Is Facebook or TikTok better for a Livingston business?
The short answer
Facebook is the better place for most Livingston businesses to start, because 71% of rural U.S. adults use Facebook compared with 32% who use TikTok (Pew Research Center, Social Media Fact Sheet, 2025), but TikTok is the better place to reach people who don't know you yet, so the answer is usually both, with different jobs. In our own work for Kramer Autoplex in Livingston, Facebook delivered the most impressions in the latest year, while TikTok earned far more attention per post. If you can only do one well right now, start with Facebook and film video you can also post to TikTok.
Who uses each platform
Pew's 2025 numbers are national, not a Livingston survey, but the rural figures are the closest match for Polk County:
- Facebook: 71% of rural adults, the same 71% as urban and suburban adults.
- TikTok: 32% of rural adults, compared with 42% of urban adults.
Daily use shows the age split (Pew, Americans' Social Media Use 2025):
- 37% of U.S. adults visit Facebook several times a day. About 24% use TikTok daily.
- Roughly half of 18- to 29-year-olds go on TikTok at least once a day, compared with 5% of adults 65 and older.
- Facebook's daily use is highest in the middle: 58% of 30- to 49-year-olds and 54% of 50- to 64-year-olds.
If your customers are homeowners, parents and retirees around Lake Livingston, Facebook reaches more of them. If you're trying to reach younger buyers or people who don't know you yet, TikTok matters more.
What we've seen at Kramer Autoplex in Livingston
This is Garnet's own work, so it's something a generic article can't tell you. Garnet shoots at Kramer Autoplex in Livingston one day a week and posts for the dealership five times a week. The Kramer Autoplex case study publishes the account numbers from Metricool, dated:
- Oct. 12, 2025 to Oct. 12, 2026: 27.3M impressions, with Facebook at 20.56M, YouTube at 3.73M, TikTok at 2.09M and Instagram at 908.58K. Facebook carried about three-quarters of the total.
- July 2, 2024 to July 2, 2025: Facebook had 18.03M impressions from 1,957 posts. TikTok had 16.97M impressions from 256 posts. That works out to about 9,200 impressions per Facebook post and about 66,000 per TikTok post. TikTok also had the most interactions that year, 582.27K, compared with 317.24K on Facebook.
- Public TikTok views: 26M+, with 49 TikToks past 100,000 views (September 2026).
Our reading, not a platform rule: Facebook is where the steady volume comes from, because a lot of local people are on it and you can post often. TikTok is where a single strong video can travel far beyond your followers. Those are attention numbers. Platforms count impressions differently, and none of this is a measure of sales.
How to use both without doubling the work
- Film once. Shoot short vertical videos on one day a week. Our guide to filming short-form video with a phone covers the setup.
- Post the same clip to both. Vertical video can go to Facebook Reels and TikTok.
- Use Facebook for the everyday. Hours, specials, events and new arrivals are what locals look for.
- Use TikTok for the hook. Lead with a person or a moment, not a logo. See how often a small business should post on TikTok for a realistic schedule.
- Don't skip Google. Social posts don't replace your Google Business Profile. Our post on where to start with digital marketing in Livingston puts the steps in order.
When one platform is enough for now
If you only have time for one, our recommendation for most Livingston businesses is Facebook, because it reaches the widest local audience. Add TikTok when you can film every week. If your best customers skew younger, flip that order.
Get a plan for your business
We plan, film and post this kind of content as part of our social media service, and you can see what we do for local businesses on our Livingston page and services page. If you'd like a recommendation for your business, request a content plan.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need separate videos for Facebook and TikTok?
Not usually. The same short vertical video can run on both. Write captions for each platform and check that any on-screen text isn't covered by the app's buttons.
Is Instagram worth it for a Livingston business?
Pew found 37% of rural adults use Instagram. In Kramer's latest Metricool year it was the smallest of the four accounts by impressions, at 908.58K. It's worth cross-posting your Reels there, but it usually isn't where a small-town business should start.