Social media is now an integral part of everyday life where people stay connected and make important decisions on the products to buy and services. As such, social media is also a necessary business tool. No matter the industry, not having a social media presence doesn’t work for businesses anymore. But, a mere presence on these platforms is also anything but enough.
So if your business does not have a robust social media presence, just imagine the number of potential customers you are missing out on. That said, it is also vital to pick the right platform because its features do not quite provide a level playing field.
LinkedIn and Facebook are usually the names that first come to mind for business users. But, which of the two platforms works for you can be determined only by evaluating and assessing your long-term business needs and goals.
Here is a lowdown on all the key aspects of both social media platforms that you need for making a well-informed decision.
LinkedIn Business Benefits
While businesses should have a social media presence just about anywhere, every platform serves a specific demographic well. LinkedIn is apt for business-minded professionals who wish to stay connected. This makes it an excellent choice for B2B companies to promote their products and services and business owners who want to network with their industry peers. Organizations searching for new talent, professionals looking for potential collaborators, thought leaders, or experts keen on sharing their views and ideas on some issues are usually the best candidates for using LinkedIn.
LinkedIn is also a valuable platform for:
- Gaining experience through Google searches or on-platform searches.
- Becoming a trusted industry resource by generating high-quality leads.
- Building authority as a trusted industry expert and thought leader.
- Connecting with other professionals and business people across industries.
- Offering a glimpse of what your business provides and showcasing major accomplishments.
Facebook Business Benefits
Do you know the one pulling power of Facebook that no other social media platform can match up to? It offers the opportunity to reach the largest potential global audience, which every business needs, irrespective of its industry.
To date, Facebook has the highest count of active monthly users – topping a whopping 2.89 billion – which makes it an excellent go-to option for marketers who want their potential customers to know about a new offer, product, or service. It is also an excellent place to build brand recognition, create close touchpoints with customers to form a more intimate connection, and jump into conversations centered on your business or industry.
With a well-maintained and established Facebook presence, your business also stands to gain in other ways:
- Savings on marketing budget.
- Specific target audience and an opportunity to seamlessly expand demographic boundaries.
- Building brand loyalty.
- Boost traffic to your online store, website, and blog, and a chance to improve your SEO ranking.
- Engage with your customers in their day-to-day life and become a part of the daily conversations they have with their near and dear ones.
Where to Focus?
Several business owners have woken up to the benefits of a multi-platform presence, especially on Facebook and LinkedIn. But there is no hard-and-fast rule that if your business has a presence on one platform, it cannot be present anywhere else – unless that is how you want to play it. That said, time and energy are limited components, and not even the most efficient individual can have enough of either for giving to social media. Hence, the smart thing to do is bet big on the platform that offers a potentially higher return on the original investment.
First, let us find some common ground.
- You can create and share posts and ads on both platforms.
- There are a variety of ad templates to work with on both.
- You can reach out to a younger audience on either platform.
And now, time for the differentiators.
Brand Awareness
Facebook just about edges it if you want to create greater brand awareness for your business. With a higher engagement rate, custom target audience, and broader reach – all because of a huge user base – this is the place to be. Moreover, it is not just demographics for targeting the audience but also the use of psychographics that makes it a unique engagement tool.
B2B Advertising
Want your ads to reach more businesses? Consider taking your corporate advertising campaign over to LinkedIn. You can tailor your ads based on place of work, industry, or job titles. While companies and job titles can reach target audiences on both platforms, this section is more up-to-date on LinkedIn.
Personalization
A feature on LinkedIn known as Sponsored InMail allows you to reach out to a niche audience and offer a curated experience. With the help of this feature, you can create and send personalized messages directly to the inbox of those members who are part of your targeted audience group.
Content Creation
If your business presentation is more dependent on visuals and imagery, prefer Facebook as ads with images have a better performance record on this platform. By incorporating these into your content, you are likely to get a higher reach than LinkedIn. However, if B2B processes, industry insights, and professional updates are the crux of your business, LinkedIn would be preferable as professional content is likely to favor those who are constantly on the lookout for industry updates.
Final Thoughts
It is one thing to use a social networking platform for casual needs and entertainment where your posts work best if they are spontaneous. However, the thought process has to be a little more strategic for marketing professionals and business owners. To have a social media marketing strategy that is a win-win for your business on all fronts, you first need to choose an appropriate social media platform and put together a comprehensive plan around it. Follow it up with an in-depth understanding of the nuts and bolts that form a solid campaign, and the rest will fall into place.
So, which of these social media platforms would you want to work with for growing your business?