With 3.5 billion active users on social media platforms like Pinterest and Facebook, it’s no wonder that organizations are taking advantage of the advertising space. Social media marketing is becoming more and more successful as the digital world grows.
If you’re looking to target more consumers on these social media websites, you’re probably considering Facebook and Pinterest. As two of the most popular social media platforms, Facebook and Pinterest are great picks for online advertising.
To learn more about Facebook Ads vs. Pinterest ads, keep reading. We’re going to discuss the features available on both platforms and compare advertising on Pinterest vs. Facebook.
Pinterest Ads
First and foremost, Pinterest is a search tool. Users typically go on the platform to find something specific. Whether it’s outfit inspiration or cooking ideas, Pinterest has ideas for anything and everything.
When it comes to the platform’s advertising, companies enjoy the repetitive placement of ads. Pinterest’s layout makes it easy for consumers to view advertisements multiple times in different formats.
So, a consumer may see your advertisement several times. The more that they see that ad, the more likely they may be to order from your business.
Pinterest also makes sharing content easy. Users can send pins through private messages, post pins to their boards, and interact with pins through liking and commenting.
Knowing this, businesses create their advertisements to contain shareable information.
For example, a fashion brand may share outfit inspiration while showcasing a new clothing line. Then, they can tag those new clothes in the pin that users are likely to share over and over again.
In a way, the sharing features that Pinterest has gives any pin the ability to be an advertisement without the company having to pay for an ad spot.
Facebook Ads
Since Facebook is a different platform, advertising on Facebook is different. Instead of being a search platform, Facebook is a social platform.
Facebook makes interacting with companies easier. Liking and commenting are more common on the platform. Plus, social interaction is encouraged more on Facebook than on Pinterest.
Users can also share advertisements and company posts on their stories and timelines. Plus, connecting with the companies behind these advertisements is easy. You can form and join groups, conduct and sign up for webinars, and more.
Facebook also makes companies more accessible to consumers. Through direct messaging, customers can voice opinions, concerns, and questions to companies. Their thoughts won’t get lost in millions of comments.
Getting verified on Facebook will help your customers find you faster.
We should also note that Facebook is instant. Every time something does something on the platform, the app sends notifications instantly about that action.
For example, your company may post an advertisement regarding a new product. This advertisement is immediately released to all of your followers. There’s little lag time between your post and their interaction with it.
Pinterest Ads vs. Facebook Ads
Both Pinterest and Facebook have their advantages. Some companies may prefer Facebook while others prefer Pinterest. It really depends on how your company operates and what you value.
All you have to do is look at the differences between how the platforms work and what they do to promote business-related posts and pins.
Social Elements
Facebook is more social than Pinterest is. Facebook is where you go to connect with your family. Pinterest is where you collect inspiration for yourself.
While both platforms have social elements that allow users to interact with one another, Facebook rules in this category. Pinterest is moving away from the idea of liking and commenting, although the platform still allows these functions.
Facebook thrives on likes, comments, and shares. Pinterest focuses on personal pinning with messaging and following functions for sharing.
Longevity
If you’re working in a fast-paced industry, Facebook may be better in terms of advertising. However, those of you in slower industries may prefer Pinterest.
Facebook statuses change quickly. Posts that users share are likely only seen once by each friend.
Pinterest shows the same pins repetitively. Any pins that you share will pass quickly from person to person. Plus, each person is likely to see it multiple times.
Facebook’s format can be beneficial if you need to make sure that old posts aren’t lingering on people’s home pages for months at a time. At the same time, Pinterest can be beneficial for those who’d like consistent exposure for their pins.
Results
The residual effects of running an ad affect your company’s future posts. The more that people see your posts and pins, the more followers you’re going to get.
If you promote a post on Facebook, you’re not going to see much residual effect. When you promote a Facebook post, you get to choose the amount of time that you’d like to promote that post. Once that time is over, your post doesn’t receive any boost or added effects in the future.
Unlike Facebook, Pinterest’s algorithm picks up on promoted posts. When the allotted promotion time is over, Pinterest continues to boost that post. The algorithm notes that the post was popular and pushes it to the top of search results.
If you’re looking for long-lasting advertisements, Pinterest is the right choice. If you want fleeting ads that won’t stick around much past your allotted amount of time, go for Facebook.
Virality
Both platforms offer the potential for one of your posts or pins to go viral. However, they both operate at different rates.
Posts that go viral on Facebook don’t last for long. Something viral one day could be completely irrelevant the next. However, on Pinterest, viral posts can remain viral for months.
A viral post on Facebook shoots to the top of popularity extremely fast. Likewise, it falls in popularity quickly.
A viral pin on Pinterest slowly rises to popularity. Therefore, there isn’t a steep drop-off.
With Facebook posts, you’ll see an immediate return on your investment. However, any investment in Pinterest pins will require some patience.
Algorithms
Social media algorithms are the bane of every marketer and influencer. They’re constantly changing, unforgiving, and cryptic. Only a few companies can survive a strong algorithm.
Facebook is one of the most notorious platforms for this. They are constantly changing their algorithm in little ways. The last big change happened in 2013 when the platform switched to focus more on friends and family than on businesses and ads.
Pinterest is simpler yet more unknown. We know that Pinterest bases its algorithm on likes, pins, shares, and images. However, they don’t post regular updates that explain the exact changes that they’ve made to their algorithm like Facebook does.
Social media algorithms never seem to be straightforward. But, the difference between Facebook and Pinterest is clear. Facebook is open about the changes to their algorithm, but Pinterest’s algorithm is easier to decipher.
Videos
If you’re planning on posting video advertising often, you may want to focus your efforts on Facebook ads. Pinterest does offer a video format, but they haven’t perfected it.
This is especially true for longer videos.
Facebook requires an upload. Pinterest requires a picture and a link.
Pinterest does not support videos that are longer than 15 minutes, while Facebook can handle 4 hours worth of video content.
While we’re sure that you aren’t posting 4-hour-long advertisements, it’s notable that Pinterest can’t handle your ads that are just a couple of minutes long. Think about the best advertising length for your company’s goals and determine which platform can handle those kinds of ads.
Keep in mind that Pinterest can link anywhere else. So, you could link to your advertisement on YouTube. But, you’d have to find a way to get people to click on the pin to go to the website that you’ve linked.
Cost
At the surface level, Facebook is cheaper than Pinterest. Facebook is more popular and has had longer in the advertising business. They are able to provide their services for much less.
However, keep the longevity of those advertisements in mind.
Facebook may be able to give you an advertisement for less than Pinterest, but you won’t receive the exposure that Pinterest provides. In other words, Facebook provides instant exposure while Pinterest gives gradual exposure.
Over time, Pinterest gives you more exposure. So, the extra money may be worth the extended exposure time.
However, Facebook is the right choice if those quick ads are better for meeting your organization’s goals.
Evaluate your advertising goals and set the right budget for your organization’s current needs.
Mastering Advertising on Every Platform
So, what will it be? Based on all of the differences that we discussed between Facebook and Pinterest advertising, it’s time for you to choose what you’ll go with. You could even choose to do a mix of both.
If you’re still lost on what kind of advertising is best for your business, you can count on us. Our team at Unbound can help you figure out what kind of online advertising is best for you with our expert services.
You don’t need to know anything about advertising to work with us. Call us today!
