Many e-businesses are changing their digital branding strategy to make Instagram their home base. Read on to find out why.

Why Brands Are Moving to Instagram

Since the early days of digital branding and marketing, Facebook has been the go-to home base of web brands. This means that Facebook has commonly been the platform where businesses invested the most.

This included time, resources and money. However, this is quickly changing because digital branding experts can’t ignore the numbers.

SEE ALSO: Creating an Instagram Content Strategy

Instagram’s Popularity Is Skyrocketing

• Instagram just passed 1 billion users. It is the only social media platform other the Facebook to achieve this.
• Over 70% of US businesses are now on Instagram
• 80% of influencers prefer Instagram collabs with brands
• Over half of 18-29-year-olds are on Instagram

Is Facebook On Its Way Out?

In a game of pure numbers, it looks like Instagram might be set to overtake Facebook eventually. While Facebook’s audience grows among older people, younger people are moving on to other platforms. Facebook is undoubtedly still a massively popular site. However, it is not gaining traction and inspiring engagement the way that Instagram is. This could be due to a number of factors.

1. The Stress Factor

How stressful using Facebook can be is a common topic of discussion across the web. Research might even back this up. A recent study indicates that taking breaks from Facebook can potentially lessen your overall stress levels.

In a study with over 100 participants, those who took a 5-day break from Facebook had lower levels of cortisol than they did at the beginning of the study. Cortisol is a known stress hormone.

This is unsurprising. The opinion that Facebook has become oversaturated with ads, unpleasant news, and constant arguments amongst friends is all over the internet.

2. Privacy Scandals

Some social media users are also distrustful of the platform due to all of its privacy issues.

Cambridge Analytica, the political data firm that worked on Trump’s 2016 campaign, made a grave misuse of Facebook that soured many users.

The news that they used Facebook to mine the private data of over 50 million Facebook profiles for potential voter insights was the last straw for many people. The hashtag #DeleteFacebook swept Twitter and even gained celebrity attention.

The singer and celebrity Cher even tweeted out that she deleted her Facebook because she loves America.

3. Young People Are Leaving Facebook Behind

Facebook also initially had an exciting draw to it as a brand new platform. Now Facebook is over a decade old and very different from what it was at the start. While Facebook defined social media 10 years ago, younger people crave something new and innovative. In fact, research firm eMarketer predicts that 2 million people under the age of 25 will stop using Facebook over the course of 2018.

If you are trying to reach an older demographic, Facebook still remains the best way to reach them via social media.

In fact, despite losses, Facebook still remains the best way to reach the widest number of Americans via social media. In every age group, Facebook is still the most used social media platform as of 2018.

• 81% of 18-29-year-olds are on Facebook
• 78% of 30-49-year-olds are on Facebook
• 65% of 50-64-year-olds are on Facebook
• 41% of people aged 65+ are on Facebook

However, for a youth-focused digital branding strategy, Instagram is key to marketing.

SEE ALSO: Digital Identity: Building an Instagram Brand

The Numbers Don’t Lie

• Facebook’s users between the ages of 12-17 years of age have declined by 5.6%.
• Users between 18-24 have also declined by 5.8%.
• Overall, usage dropped from 67% to 62% amongst Americans older than 12-years-old.

It appears that many young Americans are leaving Facebook behind for Instagram. eMarketer expects that as time goes on, the number of younger people who do not use Facebook and never have will increase.

Digital Brands Are Taking Note

Marketers are starting to change their strategy due to both numbers and the popular opinions of social media users. The overall opinion from both digital branders and customers is that Instagram is a more fun place for users.

Businesses see higher engagement, traffic, conversions, and sales off of Instagram than Facebook.

This is why many brands are considering switching their social media home base to Instagram. In fact, many already have already taken the digital plunge. Here are just a few of the many.

Adobe

Adobe has switched to an Instagram social media home base from Facebook. The engagement numbers really explain why. When you look at stats taken from their last ten posts on both platforms, the winner is clear.

On Facebook, they get 105 engagements per post. On Instagram, Adobe gets over 10,000 engagements.

Maersk Shipping 

When the engagement on Maersk Shipping’s last 10 Facebook and Instagram posts are compared, they reveal an interesting pattern.

Their Facebook posts averaged 445 engagements per post. Their Instagram averaged 4,866 engagements per post. Instagram clearly gets far more engagement.

Target

When Target’s last 10 posts are averaged they land only about 700 engagements per Facebook post. Their Instagram account, however, averages over 23,000 engagements per post.

In general, Instagram leads to the most engagement of almost any site. It also has a diverse international audience. User engagement with brands is, on average:

• 10 times higher on Instagram than Facebook
• 54 times higher on Instagram than Pinterest
• 84 times higher on Instagram than Twitter

Many Digital Brands Are Opting For an Instagram Home Base on Social Media

The numbers clearly back up a common opinion on the web. Facebook is out and Instagram is in. Facebook will likely remain an important social media platform with a large audience for years to come. However, it’s not where the cool kids are going.

The cool kids, young people, and active social media users are flocking to Instagram. This could be due to the fact that they are craving fresh, fun, and more interactive social media experiences.

Facebook is by no means a dead social media platform. It’s just not keeping the attention of younger people. These social media users want bells and whistles that feel new and interesting. They also don’t want any of the infamous Facebook stress. Brands are more than taking note, which has caused many of them to switch their social media home base to Instagram.

Do you prefer Instagram or Facebook for your brand? Tell us in the comments below…