Is Instagram and Facebook Marketing Dying?

Back in 2012, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg bought Instagram for $1 billion. Fast-forward almost a decade, where 2021 saw a major rebranding and shift in focus across all platforms under the Facebook umbrella. Facebook and Instagram still exist as separate entities, but the parent company was renamed Meta.

Advertising on Meta platforms using their suite of marketing tools has been a popular way for businesses to spread awareness, increase sales conversions, and build their brand. Plus, advertising with the Meta brand means that you have direct access to at least two of the most well-populated online social media platforms. Listed below are a few additional benefits users have come to expect when advertising through Facebook or Instagram:

• Audience. Facebook and Instagram have become common household brand names. According to statistics for Q1 of 2023 presented by Meta themselves, the brand and all of its platforms have over 3 billion daily active users.
• Targeting. Meta advertising allows for precise demographic targeting, so your ads will only be shown to people in your target audience. This includes age, gender, relationship status, interests, and even geographic location.
• Customization. The tools available to users allow for a great deal of flexibility in how and where your content appears. Everything from the text to the photos to the format is fully customizable.
• Accessibility. Even with all this power, Meta advertising is still widely accessible. You don’t need a PhD in computer science to build an ad campaign.

This all sounds great. So what’s the big deal, you may be wondering? As social media has gotten more and more popular, especially with the rise of mobile technology, privacy has become more of a concern. Advertisements rely quite heavily on cookies and other trackers that allow businesses to target users with relevant content. With the release of Apple’s iOS 14 software update back in 2020, iPhone users everywhere were empowered to block trackers and boost their online security, effectively disrupting targeted ads from platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Google is reportedly implementing something similar for Android devices.

So, is Facebook and Instagram marketing dying? Not necessarily, but these changes will make advertising much more difficult and more expensive, especially via the Meta marketing suite. At the possible expense of convenience and accessibility, advertisers will be forced to think smarter about how best to engage with their audience.

Here at Sumner Group, we work with clients to build their brand and reach consumers with a solid marketing strategy. Our 35+ years of experience have given us a bird’s-eye view of the industry and its trends. We’d love to see you and your business succeed in a competitive marketing landscape. Get in touch with Sumner Group today to learn more about our services!