Instagram vs Facebook for Business: Which platform is better?

Instagram vs. Facebook for business — many brands struggle with this dilemma. But the answer lies in understanding each platform's nuances and knowing which one enables you to meet your brand’s business goals.  

Imagine a small online boutique selling handmade jewelry. The owner posts a beautifully styled photo of a new bracelet on Instagram with a Shop tag. Orders start pouring in within hours, thanks to the visual appeal of Instagram posts and the platform’s seamless shopping features. Meanwhile, the same boutique runs a targeted ad campaign on Facebook, leading to a spike in website visits due to a broader audience reach. 

Over the years, Instagram and Facebook have transformed into powerful marketing platforms that allow brands to engage with their audiences. In fact, businesses have an engagement rate of about 0.15% on Facebook and 0.6% on Instagram. 

This blog will discuss the features, benefits, differences and similarities of Instagram and Facebook. Finally, we’ll answer the burning question: Which platform is better for businesses -- Instagram or Facebook?  

Why should brands use Instagram for business? 

Did you know that nearly 80% of social media marketers have used Instagram to promote their businesses? Instagram offers various tools for different business requirements, so let's explore its unique features and benefits in more detail: 

Instagram features for business

Over 130 million Instagram users tap on shopping posts every month, making it a gold mine of potential customers. While you may already know that Instagram has features like Stories and Reels that businesses can leverage to drive traffic and sales, let’s go a step further and explore its niche offerings:  

• Instagram for business: Setting up an Instagram Business Account is the first step to optimizing your Instagram marketing strategy. It allows brands to access valuable analytics and insights, offers tools like Instagram Shopping, and enables targeted advertising and direct contact options, helping businesses increase visibility and engagement with potential customers.  
• Instagram Shopping: Instagram Shopping allows businesses to turn their profiles into digital storefronts. Brands can tag products directly in posts, Stories and Reels. Users can browse products by category through the Shop tag to explore and purchase items without leaving the app. 
• Instagram advertising: Instagram’s advertising options are robust and versatile, allowing businesses to reach their target audience effectively. Ad formats include photo, video, carousel, and Story ads, which can be targeted based on user demographics, interests and behaviors. These ads blend seamlessly into the user experience, making them highly effective for driving brand awareness and sales. 
• Pinned comments: Pinned comments allow businesses to control the narrative of their posts. By pinning up to three comments, brands can highlight good feedback, creating a welcoming atmosphere for their online community. This feature also helps divert attention away from harmful comments and spam. 
• Badges in Live: This feature allows businesses to monetize live streaming by enabling viewers to purchase badges during the stream. These badges act as a form of support from followers and set them apart from others. 
• Branded content tools: Instagram offers specific tools for branded content that help businesses tag posts as paid partnerships. This feature enhances transparency and trust while giving businesses insights into the performance of their branded content. 
• Highlights: Highlights allow businesses to save and permanently showcase their best Stories content on their profile. This feature is perfect for creating a curated selection of important content, such as product launches, customer testimonials or events. 
• Shoppable posts and Story stickers: Beyond Instagram Shopping, shoppable posts and Story stickers allow businesses to tag products directly within regular posts and Stories. Users can click and view product details or purchase directly from the app, streamlining the shopping experience. 
• Gift Cards: Instagram’s Gift Cards feature is a valuable tool for small and local businesses looking to boost sales and customer engagement. It enables businesses to sell gift cards directly through their Instagram profile and Stories. Businesses can add a “Gift Cards” button to their Instagram profile, making it easy for followers to purchase gift cards directly from the app.  
• Link in bio: Often underutilized by brands, ‘link in bio’ is a crucial website traffic driver on Instagram. This feature allows businesses to place a clickable link in their profile, taking followers to a specific webpage.  
   

Pro Tip 🛒: Leverage Sprinklr’s Link in Bio Site to turn your entire Instagram feed into a clickable landing page. Highlight campaigns, products or links of your choice. This will make it easier for your followers to navigate your content effectively and find what interests them. 

Benefits of Instagram for businesses

With over 2 billion monthly active users, Instagram has consolidated its position as a premier visual platform for both individuals and brands. Here are some benefits of using the platform for business:  

• Increases brand awareness: Instagram’s vast user base makes it the ideal platform for boosting brand visibility. 
  
  For instance, Coca-Cola’s #ShareACoke campaign leveraged Instagram’s reach, leading to significant user-generated content (UGC) and brand recognition. 
  Source 
• Ensures efficient communication: Instagram facilitates direct customer interaction through comments, DMs and interactive features like polls and Q&As. This feature helps brands build stronger relationships with the audience. 
• Encourages influencer collaboration: Did you know that 74,400 influencers mentioned Zara in their Instagram posts, making it one of the most talked about brands in the world? Partnering with influencers on Instagram can amplify a brand’s reach and credibility.  
  Related Read 📚: How To Measure Influencer Marketing’s Impact 
• Drives engagement: Instagram's focus on aesthetic visuals makes it an ideal platform for brands to display their products creatively and engagingly. Look at Glossier - the brand uses aesthetically pleasing posts and Reels that resonate with its audience, driving high engagement rates and creating a strong brand community. 
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• Supports e-commerce integration: Instagram’s shopping features enable brands to convert followers into customers directly within the app. 
  
  For example, Fenty Beauty uses Instagram Shopping to showcase products and drive sales. The Shop tab takes users to the brand’s shopping section, where they can browse products by category.   
  Source 

Deep Dive 🌊: Instagram marketing strategies for 2025  

Why should brands use Facebook for business?

With its three billion monthly active users, using Facebook correctly can be a game-changer for your business - whether you're looking to enhance customer interaction or analyze performance metrics. Let’s talk about its key features and benefits: 

Facebook features for business

Facebook is a comprehensive platform for businesses, offering tools that support everything from customer engagement and sales to data analysis and community building. Here are a few key features:  

• Pages: Facebook Pages serve as the digital storefronts for businesses on the platform, allowing companies to share updates, post content and interact with customers. Pages also offer custom tabs, enabling businesses to showcase specific products, services or promotions directly on their profile. 
• Shops: Facebook Shops allow businesses to set up an online store directly on Facebook, making it easy for users to browse and purchase products without leaving the platform. Shops are customizable and integrated with both Facebook and Instagram, providing a seamless shopping experience across both platforms. 
• Messenger: Messenger is a powerful tool for businesses to communicate directly with customers in real time. It supports automated responses and chatbots for customer service. It can also send promotional messages. These features make Messenger a versatile tool for improving customer engagement and support. 
• Ads: Facebook Ads provide robust targeting options, allowing businesses to reach specific audiences based on demographics, interests, behaviors and more. Ad formats include photo ads, video ads, carousel ads and collection ads, driving brand awareness and conversions.
• Facebook Insights: Facebook Insights offers comprehensive analytics on page performance, audience demographics and post engagement. This data helps businesses identify content that resonates with their audience, enabling them to refine their strategies and improve their overall marketing effectiveness. 

💡 Pro Tip: Sprinklr’s Audience Insights feature can be a game-changer if you want to go a step further to understand what kind of content resonates with your audience, discover trending topics and dig deeper into key metrics across channels. Sprinklr’s AI-powered audience insights analyze billions of real-time digital signals from consumers to help you understand your customers and what they care about. 

Source 
 

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•  Groups: Businesses can create and manage Groups to foster community engagement around their brand. Groups allow businesses to connect with customers, gather feedback and build loyal communities by providing a space for discussion, support and exclusive content. 
• Event management: Facebook’s event feature allows businesses to create and promote virtual or in-person events. Events can be easily shared. That’s not all. Attendees can RSVP directly through the platform. This feature helps businesses manage and promote everything from product launches to webinars. 
• Facebook Marketplace: Marketplace allows businesses to list and sell products locally, reaching potential customers in their area. It’s beneficial for small businesses looking to expand their local customer base without setting up a full online store. 
• Lead generation forms: Facebook offers built-in lead generation forms within ads, allowing businesses to collect information such as email addresses and phone numbers from potential customers. These forms are pre-filled with user information, making it easy for users to submit their details. 
• Pinned posts: Pinned posts, sometimes called "featured posts," can significantly enhance the visibility of important information on your business page. Pinning a post ensures that it’s the first thing visitors see when they land on your page.
• Instagram integration: Meta owns both Facebook and Instagram, allowing platform integration. Businesses can share content across both with just a few clicks. This integration is especially beneficial for brands that want to maximize their reach without creating entirely different content for each platform. Cross-posting ensures you connect with your followers wherever they are. 

Benefits of Facebook for business

During a 2024 survey among marketers worldwide, around 86% reported using Facebook for marketing purposes. Here’s how brands can leverage the platform’s vast user base: 

• Broadens audience reach: Facebook offers unparalleled access to a global audience, making it ideal for brand visibility and growth. Its advanced targeting options let brands reach specific demographics and interests. 
• Supports community building: Facebook fosters brand communities through Groups and Pages. To learn more, check out our guide on Facebook group marketing.
  
  For example, Peloton has built a vibrant community of fitness enthusiasts through Facebook Groups. Such a sense of bonding strengthens brand loyalty and encourages word-of-mouth marketing. 
• Enables cost-effective marketing: Facebook offers a range of marketing tools that are accessible even to businesses with limited budgets. Small and medium-sized enterprises use Facebook’s advertising options to reach their target audience without large marketing budgets. 
  
  Recommended read: Social media ROI: How to measure and improve your ROI  
• Facilitates e-commerce integration: Facebook Shops allow businesses to set up a fully integrated online store within the platform.  
  
  Consider the Vietnamese retailer Michi Store. The brand partnered with Facebook to integrate its catalog with ads that click to Messenger, increasing purchase orders by 15%. 
• Supports targeted advertising: One of Facebook’s most powerful features is its highly sophisticated ad targeting capabilities.  
   
  Via Facebook, brands like Adidas deliver personalized ads to specific user segments based on interests, behaviors and demographics. This precision in targeting helps them maximize ad spend efficiency and achieve higher conversion rates. 

Deep Dive 🌊: Facebook Marketing Strategy: 7 Best Techniques for 2025 

Pro Tip 🛍️: Looking to explore the ads your competitors are running? Look at the Meta Ad Library for all ad variations being run by your competitors. It shows both active and inactive campaigns. Just type your competitor’s name in the search bar. You can even filter the results based on location. 

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Instagram vs Facebook for business: Which is better?

When deciding between Instagram and Facebook for business, the choice largely depends on your brand’s goals, target audience and type of content. Let’s examine the similarities and differences between the two platforms: 

Instagram and Facebook similarities

Instagram and Facebook can be used together to create a solid social media strategy. Here are some similarities to consider: 

1. Cross-platform posting: Both platforms allow users to share content across Instagram and Facebook, facilitating a unified social media strategy and maximizing content reach. 
2. Advertising: Both Instagram and Facebook offer extensive advertising tools with targeting options, allowing businesses to run ads targeting specific demographics, interests and behaviors. 
   

   💡 Pro Tip: Use Sprinklr’s social advertising platform to automate your ad workflows, create personalized ads at scale, optimize costs and improve visibility of the performance of your paid campaigns.    

   

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3. Analytics: Both platforms provide robust analytics tools to track performance metrics, such as engagement rates, reach and audience demographics, helping businesses optimize their marketing strategies. Learn how to read social media analytics data. 
4. Business profiles and Pages: Instagram’s business accounts and Facebook Pages provide features specifically designed for brands, including contact information, business hours and other promotional tools. 
5. Interactive features: Both platforms support interactive content such as polls, questions-and-answers and Stories, enabling businesses to engage with their audience in real time and gather valuable feedback. 
6. E-commerce integration: Instagram Shopping and Facebook Shops allow businesses to set up online stores and showcase products directly within the platforms, streamlining the shopping experience for users. 
7. Direct messaging: Both Instagram and Facebook provide direct messaging options for businesses to communicate privately with customers, offering a channel for customer support and personalized interactions. 
8. Content scheduling: Both platforms support content scheduling, enabling businesses to plan and automate the publication of posts to maintain a consistent presence without manual intervention. 

Differences between Instagram and Facebook 

Now that we’ve learned about their similarities, let’s explore the differences between Instagram and Facebook to help you choose the right platform: 

The Verdict: Instagram vs Facebook for Business

Understanding the differences between Instagram and Facebook is critical. Instagram shines in visual storytelling and engaging younger audiences, while Facebook offers a broader reach and supports diverse content. Businesses should strategically use both platforms to maximize their impact. 

To truly harness the power of both platforms, businesses need a solution that seamlessly integrates and optimizes their social media efforts. 

Enter Sprinklr Social.  
 
Sprinklr offers advanced AI tools to manage and analyze your social media presence, it provides analytics to track the engagement and reach of your campaign posts and its cross-platform listening helps monitor brand mentions on Instagram and Facebook. With Sprinklr’s integrated ad management, you can create and optimize campaigns for better performance and ROI, while also enabling performance benchmarking against competitors and industry standards. 

Discover how Sprinklr Social can streamline your social media management, enhance your brand’s visibility and drive impactful results on Instagram and Facebook.