you into someone who would like to purchase from you.

It’s also critical to plan the timing of your posts.

You can do this manually, attempting to retain a lot of details in your mind. But there is an option to simplify this process with the aid of particular experts such as Markitome.

You can effortlessly organize posts with a straightforward 3-step protocol upload, preview, and choose an account. In this way, you can set up anywhere from 1 to 500 posts.

Add value to your ideas with these tips:

1. Make your writing relatable to your audience. Consider the other person’s point of view; what might they be thinking about or feeling?
2. Make things easy to understand. When writing about technical ideas, keep things simple and avoid using jargon.
3. Make sure your writing conveys the intended emotions. When you present your message with the right emotions and add value to your customer’s life, they should be convinced that what you have to offer will make a difference.
4. Show your customers the actions you are going to take. Making your landing page a fun, fast, and simple process will increase conversion rates whether you’re generating leads or making a sale.

Benefits and features should not be confused, here is how to tell them apart:

Think of a diamond as a benefit. The number of carats, for example, is a feature. A benefit can be how you will feel when wearing the diamond ring (emotion), how it will change others’ view of you (status), or even how others regard you because you now wear the ring (others’ perception).

What’s the verdict?

With most people connected to the internet via their mobile devices, it makes sense to employ marketing strategies that cater to users who are active on these platforms. It is worth noting that younger people are amongst the most active online, and they can be influential when it comes to spending.

Crafting appealing written content for social media isn’t necessary either as a lot of people only take notice of the photos. So, if you want to make conversions, Instagram is the perfect place to be.

For those wanting to target an older, more traditional audience, Facebook is a great option. It’s the ideal platform for implementing a full-funnel marketing approach.

The most important thing to remember is that whether the platform is Facebook, Instagram, or some other platform with a following that far outstrips its other competitors, it doesn’t matter. What matters is how well you can develop a relationship with your audience and show them exactly what they want in a way they will find appealing. Focus on your target audience and seek to learn as much as you can about what they want before you dive too deeply into developing anything. This will help you formulate plans in such a way that uses social media effectively and successfully, helping you connect with your audience on an emotional level and achieve the sort of success on social media you are hoping for.