LinkedIn vs Facebook- Which Suits Your Business Best?

LinkedIn vs Facebook- Which Suits Your Business Best?

The success of any online marketing campaign is dependent on the platforms it focuses on. With a wide range of social media channels available, the process of narrowing down a couple of focal points can be challenging. You can often find an answer for this dilemma by asking yourself, “Where does my target audience usually look for answers”? Understanding and comparing the available options can shed some light on deciding the best social platform for your business. In this article, our team from Perth does a LinkedIn vs Facebook comparison to help you understand how marketing on these platforms differs from each other.

LinkedIn vs Facebook- What are they?

LinkedIn is a professional network that allows its users to search for jobs, connect with professionals, and form business relationships. While it started as a recruitment platform, its functions and features have grown similar to those of social media sites. Much like the popular social media channels, LinkedIn also lets you post status updates, blogs and engage in private conversations. One of the most remarkable facts about LinkedIn is that it is deemed the most effective platform for content marketing and improving engagement rates.

As we all know, Facebook is a social media network that was built to create connections by sharing media and messaging. The sharing features on the platform makes it a perfect tool for marketing. Pages, Groups, Messenger, Marketplace, Events- many features allow businesses to stay in touch with their customers and drive their services forward. Similar to LinkedIn, Facebook too is an effective channel for content marketing. The platform allows you to create your own ad campaigns like LinkedIn.

While they have similarities, they have different environments when it comes to business.

LinkedIn vs Facebook in Business

Let’s go through the key differences between LinkedIn and Facebook in various aspects of the business.

1. Thought leadership

Thought leadership is crucial to establish brand credibility. It allows you to improve your presence in your niche and express your expertise in the area. Thought leadership programs contribute to higher lead generation and increase organic traffic and subscriptions. Compared to Facebook, thought leadership is a more organic process in LinkedIn as the platform was designed for business conversations.

2. B2B potential

Due to its functioning, LinkedIn is a hub for business-driven people. Because of that, it is easy to identify and communicate with decision-makers on the platform. It is easy to form a commercial network on LinkedIn as well. While Facebook is better for improving your brand’s reach, LinkedIn is notably better at generating leads. The platform holds the largest share in ad spending when it comes to B2B for the same reason.

3. Number of users

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that Facebook has more active users than LinkedIn. Facebook has around 17 million monthly active users in Australia*, which makes the 6.5 million users of LinkedIn look negligible. However, the thing to keep in mind while looking at these numbers is that LinkedIn is a professional space while Facebook is an informal space at its core. LinkedIn is in the fourth position on the list, and it also reports that there are about 10+ million registered users in Australia.

4. Ads

As already mentioned, both Facebook and LinkedIn offer advertising features. In Facebook, advertising is centred on the interests and personal aspects of the users, while LinkedIn usually has profession-centred advertising. Both platforms allow you to use a wide range of ads, including- carousels, videos, dynamic ads, and lead ads. One significant difference is that the average cost-per-click for a Facebook ad is less than $1, while the same costs over $5 on LinkedIn. However, ROI is debatable, depending on who you ask. While some businesses find a better ROI with Facebook, some vouch for LinkedIn. It essentially depends on the nature of your business and target audience.

5. Groups

Both Facebook and LinkedIn have the “Groups” feature where you can converse with multiple people simultaneously. Groups are beneficial for knowing more like-minded individuals and interacting with potential customers. Facebook groups, being part of a broader platform, often tend to involve discussions outside the business. LinkedIn, on the other, is excellent to find more users with a work-related mindset. Whether you should opt Facebook group or a LinkedIn group should be decided based on your target audience.

The LinkedIn vs Facebook discourse is present in every marketing strategy meeting. While the two platforms share common features, they vary in their principles, purpose, and audience. Your marketing goals and industry should decide the social media channel you use. Also, as the marketing world moves towards an integrated approach, you don’t have to choose one over another. The difference in the platforms’ strengths means that you can employ them alternately in areas they perform best. Do you want professional guidance on creating a social media marketing campaign? Our team at Perth offers innovative and customizable strategies for businesses in Western Australia. Contact us or email us at sales@computingaustralia.group if you need an extra pair of hands to craft a marketing campaign.

Jargon Buster

ROI: Return on investment (ROI) is a measure of the efficiency of an investment.
B2B: Business-to-business (B2B) is a form of e-commerce where businesses exchange products or services with each other.

*https://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-august-2021/