The array of social media channels available today can paralyze even the savviest business owners. So, where do you start? Which one is the best for your business? And how do you avoid wasting time on channels that won’t connect you with potential customers? The struggle is real.
It doesn’t take a social media expert to know the differences between Facebook and LinkedIn are significant. But the question of what to focus on is still plaguing for many companies. In this blog, we will try to give you a little more clarity in the LinkedIn vs. Facebook debate.
The basics
Facebook is for connecting with old friends from high school, posting family photos, and sharing cute puppy videos – right? Meanwhile, LinkedIn is meant for tracking industry colleagues, job searching, and making professional connections.
Both social media channels allow users to connect with people that have similar interests or associations. For companies in almost any industry, this can be valuable, providing opportunities to do some very targeted marketing.
Interestingly, 78% of American consumers say they’ve discovered products on Facebook. While LinkedIn is noted as “the most effective platform” when it comes to delivering content and securing audience engagement. With that said, it still begs the question: which platform should your company choose to focus on?
LinkedIn vs. Facebook
As we mentioned earlier, LinkedIn is a professional site that was created initially as a corporate recruitment platform. Over time, LinkedIn has added many features, similar to other social media platforms – updating your status, posting photos/videos, and direct messaging.
Facebook was specifically designed as a place for users to share and communicate. The “share” button is instrumental in helping expand the organic reach and a prominent selling point for Facebook. Facebook has many other features that allow businesses to effectively reach a targeted audience. Both LinkedIn and Facebook have the Groups feature, which allows users to connect with other like-minded people, and they both have powerful advertising tools.
With all these similar features, let’s take a look at the key differences between the platforms?
1. Number of users
When it comes down to the numbers, Facebook wins hands down with 2.41 billion active users across the world, which makes LinkedIn’s 630 million active users seem minute. Although both platforms are made up of a very diverse group of people, LinkedIn tends to attract more professional users with higher education backgrounds.
Another interesting difference is the time users actually spend on each site. Facebook users spend an average of 35 minutes a day scrolling through their feed, commenting, liking and sharing content. LinkedIn users spend just 17 minutes a month using the site.
2. Lead generation
While time on the site may not be as long, LinkedIn is considered the number one social media network for business lead generation. Take a look at the graph below from Demand Wave’s State of B2B Digital Marketing Report, and you’ll see LinkedIn is clearly #1, while Facebook comes in fourth on the list behind Twitter.
While Facebook users may be on longer, LinkedIn users are more likely to be looking for business-related information and sources.
Who Wins? You Decide
While LinkedIn and Facebook share some similarities, it’s clear their purpose, and the way people interact with each site is quite different. As a result, the answer to which one to use is it depends. To determine what is best for your business depends entirely on what you are selling, who you’re trying to reach and the goals you are trying to achieve.
Ultimately, both platforms are good for different reasons. Facebook gives you access to 10X more prospects and has a wealth of user data to help you target both demographics and psychographics. It also provides a great place to generate brand awareness and engagement. If you are a B-to-B company or you are looking to build more professional referral sources, LinkedIn beats Facebook when it comes to generating tangible leads.
If you are looking for a marketing team to collaborate with and help you reach the right audience – let’s talk. We can help you develop a social media content strategy that will work!