Short answer: if you’re already posting for Facebook, putting the same content on Instagram costs you almost nothing extra and reaches a different crowd. Here’s the actual difference between the two for a trade business.

Who’s on Facebook

Facebook still has the older, more settled crowd for most of Scotland: homeowners, people in their 30s upward, local community groups. It’s also where most people still search for and recommend local trades to each other.

Who’s on Instagram

A younger, more visual crowd, and increasingly it’s also where people search instead of Google, typing a trade and a town straight into the Instagram search bar. Kitchen and bathroom fitters, landscapers and anyone with strong before-and-afters tend to do especially well here.

Do you need different content for each?

Not really. The same before-and-after photo works on both. What changes is the shape, Instagram posts want to be upright rather than landscape, and the writing style’s usually a touch shorter. Beyond that, it’s the same job photo doing double duty.

Is it worth the extra time?

On your own, maybe not, since posting to two places doubles the admin. If someone else is scheduling it for you, there’s very little reason not to run both, since it’s the same photo and roughly the same caption, reformatted.

Which trades benefit most from Instagram

  • Kitchen and bathroom fitters, strong visual before-and-afters
  • Landscapers and driveway work, same reason
  • Painters and decorators, especially feature walls and bold colours
  • Joiners doing bespoke or statement pieces

Trades with less visual work, like some plumbing or electrical jobs, tend to get less out of Instagram specifically, though a Facebook presence still matters for all of them.

Quick answers

Do I need separate photos for Instagram and Facebook?

No, the same photo usually works on both, just cropped differently for each platform’s shape.

Is Instagram replacing Facebook for local trades?

Not yet in most of Scotland. Facebook is still where most local recommendations and searches happen, Instagram adds to that rather than replacing it.

Should I run Instagram if I’ve got no time to manage it myself?

If someone else is already posting to Facebook for you, adding Instagram usually costs very little extra time.

Written by Tony Flynn, who runs Toflin from Carluke and works with trades across Lanarkshire. Want a hand with any of this? Call 01698 598763 or see the prices.