Choosing the right advertising platform between Instagram and Facebook can dramatically affect the success of your digital marketing campaign. Both platforms, operating under the Meta brand, offer distinct audiences and engagement opportunities tailored to different business objectives.
As a specialist Instagram and Facebook ads agency in Melbourne, our team at Digital Eagles have prepared a comparative analysis of the two platforms, helping you understand where your ideal customers are more likely to engage and how you can effectively capture their attention.
Instagram vs Facebook Ads: Demographics Comparison
Where are your ideal customers spending most of their time online? Knowing your audience and their preferred social platforms is essential when deciding whether to focus on Facebook or Instagram for your advertising campaign.
While both run on the Meta platform, here’s a detailed comparison of the typical user demographics for each of Facebook and Instagram:
Facebook Demographics
- Active Users: Reports indicate around 18.5 million monthly active users in Australia
- Primary Age Group: Facebook attracts a diverse age range, with a significant portion aged 25-34, making it an ideal platform for reaching a relatively mature demographic.
- Gender Distribution: The platform shows a balanced gender mix, with a slight predominance of female users at 54%, compared to 46% male.
- Average Daily Usage: Users spend about 1.88 hours on Facebook daily.
Facebook Insights:
- User engagement on Facebook is declining even as the overall use of social media increases.
- Younger demographics gravitate towards platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram.
- Despite these trends, Facebook generates most of Meta’s advertising revenue, accounting for 58% of $121.9 billion, compared to Instagram’s 41.5%.
Instagram:
- Active Users: Approximately 13.95 million monthly active users (more than half of Australians over 13 years of age).
- Primary Age Group: The largest user group in Australia is the 25-34-year-olds, followed closely by the 18-24 age group. Internationally, 18-24-year-olds are the predominant demographic, representing over 30% of users.
- Gender Distribution: The gender split slightly favours female users, with a distribution of 56% female to 44% male.
Instagram Insights:
- Instagram is experiencing a demographic shift with a growing presence of Gen Z users.
- The platform continues to appeal strongly to Gen Z and Millennials, who constitute a significant portion of its global user base.
- Instagram’s focus on short-form videos, like Reels, is proving successful in engaging younger audiences.
- The platform is increasingly becoming an e-commerce destination, although it is still adapting its shopping features to enhance user experience.
These insights help highlight the strategic considerations for choosing between Facebook and Instagram, depending on your campaign goals and target audience. Whether aiming for a broader demographic reach or engaging a younger, dynamic audience, selecting the right platform can significantly impact the effectiveness of your advertising efforts.
Instagram vs Facebook Ads: Ad Capabilities Comparison
While Facebook and Instagram are both managed under Meta’s umbrella, offering streamlined processes for audience targeting and campaign management, the key differentiator lies in their ad placement options and user interactions:
Ad Placement Options:
Ad placements on Facebook and Instagram cater to the inherent qualities of each platform.
For instance, on Facebook, you can place ads in the News Feed, within the right-hand column, or on Facebook Stories. Instagram, more tailored towards visual and immersive experiences, offers placements on the Explore page, its Feed, or Instagram Reels.
Each platform provides specific environments conducive to different types of engagement, and while you can utilise placements across both platforms, it’s strategic to choose based on where your content will resonate most effectively. You can use the Facebook ad library to see your competitors’ actions and understand the different formats available.
Audience Demographics and Preferences
The demographic split between Facebook and Instagram is stark. Facebook generally attracts an older user base that has had the social media account for a while, making it ideal for targeting a more mature audience. On the other hand, Instagram is popular with a younger crowd, making it a hotspot for brands looking to connect with this demographic.
When planning your advertising strategy, consider which platform aligns best with your target audience’s age and viewing preferences.
E-commerce and Purchasing Intent
Instagram’s shift towards becoming a key player in e-commerce suggests a potent environment for purchase-driven advertising. Despite Instagram’s e-commerce ambitions, however, Facebook remains a powerful platform for conversion. Instagram is notably popular among Gen Z as a shopping destination, with 22% of their purchases happening there, slightly edging out Facebook. This points to Instagram’s rising influence among younger shoppers and suggests potential for brands targeting this demographic.
Are Facebook or Instagram Ads Worth It?
Each platform offers unique benefits depending on your marketing objectives.
If your goal is to enhance brand visibility among younger demographics and in visually-driven sectors, Instagram may provide better returns due to its strong visual format and youthful audience.
On the other hand, if you aim to reach a broader demographic and foster community engagement, Facebook is likely the more appropriate choice.
Your strategy should be shaped by where your target audience is most active and their preferred ways of interacting with brands. Take a look at the Instagram and Facebook ad library for inspiration and guidance on what the wider market is doing. From what we’ve seen, employing a dual-platform strategy that capitalises on the strengths of both Facebook and Instagram tends to deliver the most effective outcomes for many businesses.
Benefits of Working with a Specialist Instagram & Facebook Ads Agency
Partnering with a specialist paid social media agency for Instagram and Facebook ads can significantly enhance your marketing campaigns through:
- Expertise and Experience: Agencies offer deep insights into the Meta platform’s evolving trends and best practices, ensuring your ads are as effective as possible.
- Advanced Targeting Capabilities: Precise audience segmentation allows your ads to reach the most relevant users, boosting engagement and efficiency.
- Creative Excellence: Specialist teams develop engaging visuals and compelling copy that stand out and resonate with your target audience.
- Comprehensive Campaign Management: Agencies handle everything from ad creation to performance analysis, freeing your team to focus on other business priorities.
- Scalability: As your business grows, agencies can scale your campaigns to match your expanding goals, maintaining effectiveness and reach.
- Cost Efficiency: Optimising your ad spend, agencies work to lower your cost per acquisition, enhancing the overall return on investment.
- Ongoing Optimisation and Learning: Agencies continuously test and refine strategies, adapting to changes in social media trends to keep their campaigns performing well.
- Insightful Reporting and Analytics: Receive detailed reports that clarify campaign performance and ROI, helping guide future marketing strategies.
Working with a specialist agency provides not just expertise in ad management but also strategic benefits that can drive significant growth for your business. If you are ready to explore how social media marketing across Meta platforms could benefit your business, speak with us at Digital Eagles today.
