Facebook or Instagram is one of the first questions businesses ask when thinking about digital marketing strategy. We live in a world where social media cannot be ignored; they offer many advantages in reaching audiences. They allow us to tell the brand’s story, stay in touch with the audience, and even provide customer service and make sales directly from these platforms. But while there is no doubt about the necessity of advertising on social networks, the question arises: which social network is best suited for the business?
Facebook or Instagram
Global social media usage statistics:
• About 4.15 billion people worldwide use social networks.
• Israeli users spend an average of 2.6 hours a day on social networks.
• In Israel, there were about 4,500,000 monthly Instagram users in 2021.
• About 6.34 million Israelis use Facebook.
There are two things about which there is no doubt: the first is the need to manage social media activity – something every business needs. And the second is that Facebook and Instagram are at the top of the list of leading social networks. 97% of advertisers use social networks to build brand image.
Instagram and Facebook are among the world’s leading social networks. Facebook has more than 3 billion monthly users, and Instagram has about 3 billion. In Israel, Facebook has 6.34 million users and Instagram has about 4.5 million. This is undoubtedly a huge market that cannot be ignored. So should you invest in Facebook advertising or Instagram advertising?
Which platform should we advertise on?
To answer the question, there are two things you need to do. The first is to analyze your business’s customer base. First of all, you want to know who the ideal persona is for your product or service. After profiling the ideal customer, you can ask where they are located. In other words, where can you reach them: on Facebook, on Instagram, or perhaps elsewhere? Therefore, it is important to define the ideal persona as accurately as possible in terms of age, socio-economic characteristics, and more.
We cannot do this for you, at least not in this article. Every business offers a different product or service and caters to a different audience. Some target a younger audience, while others target an older audience, married, single, etc. But what we can tell you about are the characteristics of the audience found on each of the social networks.
Facebook Advertising
The first thing we can say about Facebook is its numerical advantage. It is a very large market, and relative to social networks, quite diverse in terms of audience. You can find audiences of all ages on Facebook, but in recent years Facebook’s audience has been undergoing changes – the primary growth of Facebook today is among ages 55 and older.
Some data on Facebook users:
• Globally, 43.7% of Facebook users are women and 56.3% are men. In Israel, the percentage of women is higher, standing at 48%.
• The largest age group among Facebook users is 25-34.
• 5.3% of users are aged 65 and older. But this is also the fastest-growing group.
• 5.6% of users are under the age of 18.
• 57% of Facebook users in Israel are married, 7% are single, and the rest are engaged, divorced, or in a relationship.
• 72% of Facebook users in Israel have a higher education, 26% high school, and 2% have only finished elementary school.
• 86% of users in Israel use mobile, with the majority (62%) using Android.
To view Facebook user statistics in Israel 2021 click here
Please note that these data reflect the global picture and the picture in Israel, but when considering Facebook advertising, it is important to check the data regarding the market relevant to you. Your target audience is not necessarily the Israeli market. Furthermore, these are only some of the relevant variables, and there may be different variables you will want to check in order to target the audience and understand whether they are on Facebook or elsewhere.
It can be assumed that at least part of your audience is on Facebook, something we can say about almost every business. In recent years, Facebook has gained a negative reputation among young people, who tend to search for alternatives. Thus, a trend of an aging audience on Facebook has been created. According to Facebook’s own forecasts, this trend is expected to increase, but on the other hand, Facebook is also trying to reinvent itself.
Instagram Advertising
The first thing that can be said about Instagram advertising is that the general characteristic of this social network is its young audience; the majority of Instagram users are under the age of 40. It is considered a must-have network for any business in lifestyle, e-commerce, and photography.
Some data on Instagram users:
In Israel, 72.6% of daily Instagram users are under the age of 34. Another interesting statistic is that on Instagram, user engagement is higher; the percentage of likes and comments compared to the reach percentage is higher than on Facebook.
However, it is not just demographic differences that set Facebook advertising apart from Instagram advertising. The main feature of Instagram is visual media—meaning photos and videos. But if you need to use text, you will achieve more success on Facebook.
To view advanced statistics from the Veed website, click here – Instagram Advertising
So Facebook or Instagram?
As we mentioned, you should mainly take into account your ideal audience and how to interact with them, and know where they are located. That is where you should invest most of your efforts. But even if you chose advertising on Instagram, it still does not mean you should give up on Facebook. Facebook can be more informative. For example, through a Facebook page, you can display information about the business, such as address, opening hours, customer service, etc.
Instagram is a platform more suitable for brand image building. People do not use Instagram to check business opening hours or get information. They simply absorb impressions visually, allowing you to tell the brand’s story and create a connection with the audience.
To a large extent, Facebook is like a restaurant with dozens of dishes. The customer may get confused and distracted. In contrast, Instagram serves two dishes, one on the feed and one on Stories, keeping them focused. The question is not just Facebook or Instagram, but also how to operate on each social network. The content you post on Facebook is different from the content you post on Instagram; content that works on Facebook is not necessarily what will work on Instagram. You can try testing your content on Instagram and Facebook to see where you achieve better results.
Summary
It is worth knowing that social networks are not only a tool to reach the audience, but also a tool to learn about the audience. Whether you are engaged in Facebook advertising or Instagram advertising, you will always want to learn about your audience. By monitoring social networks, you can see the sentiment regarding your brand or product. You can see user reactions. There are various tools that allow you to do this and gain important insights. This field is known as SOCIAL LISTENING.
About the Author
Ofri Lieberman, 29, manager and owner of Adwebe, a company specializing in Google advertising, SEO, and custom website development. An expert in online marketing, guiding businesses toward digital success.
