Facebook or Instagram?

Published August 12, 2014 at 7:32 am

Social media has been a hot topic in marketing for some time now, and with good reason. The inherent nature of social media encourages the spread of material that can just as easily be used to fulfill marketing goals as it can for entertainment or personal use. Regardless of the channel being used, when people stumble upon a piece of content that they find interesting or remarkable, they are likely to want to share it with others. From a marketing perspective, this makes social media a useful tool when the right strategy is executed.

If you’re working on a multi-channel marketing strategy, chances are that social media is part of the picture. But which channel is most effective?

Facebook has long been a strong choice for brands looking to achieve engagement through social media. However, Instagram is another platform that has been gaining recognition as a place for brands to make an impression. According to a recent AdWeek article, brands are becoming increasingly more active on Instagram, and it is catching up to Facebook. Research from social media firm Shareablee found that many were actively marketing on Instagram.

Currently, brands are able to purchase Facebook ads, and Instagram is working on developing this capability as well, but it is not yet widely available. Despite this, Shareablee’s data revealed that Instagram received 6,932 actions per post in the second quarter of this year, while Facebook had 2,396.

Regardless of the platform(s) your brand uses, it’s worth taking note that having a strong presence on popular social media channels will do a lot to increase visibility, especially when you provide quality content that people want to share. Coordinating a well-executed campaign will help increase your brand’s effectiveness. Automated marketing software helps marketers execute these sorts of campaigns across multiple platforms.