Instagram vs. Facebook: How to Know Which Is Best for Your Restaurant

Targetable
Oct 15, 2019 9:00:30 AM

Did you know that there are 3.48 billion active social media users in 2019? The use of social media has grown worldwide by 288 million, or 9%, since last year. With numbers this large, your restaurant needs to be on social media, especially on Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook owns both social networking platforms, but each one has it's own distinct purpose and features. To choose the right one for your restaurant, you first must examine what your perfect audience wants to see from you on social media.

Instagram vs. Facebook: For marketing, the winner is unclear. There are advantages to each of these social media platforms for you to consider. Keep reading to learn how to know whether Facebook or Instagram marketing would be best for your restaurant.

 

Advertising on Facebook and Instagram

Incorporating advertising into your marketing strategy is essential in 2019. That's a no brainer, but now you'll need to decide which platform makes sense for your restaurant to advertise on- Facebook or Instagram.

Either way, you don't want to alienate your following by promoting directly on your social media page. Pay-To-Play advertising keeps your ads separate from your regular content, and shows up instead as smartly targeted sponsored posts. This way, your ads can reach a wider audience, pinpointing more of your exact customers at the right times.

Both platforms use Facebook Ad Manager through a Facebook Business Manager account. That's because Facebook now owns Instagram, making advertising a whole lot easier because now you only have to learn one platform to benefit from both.

Facebook includes more advertising options than Instagram. That's because Instagram is a more limited platform in terms of functionality and content. Facebook ads include options for:

  • Clicks to Website
  • Website Conversions
  • Page Post Engagement
  • Page Likes
  • App Installs
  • App Engagement
  • Event Responses
  • Video Views

There are even more options than those listed above. Facebook Ad Manager is also continually changing. It's essential to keep up to date with changes and best practices as the platform evolves. This way, you'll always get the most out of your social media campaigns.

 

The Reach on Facebook is Better Than Instagram

If you're interested in reaching the most people, Facebook is your best bet. With over 2 billion active users, Facebook surpasses Instagram's 1 billion active users by far.

So what exactly is reach in social media terms? Reach is a media analytics metric that refers to the number of users who have come across particular a particular piece of content. For example, how many people saw or clicked on your ad.

Reach is especially important when you're doing social media advertising. A high reach ensures that a broad audience sees your ad. You should also consider other factors such as when you're posting, the algorithm, and content type can affect your reach as well. Working with artificial intelligence marketing software will ensure that your posts are optimized for maximum effect.

To ensure your posts are getting in front of the broadest target audience possible, keep the reach metric in mind for your restaurant.

 

Engagement on Instagram is Better Than Facebook

Although reach is better on Facebook, post engagement is better on Instagram. You'll need to decide which metric is the most important for your restaurant's marketing strategy and goals.

Engagement is a standard metric to determine the success of specific content and campaigns online. So what is engagement mean in social media terms? Social media engagement measures the shares, reactions, and comments for a social media post.

According to a social media study, brands see a median engagement rate of 0.09% per Facebook post, in comparison to a 1.60% median engagement rate per post on Instagram. This shows that Instagram is a better platform for you if you're looking for increase engagements with your brand.

Although users tend to engage more on Instagram than Facebook, there is an opportunity for restaurants to engage with their customers on both platforms. Consider using your Instagram or Facebook profile to like, comment, and share your customers' posts. Doing so will help foster two-way communication and increase your online visibility.

 

Difference Between Facebook and Instagram Demographics

Who is your restaurant's target audience? When it comes to social media platforms, there are different demographics on each. If you have a specific target market such as Gen Z or Baby Boomers, consider the following stats.

Facebook Demographics

  • 74% of Females
  • 62% of Males
  • 18 - 29 is the largest age group at 84%

Instagram Demographics

  • 39% of Females
  • 30% of Males
  • 13 - 17 is the largest age group at 72%

Overall, Instagram has a younger user base than Facebook does, making Instagram an excellent place for restaurants to reach younger generations. Try using Facebook if your target audience is 30 and above.

Targeting older users on Facebook can be a good idea because these users tend to have more disposable income to spend on dining out.

Each social media platform has distinctive demographics, and knowing what those differences are can help you make the most of your online advertising.

 

Instagram vs. Facebook: Where Does Your Restaurant Belong?

One of the biggest questions of our time in the social media age is Instagram vs. Facebook? Now that you've learned the advantages of each platform, you're ready to launch a social media account. You can't go wrong with either one for your restaurant business.

If you have the time, consider launching on both platforms. At Targetable, we can help you succeed on both Instagram and Facebook. We use your data and AI to handle all of your digital marketing for you- at a fraction of what a full-sized agency would cost.

 

 

Targetable is the easy button for getting your ads on both Facebook and Instagram to drive traffic to your restaurant's location.

We make social media advertising a breeze. Contact Targetable now to get started on Facebook and Instagram today!

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