Instagram vs Facebook for Clinical Trials Advertising
Instagram became much more prominent on the radar of advertisers last year – probably through having hit a ‘tipping point’ of number of users as well as businesses looking for additional methods of attracting their ideal audience.
The press have also played their part in this, with regular stories about how Facebook is losing the younger audience to rival platforms such as Snapchat, with Instagram being one of the more popular social media channels among this target demographic of ‘under 35s’.
Which has made it seem like Facebook is losing the battle for digital advertising to the younger upstart, with people migrating in their droves away from what may now perceived to be the ‘older person’s site’. (Something that Mark Zuckerberg himself recognised early on, when he decided to buy Instagram – making it actually a Facebook-owned property anyway).
Using my considerable experience with both platforms, as well as reviewing the data available that compares the users for Facebook and Instagram, the picture actually becomes quite different from what you might believe it to be – with Facebook still being by far the dominant player when it comes to ‘bang for your buck’ in digital advertising.
So how do things look when it comes to promoting clinical trials on Facebook vs Instagram?
Instagram’s Younger Audience
It’s well-known that Instagram is aimed at a younger audience. So you might assume – as I have done previously – that trials that are targeting people aged eg 18-30 might have a readymade audience on the platform.
However – and this is based on conversations with members of Facebook’s support team as well as what can be seen when viewing the platform – the type of content that is most effective on Instagram has shifted away from the informational very much towards the lifestyle-based. And the sort of lifestyle we’re talking about is that enjoyed by the ‘Love Island generation’, so it’s mostly about showing off your perfect physical assets, rather than engaging with the content on display.
This is very much borne out by the results of clinical trials advertising for certain trials I’ve been doing since the beginning of 2019 – where even if we’re aiming for a younger audience, Facebook almost always provides far better returns than Instagram for quantity of registrations.
Types of Creative for Instagram
It seems that the world of Instagram is populated primarily by perma-tanned bikini-clad women and guys in swim shorts – which provides a problem for the type of creative we can use in our clinical trials advertising.
Ethics committees, for example, are likely to be wary of allowing through any imagery that might suggest a popstar lifestyle is available to you through taking part in a clinical trial. And Facebook’s reviewers might also decide they don’t think the sort of imagery that is widely-available on Instagram is appropriate for promoting medical research.
This is probably a major contributing factor to Instagram’s lower performance when it comes to patient recruitment. With the type of images we’re likely to be able to use, there’s nothing especially visually attractive for the site’s users that might catch their eye and encourage them to click the ad to learn more.
Conclusion – Facebook is Currently More Effective than Instagram for Promoting Clinical Trials
I’m still experimenting with Instagram, as per one of the recommendations for ongoing experimentation in my overall Facebook Advertising Strategy – https://www.rossjackson.co.uk/facebook-strategy-for-patient-recruitment-for-clinical-trials/, as some trials might work better than others on it.
But for the time being, the majority of the clinical trials marketing budget I manage will be directed towards Facebook, as it’s the platform that’s currently providing the most cost effective returns.
Facebook and Instagram Ads Management
If you want to see how I can help you utilise the capabilities of Facebook (and Instagram) to promote your clinical trials – get in touch to arrange a quick chat.