Facebook vs LinkedIn: is it time to shift your focus?

Got the Facebook FOMO? You’re not alone.

There’s kind of an expectation that, as a small business owner, we need to be across as many social media platforms as possible if we want to get enough exposure to drive our ventures forward. And for some reason, Facebook still seems to be the default option for many entrepreneurs, even if it’s not necessarily delivering great results in terms of audience reach and engagement.

Maybe it’s because it’s familiar; most of us have been running our own Facebook accounts since the mid Noughties, so we know how it works and we feel pretty confident with it. Perhaps it’s because more than 200 million small businesses around the world are using Facebook’s tools, including Facebook Pages, and we feel like if we don’t join them, we’re going to be missing out on huge opportunities.

But Facebook doesn’t offer the right digital communities for every company. In fact, many people – particularly those in the professional services sectors – tend to find that LinkedIn is a better place to be.

Here are 5 reasons why your marketing might actually be better suited to LinkedIn.

1. Facebook has more users – but LinkedIn is more business-minded

It’s true that much of marketing is a numbers game. But if you’re not talking to the right people with your social media content, they’re not going to advocate your brand, or become a paying customer. So, when it comes to finding the right audience, you may want to chase quality over volume.

2. LinkedIn boasts a younger crowd than you might think

Many of us are guilty of thinking that LinkedIn is simply a platform for seasoned MDs and eager job-seekers – but its demographic varies much more than we often give it credit for. In fact, nearly 60% of LinkedIn’s users fall within the 25 to 34 age bracket, closely followed by people in their early 20s. They’re a mix of post-grads and more established professionals, who are actively working on building their networks, and investing in their own professional development.

If your target customers (or hires) fall within this range and have these interests, and you can use what you offer to tap into their desire for personal and professional growth, you’re likely to see solid success with LinkedIn!

3. Thought leadership happens more organically on LinkedIn

Educate your followers and drive more meaningful conversations on the topics that matter to you, and you’re guaranteed to improve awareness of your brand and generate more interest in your business. LinkedIn is much more suited to sharing and consuming thought leadership content, whether it’s short-form videos, bullet-pointed insights in your posts, or more in-depth stories in your articles.

4. You can get much more targeted with paid ad campaigns on LinkedIn

Both Facebook and LinkedIn allow you to target users by age, gender, location, education, and industry. But users are much more likely to keep their career information up to date on LinkedIn, so there’s the argument that targeting will be more successful here. 

LinkedIn’s features make it much easier to target employees (or even past employees) of specific companies, by specific industry, companies of a particular size, and by job function and their level of seniority. You can also get your ads in front of individuals who are in niche, business-focused groups.

5. There are just as many ad types to work with on LinkedIn

From text, single image and dynamic ads to sponsored content and sponsored messaging options, LinkedIn provides you with loads of fun formats to try. You can also tell your brand’s story with carousel ads, which appear as a swipeable row of cards – or let the user guide their own journey with your business by preparing conversation ads. You’ll find a full breakdown of the different LinkedIn ad options in this handy article from Hootsuite. 

Still not convinced that LinkedIn is the way forward? Let’s get to the bottom of what’s holding you back. Try my Borrow a Brain service, and you’ll get 60-90 minutes to air your concerns and get my expert advice on which platform will suit your marketing strategy best.