Facebook or Instagram: Which is better for marketing your business?
It might not be an age-old question, but many small businesses often ask which is better for marketing: Facebook or Instagram?
Unfortunately, there is not a one-size-fits-all answer.
Sharing more than 6 billion combined monthly active users across the two social networks, the opportunities on both are immense. Of course, they're also both owned by the same company, Meta, so they do share some linkage and features (especially when running paid advertising campaigns).
Facebook remains the most popular social media platform, while visuals-first Instagram has a younger, faster-growing audience.
The following are four elements you should consider when deciding whether Facebook or Instagram is the best marketing platform for your business.
Usage statistics
| Monthly active users | More than 3 billion | More than 3 billion |
| Gender split (global) | About 57 percent male | Nearly even, roughly 51 percent male |
| Gender split (U.S.) | 78 percent of women, 63 percent of men use it | 55 percent of users are women |
| Largest age group | 25 to 34 (about 24 percent of users) | 25 to 34, with 18 to 29 the most likely to use it |
| U.S. adult adoption | 71 percent of U.S. adults | About 75 percent of U.S. adults 18 to 29 |
Facebook currently has more than 3 billion monthly active users. About 71 percent of U.S. adults use Facebook, according to Pew Research.
Globally, about 56.6 percent of Facebook users are male. In the U.S. specifically, the gender split flips: 78 percent of women use Facebook compared to 63 percent of men.
The largest age group on Facebook today is 25 to 34 year olds, who make up about 24 percent of users, followed closely by 35 to 44 year olds. The platform also continues to see strong and growing usage among adults 65 and older, who now account for a meaningfully larger share of Facebook's user base than they did just a few years ago.
Instagram currently has more than 3 billion monthly active users, putting it roughly on par with Facebook's overall reach, even though its audience skews noticeably younger.
More than 200 million businesses have an Instagram presence, and in the U.S., about 55 percent of Instagram users are women, versus roughly even globally.
Instagram does skew toward a younger audience. About 75 percent of U.S. adults ages 18 to 29 use Instagram, compared to 66 percent of adults ages 30 to 49.
Functionality of the platforms
The social network is all about information, from the about section on a profile or page (which are more robust than what's available through an Instagram profile bio) to the types of posts you can share:
- Text only
- Images or GIFs
- Videos, including Reels
- Links
In essence, because of the variety of options, it can be a distracting and noisy environment where you're also fighting against the Facebook algorithm.
The app is all about images and videos. Text-only posts are not an option.
But that's because Instagram is less about the communication of information and more about capturing and sharing moments and then engaging around those moments.
Because of some of the simplicity of Instagram's functionality, it allows brands to laser focus on how their shared moments represent them. That's when you see such massive brand popularity blossom. (This is in comparison to the almost too many options for sharing as a business on Facebook.)
Of course, Instagram also has an algorithm that drives user experience on the app, but it doesn't get complained about nearly as much as Facebook's.
Content marketing
Facebook is a great place to share curated content, where you're sharing someone else's content to benefit your own audience. (Check out our four tips for finding great curated content to share, as well as 12 tools to help you.) This is because you can easily share links.
This is also the best place to share any company announcements and/or updates. In fact, you can create actual events on Facebook and promote them.
The best content for Instagram is original and authentic (not curated). Yes, you'll see some regrams, memes and even text images. But go original if you want to be successful.
Going behind the scenes is engaging on Instagram. Real-time images also drive engagement, especially through Instagram Stories, and short-form video (Reels) now drives a large share of discovery on the platform.
Instagram also is great for image-based contests that center around a hashtag. (Be sure to check out our guide on how to ensure your giveaways and contests are legal.)
Advertising campaigns
As mentioned earlier, Facebook and Instagram are both owned by Meta (formerly known as Facebook). This means that you have the ability to run a single paid advertising campaign in one place that can run across both platforms.
Meta Business Suite (built on what used to be called Facebook Business Manager) can make it all happen, so you don't necessarily have to choose.
In conclusion
Ultimately, brands should have a presence on both Facebook and Instagram, but depending on your target audience, marketing goals and brand identity, you'll likely drive a larger presence on one or the other.