Are you wondering whether to advertise on Facebook or Instagram (or both)?

First of all, congrats on even knowing that you should be advertising on one or the other. 

As two of the top five most popular social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram are where your customers are hanging out — so if you want to make more sales, you want to meet them there!

And, spoiler alert: Since Facebook owns both networks, Facebook and Instagram ads are actually set up using the same platform (Ads Manager). So, running ads on both is super easy.

But if you have to choose…

Which advertising platform is better: Facebook or Instagram?

Here’s the case for each.

Why you should run ads on Facebook:

• You can reach more people. Facebook is still by far the world’s largest social media network — so if it’s a bigger quantity of customers you’re looking for, run your ads here.

• You can reach a wider variety of people. Facebook is used by ALL demographics, so if your target audience is older, more diverse, or even B2B, this is the platform for you.

• You have more ad formats to choose from. Aside from Instagram Explore, Facebook offers more placements (Marketplace, Right Column, etc.) — AND you have the option of putting a clickable URL in your ad copy — so you’re able to get a little more creative in your ad setup on Facebook.

Why you should run ads on Instagram:

• You have a younger audience. Instagram may have fewer users, but they are generally younger, more engaged, and more willing to buy right from the app — so you get a great bang for your buck!

• You have a smaller budget. Since you’re targeting fewer people on Instagram — and the platform is overall simpler to use — your dollar (and your time) will stretch further.

• You sell a visually striking product or service. By nature, Instagram lends itself to more visual content, so if your ad creative can stand out in the feed, you’ll have greater success.

Why you should run ads on both Facebook and Instagram:

• You have a diverse audience. While there’s considerable overlap between the two platforms, there are also many users who use only one or the other, so you’re bound to catch more customers by advertising on both.

• Your budget allows it. Since both Facebook and Instagram are highly profitable platforms — and using both is as easy as a couple of clicks in Ads Manager — there’s little reason NOT to advertise on both if you can afford it.

• You regularly review (and optimize) your ads. If your team or ad agency is good about frequently monitoring your ad results (and we hope they are!), it’s easy to start advertising on both Facebook and Instagram, analyze the results, and adjust your placements, budgets, and other settings accordingly.

The Verdict on Facebook vs. Instagram Ads

As you’ve probably guessed, we aren’t going to tell you definitively that one platform is ALWAYS better than the other.

We wouldn’t be very good marketers if we recommended the same strategy for every business, would we?

In general, we’d say that if you can afford to advertise on both Facebook and Instagram, go for it.

Not only will you reach different subsets of your audience (and reach some of the same customers in two different places, thus increasing your chance for conversion), but you’ll also gather more data, which can help you decide where to allocate your dollars in the future.

That said, we prefer to customize our ad recommendations specifically for YOUR business.

That’s why we offer to create a free marketing proposal customized for you. Our team will research your business and recommend the right strategies (Facebook, Instagram, SEO, etc.) for your goals.

Interested? Request your custom marketing plan here (no commitment required)!

Rather ask us a few questions first? Want answers in real time?

Join us for our upcoming Q&A, where we’re answering all your marketing questions LIVE.

Yep, our last “Office Hours” event was so successful, we’re hosting it again next week!

We’ll be going over “The Anatomy of a Profit-Booming Black Friday & Holiday Sale” again next Wednesday — so if you missed it the other week, here’s your second chance. 😉

But even if you don’t have questions related to Black Friday or Cyber Monday, you’ll still be able to ask us all your Facebook and Instagram ad questions — whatever the topic.

You can even submit your advertising questions in advance now.

So whether you’re curious about what Black Friday offers work best, whether you should focus on Facebook or Instagram, or something else entirely… will you join us LIVE on Wednesday, October 6?!

Good — because we look forward to helping you settle this Facebook vs. Instagram debate once and for all (…or at least for the rest of 2021).