Facebook or Instagram?

turnbuckle

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I haven't been on for a while......life has been rather hectic.

Now....I'm not sure this is allowed......but I'm throwing myself at the market as an equine photographer and painter :)

Although I think nothing beats word of mouth, social media IS important in building a business and i'm wondering whether to focus efforts on Facebook or on Instagram.

Which one do you guys prefer and/or browse most often? All ideas and input welcome.

Virtual apples/carrots/pears/polos offered by way of thanks! Take your pick.
 

Hack4fun

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I don't use instagram so any business activity there will pass me by. If you are selling to consumers then Facebook is useful. Not sure you need sponsored posts, just post interesting material regularly and get people to like you.
 

dogatemysalad

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I really don't know, I've never used Instagram and have no idea how Facebook ( or twitter) works.
Yesterday I went to a food fair and loved seeing all the small businesses that produce really great British food and products. The only way I know of their existence is because of country fairs and being given a business card. However, when I asked for a card from a particularly great fudge maker, she replied that they'd gone paperless.
Google searches for small businesses are difficult. Only big companies seem to feature in the first few pages of search results.
 

JFTDWS

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I use both but I don't think IG is so useful for businesses as you can't see anything on there worth seeing other than a photo advert. Of course, that could just be that I'm too old to really understand IG ;)

In your shoes, I'd use facebook primarily, and look at linking some photos / ads on IG with a link back to your fb page and website. It's easy enough to use, and that way you get fairly full coverage of SM demographics.
 

honetpot

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There is nothing to stop you from having both. If you have lots of pictures Instagram is very good for that, beware copyright though as stuff is seen as fair game
Then link to you Facebook page or selling site with your price list and more information.
There are YouTube videos on how to use Instagram, it doesn’t cost anything and you only need spent a short time on it a day once you get used to it.
 

Lexi_

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I follow quite a few small business on Instagram who do it brilliantly, but it’s not as easy to use for business purposes as FB unless you have a very strong visual and brand identity.
 

Slightlyconfused

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There is nothing to stop you from having both. If you have lots of pictures Instagram is very good for that, beware copyright though as stuff is seen as fair game
Then link to you Facebook page or selling site with your price list and more information.
There are YouTube videos on how to use Instagram, it doesn’t cost anything and you only need spent a short time on it a day once you get used to it.


This

Have a look at Beehive Design.
It's my friend in Amsterdam business and she uses both very well.
 

Pmf27

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Absolutely use both, each is very useful for different purposes and for reaching a wider and more varied audience.

As others have mentioned, Instagram will appeal to the younger demographic and you should certainly not overlook them - many young people will use social media to find gifts for friends and family.

Facebook is very useful for taking out adverts and also appealing to an older demographic, but do be aware that Instagram is now owned by Facebook so two accounts can be easily linked and will increase your client base.

The idea that Instagram is 'just pictures' is one reason that many people overlook the platform, but I personally (female, 25 years old) would be more inclined to buy a product that I'd seen many photos of than not - good photography and a good caption beneath the photo that includes a semi-detailed description of the product, price and a link to where it can be bought is very useful. Also, don't forget that on Instagram, more so than on Facebook, people search the platform using hashtags, so if you include many relevant hashtags you'll be increasing your base even more.

Ultimately it's going to take time, effort and patience to get your business off the ground using social media marketing, but it can be done and it works wonders when done well. Good luck!

Edit: You'll be hard pushed to find any successful or semi-successful business that doesn't focus efforts on both, but what can work well is to have your 'main' platform and then a subsidiary platform. So if you'd prefer to focus mostly on one, then that could be an option.
 

turnbuckle

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Wow...what wonderful input. Thanks SO much, everyone.

Looks like both then.....here comes the learning curve! I can see I'm going to go to sleep tonight dreaming #'s

I think I might have to make Rufy my social media manager, he's full of the craic. But finding a hoof-proof keyboard might be quite hard :)
 

Kaylum

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I use instagram it's good for promoting although not a sharing platform more of a following platform. I also use twitter which is quite good.
 

Slightlyconfused

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One thing I have seen a few people do is use IG to show how their product is coming along with a little note to check out FB for the finished article.....might be something worth thinking about.
 

Lexi_

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One thing I have seen a few people do is use IG to show how their product is coming along with a little note to check out FB for the finished article.....might be something worth thinking about.

I wouldn’t recommend this approach - tailor your message to each channel you use and produce and tweak your content accordingly.

People who aren’t on FB (and there are a lot of them!) will be put off if everything else directs them there.
 

criso

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I follow businesses on both. Aside from differences in demographic, Instagram is good for sharing images of products; sales and promotions etc. Facebook is better when people want to ask questions and discuss - as long as it's positive.
 
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