Sometimes when you’re a small brand, it’s not possible to manage multiple platforms. If you can only pick one would you choose Instagram or Facebook? Giving one platform lots of attention could be better for your business than giving many little attention.
When you’re creating a brand from scratch, there are so many elements to consider. Unless you’re fortunate enough to have a team on hand from the very start, it’s likely you’re doing everything solo. Therefore, you might not have enough time on your hands to juggle multiple social media platforms on top of every other task you have.
It might be worth deciding on just one social platform. Two of the main ones for sharing business content are Instagram and Facebook. But, which one can offer you more? It really comes down to the type of brand you have and what you’re promoting. Are you sharing a service? Or is your brand product based?
Instagram statistics
Instagram is a constantly growing hub. It’s where people go to express themselves through various medias; still images, videos and live content. If you’re a brand who rely on visual content, perhaps this is a platform for you. Instagram have a wide influence, some of their statistics you can see below:
1.3 billion DAU (Daily Active Users)
2.3 billion MAU (Monthly Active Users)
4.2 billion daily likes
32% of internet users have Instagram accounts
25 million business accounts on Instagram
Facebook statistics
A lot of businesses start with Facebook. It’s been around for longer and has more of a community feel to it. People are able to interact and start conversations. They can ask questions easily and the brand can respond. However, it doesn’t have the same level of influence as Instagram, depending on what you need it for. Here are Facebook’s stats:
1.32 billion DAU (Daily Active Users) 2.01 billion MAU (Monthly Active Users)
655 million Monthly Mobile Active Users 40 million small brands have their own Facebook page
What can Facebook offer your brand?
Having an active profile could increase interest in your brand. People on Facebook often want to see current and updated posts to know that the business is still performing well and can offer what they’re looking for. There are many ways you can use Facebook to your advantage. Here are just a few:
Facebook groups
You can add yourself to relevant Facebook groups. Both for your area, and within your business niche. If you’re brand is based on hair and beauty, join Facebook groups relating to this. It will help you find other creatives to bounce ideas off, as well as gaining tips on running a brand, which if you’re new, might be really beneficial.
Facebook brand profile
Your Facebook page will be the place where you share what you’ve been working on, how your business is going and all the products and services you offer. They’re usually a friendly place to be where potential customers can browse and interact if they like what they see. It’s a great place for your loyal consumers to share their feedback and offer support.
Facebook stories
You can create and share stories via your brand’s Facebook profile. These could be small clips about the brand’s processes. Perhaps some behind the scenes footage. Anything that adds your personality to your brand. After all, being a small business, it’s really important any potential clients see the real you.
Facebook live
Going live on Facebook again allows you to show your true self. After all, it’s not pre-recorded, you cannot edit it and what you say will be heard by anyone tuning in. You’re able to show more of your personality to your potential consumers. Share your products and allow them to see them in real life settings.
Facebook events
This is a brilliant way of gaining attention of any event you wish to host. You can add photos, videos and messages regularly to keep the excitement growing. You’re able to get an idea of how popular your event will be by seeing how many people are interested, or have confirmed they’re attending.
There are so many more benefits you can get from having an active Facebook brand page. You’ll be able to access insights, seeing when your audience are most active and where abouts in the world they are. This might help you change up your angle to suit. You can place adverts across Facebook to draw people in. Overall, Facebook is a brilliant place for businesses to promote themselves. Especially those who offer a service.
What can Instagram offer your brand?
Instagram is an extremely visual platform. It’s a great place to show off your products and what your brand can offer. If you’re a company who offer physical products, Instagram could be the place for you. You’ll need to be consistent on Instagram like any platform, but there are a lot of positive things Instagram has to offer:
Multiple Instagram profiles
With Instagram, you can add multiple profiles and easily switch between them. This means you can go from your personal account, to your brand account with no hassle. It’s handy to be able to easily access your business profile with just a double tap. It means you can easily have the work/life balance which can be difficult with many owning a small business.
Instagram messages
Customers and potential consumers need to be able to ask questions easily and with no hassle. Having instant messages means they can reach out and get a quick response. As a business owner you’ll have notifications when you receive a message, meaning you can head to respond as soon as you’re able to. This will help improve your response time which as a business is important.
Instagram shop
Having access to shopping within a social media app is brilliant. It keeps everything in one place and prevents consumers from having to go elsewhere. Sometimes, when people are redirected to another site, or have to leave your profile to visit your website online, they might get sidetracked and find themselves on a competitor’s website. Especially if they have to Google your business website. Whereas, the Instagram shop allows people to shop directly from your profile.
Instagram in-depth insights
Instagram’s analytics are really in-depth. You can find out everything from where the majority of your users are from, to their ages. It means you can tailor your content to your audience. Helping you increase your return rate to your page. When it comes to trial and error for your content, you can see what performs best, allowing you to know where to move forward.
Instagram adverts
Across social platforms, adverts are everywhere. Many businesses find them really useful, as they help spread the word about their company. Instagram are especially good for this. They’ll share your adverts with users who they feel will fit your criteria and might be interested in what you have to offer. Their adverts are quite reasonably priced, so you could spread your business far and wide for little cost.
Instagram live
A really popular feature on Instagram is their live option. It’s easy to use and really accessible for all content creators and businesses. This is a fun and engaging way to address your followers. It’s interactive, and you have a great platform to show off your products or services. Allow your customers a personal touch by getting to know you and seeing your products working for themselves.
So to sum it all up, which platform is better? It’s hard to give a straight answer because both have their selling points. It really depends on what you’re looking for when it comes to your brand. Are you looking to develop clients that interact and have conversations on your post, or are you looking to potentially grow quicker and spread yourself further?
Both platforms can offer you what you need. Instagram definitely is for more visual business, perhaps with products or services that rely on photographs to sell themselves. Whereas, Facebook is probably the much better option for a local business who are trying to build relationships with those around them. Perhaps those who aren’t so much visual based.
Statistics updated on 20th September 2023.
