When it comes to marketing, Facebook and Instagram both have their advantages and disadvantages. While Facebook has a larger user base and is more popular than Instagram, it's not always easy to apply the same marketing techniques to both. For this reason, it's important to learn about the differences between these two platforms to get the most out of your marketing efforts.

What platform is better?

The question of whether to use Facebook or Instagram for marketing your brand is a common one for new online companies. It's important to know the difference between the two. Facebook is still the leader in terms of user base, but Instagram is a better choice for businesses with wide audiences.

  • For Commerce

Instagram's popularity has boosted its use in commerce. In fact, 11% of American shoppers purchase things on the platform, and over 130 million people tap sponsored posts every month. The content on Instagram is predominantly visual and users expect to see original content.

For most businesses, Facebook has more advantages, where you can reach a numerous demographic and generate more engagement. Besides, you can integrate both platforms and share your posts on both.

  • Targeting audience

Millennials and Gen-Z are the majority of the audience for Instagram, and compared to Facebook, their engagement rate is higher. This means that brands can easily target the younger demographic and build a more loyal following. Instagram is a more visual-based platform, which is an essential feature when trying to market a brand.

  • Engagement

 Instagram users engage with brands more often, according to a 2014 Forrester study. In comparison, Facebook's engagement rate is only 0.7%, while Instagram's engagement rate is 4.21%. Another study by Selfstartr showed that 68% of users engage with brands on Instagram on a daily basis.

Instagram has the potential to surpass Facebook in ad reach right now, thanks to its fast-growing popularity. Moreover, it's a lot cheaper than Facebook. It also has higher engagement rates. This means that you can target a wide variety of demographics with a single ad.

  • Expense

Instagram marketing can be expensive, but the ROI is high. While Facebook advertising is relatively cheap, it can be expensive for a pixel. However, if you're targeting a younger audience, you can spend less money on Instagram ads. The average cost per click on Instagram is $0.70. However, you should monitor the CPM as well. The average cost per thousand views on Instagram can be between $2.50 and $3.50. If you're targeting a female audience, you'll have a higher CPC.

  • Ads Manager – user friendliness

When you use Instagram ads, you can choose between automatic and manual bidding. Automatic bidding is best for beginners, as it automatically optimizes your ads to maximize ROI. But if you're more experienced, you may want to use the manual method. Manual bidding requires you to select the Maximum or Average bid. If you choose the Maximum bid, your ad won't run if the cost is too high

  • Content Selection

Instagram is known for its interesting and positive content, whereas Facebook is a great platform for engaging content that is easy to be shared and talked about.

Don't limit your campaign to just images. Videos on both Facebook as well as Instagram are more popular and have higher engagement than images alone. No matter if you're making a video or creating an image, make sure to incorporate visual signals regarding your brand's identity, such as the color scheme and logo. The viewer should be able to recognize your content as soon as they see it, even when scrolling on mobile devices.

Conclusion

If you're interested in using Instagram to advertise your business, you'll need to develop a strong brand identity to make your ads more effective. Without a strong brand identity, people won't click on your ads. This can damage your customer base in the long run. A strong brand identity will help people relate to you and trust you. Also, many brands use Instagram to advertise their products, so you will have to find your niche and provide something special to set yourself apart.

Social networks have become a vital part of modern marketing strategies, as they allow you to reach a wide audience and interact with them. Facebook is an excellent venue for special promotions. You can post pictures, text, and even videos to reach your target audience. You can also use this platform to engage with your target audience and get feedback.