What works for one type of SME might not work for another, so we’re here to help analyse the main features of 2 social channels so that you can decide where your focus should be. Is it Facebook or LinkedIn?

 

The main difference between these two platforms is the reason they were created. Facebook was initially designed to help friends and family connect and LinkedIn was created mainly for professionals to network and connect. Depending on the type of business you’re in both have very useful tools for marketing but it’s more about the audience they attract.

 

Both LinkedIn and Facebook include many similar features and a variety of media can be posted to each. Facebook however doesn’t have the capability to share PDFs as media, which makes it less useful for posting articles or guides. If you want to share a pdf to Facebook you’ll have to add a link to a website or convert your PDF to JPEGs.

 

 

LinkedIn is a great platform for B2B brands. It allows business leaders to identify the right decision-makers and target the exact audience you want to reach, therefore generating real tangible leads. In its paid ad features you can target employees and even past employees of specific companies, select particular industries, choose the size of the companies you want to target, job function, seniority plus you can also include business groups with specific skill sets. All this information is much more likely to be kept up-to-date on this platform, plus LinkedIn’s reporting tools are more detailed than Facebook’s so you can get a really clear picture of how your ad performed.

 

One of the best ways to help your business gain credibility and visibility is through thought leadership and LinkedIn’s ability to post articles makes this an excellent platform for sharing your knowledge base. Thought leadership can help with engagement and lead generation by increasing website traffic, mentions, shares and subscribers.

 

 

Facebook can accommodate a vast array of ad types including photo’s, videos and carousels, plus it has a far bigger user base than that of LinkedIn. It also lets you retarget visitors who have previously visited your website or interacted with your facebook page which could mean a greater chance that they will convert. 

 

Facebook’s large and varied user base means that this platform could work better for brands who want to reach consumers directly. It’s brilliant for generating brand awareness and engagement. Users are more likely to search for goods and services on facebook than on LinkedIn so if your business deals directly with the general public it might be the best platform for you. It’s ‘like’ and ‘share’ abilities are one of its biggest selling points.

 

 

In short LinkedIn is far better for generating B2B leads in both quantity and quality. According to statistics, LinkedIn makes up more than 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites & blogs. Facebook does have more monthly active users, but if your SME is more B2B than B2C LinkedIn is the place to go.

 

Need a little help with the type of content you share? Look no further. Happy specialises in creating powerful and engaging content. We know how to craft messages and make them work in a range of formats, whether it is simple words, influential blogs, an amazing image, a digital marketing campaign or animated video production. We create content that inspires and engages.