by In the sea of many different social media platforms, Facebook and Instagram are often assumed to be very similar and the content posted on one of them can also be posted on the other. But the reality is that Facebook and Instagram are wildly different platforms. Understanding and using these differences to your advantage is crucial to clever advertising.
So What’s the Difference?
The key to understanding the difference lies in two major points: the demographic and the purpose of the platform. Instagram is popular among younger audiences while Facebook is predominantly used by older people. There are a variety of purposes the platforms serve but one thing to focus on is that the former is used to engage and lighthearted fun while the latter is used to establish a network, gain information, and also a little for recreation. These key differences translate into many smaller points that need to be kept in mind while communicating on respective platforms.
What Does This Mean for your Content?
The major difference in the type of content is very simple; Instagram is largely visual accompanied by a few words while you can post a little content-heavy posts on Facebook (But still in moderation).
The trick to posting on Instagram is to use visual led creatives i.e high-quality images and creative designs with fewer words. The rest of the information can be added in the description of the post once the post catches the users eye. With Facebook, there is more space and acceptance for different kinds of content but the algorithm promotes less content-heavy work. But posting the key information with the creative is important.
It is important here to also acknowledge the role the respective algorithms play in promoting your content. Promotional content is put down by the Facebook algorithm, personal connections, and that kind of content is promoted. Instagram has a couple of other differences- direct shares promote the post and of course the time spent by the user looking at the post.
Facebook is a lot more versatile as it is not confined to just a “like” but offers, to the user, a range of different reaction options on each post. It also has games, chats and is multifaceted. Instagram has two features that are different from Facebook: likes and IGTV. This is not necessarily a demerit as its purpose is to allow you to focus and use all your creativity on the posts. Posting content that is too informational or promotional will not work on Instagram. If your product is available on Instagram, a gentle nudge is enough to drive up sales. Users will negatively respond to this kind of content and that affects your brand image. They are quick to identify this kind of content and it is not possible to fool them.
Facebook is a platform where this kind of content is still acceptable.
The genre of content you post also becomes very important. Instagram users are selective and respond well to positive or surprising content- that which makes the users happy and feel encouraged in general. Facebook doesn’t have a genre and most things find their place. This is not to say that the former is only for positive content, other kinds (such as testimonials, helpful information, relatable content, etc) can also be posted but it must be in moderation.
Which is better?
There are many other nuances to the kind of content and things that are specific to certain kinds of brands, which requires research on similar brands to completely understand. But these are general rules of thumb that can help leverage the best of both platforms. Both the platforms are different and this has to be acknowledged and used in the most efficient way. The purpose of advertising is nullified when the same type of content is posted on both the platforms. The information should be modified accordingly in order to be effective. It’s time to be clever about your advertising.
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“Clevertize is one of the Top Integrated Marketing Communication Agencies in India. It has worked with many national & international clients like eBay, Nando’s, David Lloyd UK, METRO Cash & Carry, Sobha Ltd., TATA Motors, Barbeque Nation to name a few.
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