Facebook Live vs. Instagram Live: Which Platform Is Best?

When it comes to ensuring that the company’s brand gets enough recognition and exposure, there are various digital marketing tactics that can get the job done. For example, search engine optimization (SEO) is a fine way to get enough organic clicks by building a strong foundation through marketing. The pay-per-click (PPC) model can also provide similar results through different means, providing instantaneous paid results at the cost of a more expensive initial marketing campaign.

With so many various means of achieving the same results, it can be a little confusing to figure out which is best. That said, there are quite a few more unorthodox methods that are gaining popularity thanks to the current direction of Internet marketing. For example, there are far more people who would prefer to listen to podcasts and watch a live stream than ever before. When it comes to the latter, it continues to grow in popularity, which is why social media Phoenix agencies make sure to use proper live streaming platforms to get the job done.

Of the most popular live video streaming platforms around, there are two giants that tend to take the bulk of clients — Facebook Live and Instagram Live. Both are extremely convenient, and both can provide a sufficient foundation for just about any company looking to elevate their brand recognition in 2021. That said, the use of both raises the question: which platform is the best in the new year?

Looking into Facebook Live Streaming

As one of the oldest juggernauts in the social media phenomenon, it would be wise not to underestimate Facebook’s ability to get an audience for just about any company. There are plenty of people out there that trust Facebook due to its tenacity, especially among the older generation that does not quite like the idea of changing things up with a new social media platform. After all, why fix what isn’t broken?

In the case of Facebook, there are plenty of things a user can expect when it comes to utilizing the live video streaming feature. For example, those who utilize Facebook Live can expect a means of interacting with the audience, as people react in real-time and post comments — and many of the features are available to even the most inexperienced streamer.

As if that was not enough, there is also one feature of Facebook Live that tends to trump most other types of streaming services out there. At the end of a stream, there are various bits of data collected that the streamer can use to their advantage for the next post. Detailed analytics are extremely crucial for companies, as it helps provide a roadmap for what they might need to do to get the job done.

The shining feature of Facebook Live

While Facebook Live shares many features with other streaming services, what would be the one thing that sets it apart from the rest of the crowd? For most people who make use of the streaming services that know a thing or two about digital marketing, it is the fact that a user can save the entirety of the stream — they can even make it a completely permanent part of their overall profile. It might not seem like such a big deal, but Facebook is one of the very few that allow permanent saving of videos.

Looking into Instagram Live Streaming

Now that Facebook Live has been given a thorough segment, it is time to figure out what makes Instagram Live tick.  First and foremost, just about everything about Facebook Live above can be said about Instagram Live. It can help ensure that everyone gets the proper analytics, ensuring that businesses always have an avenue to make improvements with the relevant data. They also do much of the same job when it comes to streaming features, ensuring that the streamer always has a means of interacting with their fans and vice-versa.

That said, when it comes to what Facebook can do and Instagram cannot, it would be the ability to permanently save a stream. Instagram can only keep a video for about twenty-four hours, after which it is deleted. While such a thing might seal the deal, Instagram does have something that gives Facebook Live a run for its money.

The shining feature of Instagram Live

As a business or a streamer trying to make their mark, it is crucial to let followers know when a stream is going on. For Facebook, it lets followers know through notifications that a stream is ongoing. However, the surprising thing is that it does not let everyone know. On the Instagram side of things, the platform undoubtedly lets every follower know of the stream, and goes out of its way to ensure that everyone knows about the stream. It is a simple difference that can matter quite a lot for companies that care more about exposure than permanence.

The bottom line

At the end of the day, understanding which of the two streaming platforms to use depends on how the streamer wants to handle their videos. The ability to permanently save videos is a very big deal for some, while it might not necessarily be a deal-breaker for others — especially since there are other means of saving a stream. On the other hand, the ability to immediately notify all followers of a current stream is quite crucial, which is why some might go for Instagram Live. In the case of agencies that specialize in streaming and marketing solutions, expert social media Phoenix companies can work well with either platform.

Currently, choosing between either platform is a matter of preference alongside perhaps the marketing strategy. Those that care more about permanence when it comes to streaming videos will find much to love about Facebook, whereas those who care more about spreading the word at its most relevant will find much to love about Instagram. For the best results, it might be a good idea to make use of both platforms for different marketing plans.