When it comes to social media marketing, Facebook is the big guy on campus. It has the largest user base and has withstood the test of time. The company has redefined the way we look at social networks and also expanded the possibilities of social media for businesses.
Then there’s the new kid on the block, Instagram. In the world of social networking sites, Instagram is still relatively new. But it arrived at a great time. We’re in a space where mobile dominates. Consumers spend more time browsing the web on their phone than their desktops. Instagram was able to take advantage of this shift by launching as a mobile app. Similar to the way Facebook shook up the social media marketing world with its data driven approach, so is Instagram with its strict focus on mobile users and visuals.
Both social networking sites are powerful and have a lot of opportunities for your brand to engage with consumers. There’s no doubt about that. And the two are closely linked together since Facebook owns Instagram. Despite the close bond between them, they’re two separate platforms that need to be approached differently.
You can’t always apply the same techniques and strategies you’d use for Facebook to Instagram. We’ll take a look at some of the differences between the two and help you decide where your brand should put their focus.
Instagram vs. Facebook by the Numbers
Since Facebook is a lot older than Instagram, it’ll have some advantages in terms of user base and popularity. However, Instagram’s growth has been extremely strong and it’s headed in the right direction. Let’s look at the numbers.
Facebook Statistics
1.4 billion monthly active users
655 million monthly active users that are mobile only
65% of Facebook videos occur on mobile devices
40 million small businesses have Facebook Pages
Instagram Statistics
300 million monthly active users
75 million daily users
20% of Internet users are on Instagram
27% of the US population uses Instagram
47% of Instagram users access the app on their phone and 53% on their tablet
As you can see, Facebook might have larger vanity numbers but Instagram’s stats are very impressive—particularly in terms of engagement. Instagram has built itself up as a platform that thrives on users being able to engage with the visual content brands share.
On the other hand, those huge numbers from Facebook have made it so that small businesses feel obligated to start a Facebook Page even if they don’t necessarily plan on being active on it. Facebook has cemented itself as a staple in the social media marketing world.
Numbers alone don’t always tell the full story though. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Facebook’s Audience vs. Instagram’s
This is probably going to be one of the deciding factors for which social media site you choose to put your focus toward. Facebook has more total users but your customer avatar might not be as active on the site as you might think.
Then there’s the new kid on the block, Instagram. In the world of social networking sites, Instagram is still relatively new. But it arrived at a great time. We’re in a space where mobile dominates. Consumers spend more time browsing the web on their phone than their desktops. Instagram was able to take advantage of this shift by launching as a mobile app. Similar to the way Facebook shook up the social media marketing world with its data driven approach, so is Instagram with its strict focus on mobile users and visuals.
Both social networking sites are powerful and have a lot of opportunities for your brand to engage with consumers. There’s no doubt about that. And the two are closely linked together since Facebook owns Instagram. Despite the close bond between them, they’re two separate platforms that need to be approached differently.
You can’t always apply the same techniques and strategies you’d use for Facebook to Instagram. We’ll take a look at some of the differences between the two and help you decide where your brand should put their focus.
Instagram vs. Facebook by the Numbers
Since Facebook is a lot older than Instagram, it’ll have some advantages in terms of user base and popularity. However, Instagram’s growth has been extremely strong and it’s headed in the right direction. Let’s look at the numbers.
Facebook Statistics
1.4 billion monthly active users
655 million monthly active users that are mobile only
65% of Facebook videos occur on mobile devices
40 million small businesses have Facebook Pages
Instagram Statistics
300 million monthly active users
75 million daily users
20% of Internet users are on Instagram
27% of the US population uses Instagram
47% of Instagram users access the app on their phone and 53% on their tablet
As you can see, Facebook might have larger vanity numbers but Instagram’s stats are very impressive—particularly in terms of engagement. Instagram has built itself up as a platform that thrives on users being able to engage with the visual content brands share.
On the other hand, those huge numbers from Facebook have made it so that small businesses feel obligated to start a Facebook Page even if they don’t necessarily plan on being active on it. Facebook has cemented itself as a staple in the social media marketing world.
Numbers alone don’t always tell the full story though. Let’s dig a little deeper.
Facebook’s Audience vs. Instagram’s
This is probably going to be one of the deciding factors for which social media site you choose to put your focus toward. Facebook has more total users but your customer avatar might not be as active on the site as you might think.
One of the first differences that jumps out is Instagram’s younger user base. The older generation really isn’t active on the app. A majority of Instagram users are under 30, and many are in their teens. This is great for companies trying to reach a younger demographic. Facebook on the other hand has been losing its share of teen users. Between Fall and Spring of 2014, the number of teens using Facebook fell from 72% to 45%. The same study also found that 38% of teens said that Instagram is a favorable marketing channel vs. 21% for Facebook.
Part of the shift has to do with the younger consumers’ desire to be onto the next trend pretty quickly. We’re starting to see new social networks pop up a lot quicker these days and the shiny object syndrome is just too tempting. It might not be so much of a case of people being tired of Facebook as it is they just want to use the newer apps available.
Let’s not discount the older generation though. An advantage of being a popular social network for older consumers is that the users have higher incomes. Depending on what products or services your company offers, this could be extremely advantageous. For instance, an investment firm might have much more success on Facebook than they would on Instagram.
Where Is the Engagement?
The top advantage that Instagram has over not only Facebook, but every other social media channel, is engagement. A study on social media engagement looked at over three million user interactions with over 2,500 brands on seven social networking sites. Six out of the seven social media sites including Facebook and Twitter had less than a 0.1% engagement rate. The seventh social network was Instagram, which had an astounding 4.21% engagement rate. That’s 58 times the engagement rate of Facebook.
Let’s look at a real life example of the engagement on Facebook vs. Instagram. Here’s a post from Quest Nutrition that was put on both its Facebook Page and Instagram account. Keep in mind that Quest has 1.1 million Facebook Likes and 491,000 Instagram followers.
Click to read more
Dominique Jackson: Dominique Jackson is a pro blogger, inbound marketing specialist and Twitter addict. You can follow all his Tweets @djthewriter.
Part of the shift has to do with the younger consumers’ desire to be onto the next trend pretty quickly. We’re starting to see new social networks pop up a lot quicker these days and the shiny object syndrome is just too tempting. It might not be so much of a case of people being tired of Facebook as it is they just want to use the newer apps available.
Let’s not discount the older generation though. An advantage of being a popular social network for older consumers is that the users have higher incomes. Depending on what products or services your company offers, this could be extremely advantageous. For instance, an investment firm might have much more success on Facebook than they would on Instagram.
Where Is the Engagement?
The top advantage that Instagram has over not only Facebook, but every other social media channel, is engagement. A study on social media engagement looked at over three million user interactions with over 2,500 brands on seven social networking sites. Six out of the seven social media sites including Facebook and Twitter had less than a 0.1% engagement rate. The seventh social network was Instagram, which had an astounding 4.21% engagement rate. That’s 58 times the engagement rate of Facebook.
Let’s look at a real life example of the engagement on Facebook vs. Instagram. Here’s a post from Quest Nutrition that was put on both its Facebook Page and Instagram account. Keep in mind that Quest has 1.1 million Facebook Likes and 491,000 Instagram followers.
Click to read more
Dominique Jackson: Dominique Jackson is a pro blogger, inbound marketing specialist and Twitter addict. You can follow all his Tweets @djthewriter.
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