If you’re running a small business, you’ve probably been advertising across the social media landscape for quite some time now. As you should be! While social media marketing has changed drastically over the last year or so, its influence remains undeniable. There are 4.48 billion active social media users, and most marketers are developing what they believe to be loyal followers by advertising and engaging with them.
And while you are likely making use of multiple social media platforms for your company, it begs the question: which is the best for you? We are here to take matters into our hands to reveal the big secret. Let’s pit the best of the best in social media platforms against one another to see who comes out on top as the best option for your social media marketing dollar.
So who’s it going to be? Time to throw down. It’s Facebook versus Instagram! FIGHT!
What are the Advantages of Facebook over Instagram?
Facebook is the third most visited website in the world, bested only by Google and YouTube. Out of 4.48 billion active social media users globally, 2.85 billion of them are active Facebook users. This extensive user base gives businesses a vast potential audience.
One significant advantage of Facebook is its ability to attract all age groups of adult internet users. The age group 18-29 tops among all others, with a whopping 82% participating. Because of such wide acceptance across age groups, there is exceptional potential for increased ad visibility. This all points to paid advertising. If you’re planning to incorporate posts promoting your blog, other relevant products, or landing pages, Facebook will be a much friendlier atmosphere for your business. You have the liberty to include direct links within your posts.
On Instagram, users are restricted to just one link in the bio with no link on the picture itself. That’s a clear win for Facebook in this instance. But simply relying on the fact that more people will see your ad won’t promise you more conversions. There needs to be some kind of optimization.
Out of the ad formats, video has emerged as the new king. A study by Adweek shows that photos outpace video 54% to 3% in terms of sheer post quantity. Yet videos get significantly more clicks. And those clicks are mostly coming from mobile users. 85% of the advertising revenue comes from mobile ads, and 98.3% of users access Facebook from mobile devices.
Does Facebook Satisfy All Your Needs?
Search isn’t the only effective channel for B2B marketing; social networks, especially LinkedIn and Facebook, can also be very rewarding. New LinkedIn statistics say that 89% of B2B marketers rely on lead generation. In fact, 80% of B2B leads can be attributed to LinkedIn. While LinkedIn is the favored choice for 92% of B2B marketers, it’d be silly to overlook the targeted reach and retargeting capabilities of Facebook, which is used for lead generation by 88% of B2B SMB marketers.
Adding on that, Facebook’s lead ads come as a cherry on the cake. The benefits of Facebook lead ads are a more straightforward way for businesses to get leads over the platform without sending users to another web page to fill in the info and get the gated incentive, thus decreasing bounce rates. A WordStream study proved that campaigns using lead ads had a conversion rate of 12.54% against the 10.47% conversion rate of landing pages.
For example, The Macallan targets to raise awareness of their best whiskey without going straight in for the hard sell with the ‘Make The Call’ ad campaign. This sponsored post is a classic top-of-the-funnel example because it’s general enough to be interesting to a wide range of viewers. If you are running ads, then upload a filtered export from your CRM to go after leads you’re currently marketing to and keep your company top-of-mind. That will aid in further targeting.
In the case of The Macallan, the ad reached 19 million people in the US, with a 56% increase in ad recall. Hooking your target companies on social media is powerful because you can continue to deliver targeted messages over time as they move into the middle of the funnel.
Middle of the Funnel Social Ad Example
The middle of the funnel is the perfect place for creating retargeting ads, especially ones that position the power of your product in the words of your customers. Remember, you’re nurturing leads here instead of pushing for conversions. For this, an interactive carousel ad with testimonials works well for a B2B audience.
For instance, an example from AdEspresso above generated 38,456 impressions, 181 clicks, and 40 conversions with a budget of $98.18! Retargeting works by tracking when prospects visit your site and then displaying a relevant ad to the same user when they are on the platform.
According to SEO Marketer, “Facebook retargeting, in cohesion with SEO tactics, places an undisputed level of efficiency. Rather than targeting a new demographic of customers, using the pixel, you are targeting users who have shown the initial interest based on SEO.” This means you can get more for your money in the middle of the funnel by targeting visitors that are more likely to end up converting than total strangers.
Warm Traffic vs. Cold Traffic
To set up retargeting ads for mid-funnel leads, you first need to add a Facebook pixel to your site. This places a cookie in the browser of any visitor landing on a page and allows Facebook to target only those leads with your ads.
Bottom of the Funnel Social Ad Example
This ad from Veeam Software has a very specific offer for a very specific audience. You can tell by the low number of views on the video that it’s targeting a small niche rather than a broad segment. Instead of just selling the fear of losing IT data, which would be more general, it sold a free 30-day trial of an Oracle database backup suite. This assumes the target audience is a database management decision-maker running Oracle infrastructure and that they’re far enough down the funnel to buy.
One solid strategy you can use to leverage your existing Facebook audience and widen reach is to use lookalike audiences to target leads with similar expressed interests in their Facebook profile. To set this up, you can use your email list as the source and clone your customer base.
You can also market straight to your existing customers with upsells instead of generating a lookalike audience with your customer file. It’s much less expensive to retain and upsell than to create a new customer. So by using your existing customers, you can boost LTV without running over budget.
What are the Advantages of Instagram over Facebook?
Instagram is currently the popular platform for marketing and reaching a much younger audience. Demographics that include a huge millennial following really set this market apart. It’s a much more visual medium than Facebook, which is reflected in the categories that users tend to gravitate towards: Fashion, Photography, Beauty, and Architecture to name a few.
Though young, this audience is still willing to engage and spend time with half of all users following at least one business and doing product research within the app. More than one-third of Instagram users have made an online purchase using their phones, and their average spend is actually 15.4% greater than Facebook’s.
Perhaps the best part of advertising with Instagram is that about 72% of marketers are currently making use of it. Instagram’s latest features like Reels, shoppable feeds, product tags, badges, guides, etc., are further making it a more market-friendly social media network. Both SMBs and elite brands like Dior, Nike, Louis Vuitton, etc., ensure to use the most of these features to sink in their branding roots deeper.
In a landscape with a relatively low level of competition when compared to Facebook, you can market yourself to a desirable, engaged, younger audience on the cheap with the help of free Instagram tools.
Why Not Use Both Social Media Platforms?
Well, you certainly can. While the effect will likely depend greatly on your following size, integrated marketing campaigns using both Facebook and Instagram make a lot of sense.
One way to do it would be to start with a Facebook ad campaign and then turn around and do an Instagram promotion targeting the part of your audience that didn’t convert. Facebook will get you the traffic while Instagram follows up and helps to convert the stragglers. Or, try the opposite approach. Advertise on Instagram first with the goal of engaging followers and ultimately getting them to a specific landing page. Those who don’t convert can be targeted in a future Facebook campaign. Users on this list who already like your Facebook page will be especially likely to end in conversion for you. You can use Facebook marketing tools to constantly publish content and generate more engagement out of your remarketing campaigns.
Copywriting Needs
Copywriting involves writing a message that is persuasive, conversational, and believable. In essence, you will have to tell a compelling story that grabs the reader’s attention and engages them emotionally so that they respond the way you want them to. Because of this, many view copywriting as manipulative; but it doesn’t have to be. It is a very powerful way of communication, but it doesn’t have to be the blatant, disrespectful, and manipulative ugly messages that we, unfortunately, come across all too often.
Add Value to Your Message
The information you provide should be perceived as valuable. I am not talking about monetary value, but the kind that can turn a person who knows nothing about you into someone who would want to buy from you. It should be noted that scheduling the publication of your posts is important too.
You can do it yourself, trying to keep a large amount of information in your head. But there is an opportunity to simplify this process with the help of special tools such as SocialPilot. You can effortlessly schedule posts with a simple 3-step process—upload, preview, and select an account. In this case, you can schedule from 1 to 500 posts.
Creating Value in Your Communications
Creating value in your communications doesn’t apply just to a sales letter, but to all kinds of writing, from a blog post to a customer service email or your response to a complaint. Here are some ideas that can help:
- Tell a Story: Tell a story that your reader will relate to. To do this successfully, place yourself in their shoes; where are they coming from? What are they likely to think about or feel?
- Explain Things Simply: Even when writing about something technical, avoid jargon and use simple words to explain things more easily.
- Convey Emotions: If you present your message well with emotions that connect to your reader or viewer, they should see that what you are offering will add value to their lives (i.e., solve a problem, make life easier, increase their profits).
- Call to Action: Tell your readers/viewers the actions you want them to take step-by-step. Make it fun, fast, and simple, and you will benefit from higher conversion rates – whether it is for an opt-in list or a purchase.
Focus on Benefits
Facts come across as cold and impersonal (and sometimes even boring!). So it is best to focus on benefits because people prefer more warm and personal communication, but don’t overdo it. This again applies to any communication and not just a sales letter or an advertisement.
Differentiating Benefits from Features
Think of a diamond as being the product. The number of carats, for example, is a feature. The benefits, however, can be how the product will make you feel, how it will change your view of the person who gave it to you, or even how others regard you because you now wear the diamond ring!
In business, a benefit will generally describe something that moves your prospect away from pain, or from frustration to pleasure, or how your service will help them achieve something. You must master this distinction because people rarely buy based on features. Most buying decisions are highly emotional and sell out to benefits.
Verdict: Facebook vs. Instagram
With mobile devices dominating social media and online shopping, it makes a lot of sense to make a marketing plan for small businesses on a platform that caters to users who mostly engage in this way already. And remember that just because they’re young doesn’t mean they aren’t engaging and spending.
Besides, it is not important to hire a big team of copywriters to create appealing content because few people read the description below the photos. In this case, it is enough to publish a perfect photo to attract customers. For conversions, Instagram is the clear winner. Facebook, on the other hand, is fantastic for targeting an older, more traditional audience. If you’re implementing full-funnel marketing, this is the place to be.
