It is the question I get more than almost any other. A salesperson finally decides to get serious about marketing themselves, they sit down to start, and the very first thing that stops them cold is this:
Which platform should I be on?
They have heard LinkedIn is where the real business happens. They have also heard Facebook is dead, or that it is just family photos and casserole recipes. So they freeze. And while they are busy deciding, another month goes by where nobody new found them.
Let me save you the deliberation, because the answer is not actually about the platform. It is about who signs your checks.
The Only Question That Matters
Stop asking which platform is better. Start asking this instead: does my ideal client buy from me as a business, or as a person?
That one question sorts it out almost every time.
If you sell to businesses — commercial accounts, property managers, contractors, companies with a budget and a decision-maker — you are B2B, and LinkedIn is your home court.
If you sell to individuals and families — homeowners, first-time buyers, people protecting what they have — you are B2C, and Facebook is where you live.
Most people already know the answer in their gut. They just talk themselves out of it because one platform feels more prestigious than the other.
“You do not pick the platform you like. You pick the platform your buyer already lives on.” — B
LinkedIn: A Search Engine in a Suit
Here is what most people get wrong about LinkedIn. They treat it like a resume site. They list their job titles, their credentials, everywhere they have worked — and then they wonder why nobody reaches out.
LinkedIn is not a resume. It is a search engine. It is indexed by Google and Bing, and people type problems into it the same way they type problems into Google. Your profile is not a document about your past. It is a landing page that either answers somebody’s question or it does not.
That changes what you do with it. The line under your name should say who you help, not what your title is. Your Experience section is keyword real estate, not a work history. Your About section should read like an answer, not a credential list.
And the people you want are already there. Property managers. Real estate investors. Business owners. High-earning professionals. They are on LinkedIn, already dressed for business, already looking for answers.
“LinkedIn is not a resume site. It is a search engine in a suit.” — B
Facebook: Not Dead, Just Dressed Casual
Now let me defend the platform everyone loves to dismiss.
I hear it constantly — Facebook is dead, Facebook is for old people, Facebook is beneath me. That attitude is costing salespeople real business, and here is why.
Yes, the demographics shifted. Facebook skews older than it used to. But think that one through. Older often means more money, more purchasing power, and more decisions actually getting made. If you sell to consumers, that is not a downside. That is your audience holding a checkbook.
Facebook is massive, it is searchable, and it is one of the most affordable tools you have for getting in front of the exact people you want to sell to.
“Facebook is not dead. It is just dressed casual.” — B
The setup matters, though. You need a personal profile and a separate business page — do not combine them. Your business page is your billboard: banner, specialty, contact info, and a way to reach you the second somebody lands there. Your personal profile is where people look you up before they agree to do business with you, so make sure what they find works in your favor.
And be careful what you like and share on that personal page. Facebook Jail is real. A careless click can lock you out of a business page you spent months building.
Where the Real Difference Shows Up: What It Costs
If you want a practical dividing line between the two, look at advertising.
Facebook’s ad system is detailed, powerful, and remarkably affordable. When you boost a post, you define exactly who sees it — zip code, age range, interests, keywords. And here is the part that surprises people: the more specific you get, the less it costs you. Facebook is not showing your ad to millions of random people. It is showing it to the precise slice who fit.
Targeting property investors in Clinton Township, ages 35 to 55, who have shown interest in investment real estate? That is not a huge pool. But every single one of them is someone I want in front of my content. A few dollars a day moves the needle.
LinkedIn ads are a different animal. They are expensive, and honestly, LinkedIn is better used for its search and connection power than for paid placement. If your budget is small and your client is a consumer, Facebook wins that contest outright.
“The more specific you get with Facebook ads, the less it costs you. Know your ideal client. Dig into the details.” — B
The One Thing Both Platforms Do Better Than Anything Else
Groups.
This is the piece most salespeople completely skip, and it works identically on both platforms. LinkedIn Groups and Facebook Groups are communities built around industries, interests, and neighborhoods — and inside them, your ideal clients are actively talking.
The play is the same in both places: do not walk in dumping ads. Contribute. Share something that solves a problem. Post a video showing how something works. Ask the group what they are struggling with, then go write the blog that answers it and come back with it.
I manage several Facebook groups myself. One has close to 6,000 active members. Because I run it, I control the quality, I keep the spam out, and I have a direct line to thousands of engaged people. You can build that too. It takes time, not money.
“Ask the group what pains them. Then go write the blog that fixes it. Then come back and share it. That is not selling. That is helping.” — B
Neither One Is Actually Yours
Before you go all in on either platform, hear this clearly: you do not own it.
You clicked “I Agree.” They can change the rules, change the algorithm, suspend your account, and make everything you built invisible overnight. I have watched it happen to people I know personally — entire business presences built on a page that vanished one morning.
Your website is home. Your blog is your foundation. Facebook and LinkedIn are where you go to meet people and bring them back home. Use them hard, use them smart, and never let either one be the only thing holding you up.
So What If You Sell to Both?
Plenty of people do. I do. I write commercial accounts and personal lines both.
Here is my honest answer: pick the one where the money actually comes from and put your real effort there. The other one gets what is left over — not half your energy, and not a guilty attempt to be everywhere at once.
Trying to be excellent on two platforms at the same time, from a standing start, is how people end up mediocre on both. Build one until it runs on rhythm instead of willpower. Then add the second.
And the good news is the work carries over. One blog becomes a LinkedIn article, a Facebook post with an image, a share into two different groups, and a boosted ad. Same foundation, different room.
“Do one thing. Do it so well that people cannot imagine anyone else doing it.” — B
What to Do With This Today
Answer the question honestly: are the people who pay me buying as a business, or as a person?
Then go to that platform and fix one thing this week. On LinkedIn, rewrite the line under your name so it says who you help instead of what you are called. On Facebook, build the business page you have been putting off and give it a banner that actually tells people what you do.
One fix. This week. Then next week, one more.
Your ideal client is scrolling right now, on one of those two platforms, with a problem you know how to solve. The only question is whether they run into you or they run into somebody else.
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This post is adapted from The Salesperson’s Playbook by B, available now. If this resonated with you, reach out to DBG to learn how we help salespeople find their lane, build their reputation, and grow a business that works for them.
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