Instagram vs Google Maps for Lead Generation: Which Platform Should You Choose in 2025?

Choosing Your Lead Generation Platform: It's All About Your Target Market

The most obvious reason we are likely to choose Google Maps over Instagram (or Instagram over Google Maps) for B2B lead generation is based on your target market.

How to Contact Your Leads: The Practical Approach

Once you've made your choice between Google Maps and Instagram, the following step is to think about the way to contact your leads.

Google Maps: Straightforward and Data-Rich

The way to do it through Google Maps is straightforward because you've got lots of data you can gather:

• Phone numbers
• Websites
• Email addresses
• Social medias (Instagram included!)

For example, if you make a campaign targeting hotels, it's somewhat likely some of these hotels also manage an Instagram account. In that case, it will be worthless to only use a single channel for our commercial purpose.

The Multi-Channel Approach

It's better, for instance, to:

1. Call the hotels first
2. If they didn't answer the call, we can send them an email
3. Finally, we can send them an Instagram message if they haven't seen our email yet

A multi-channel system is key to success.

Instagram: The Complicated Reality

On the other end, directly getting customers from Instagram implies a more complicated approach.

The Instagram Challenge

To begin with, 95 percent of profiles are not relevant in a commercial context. There are:

• Lots of bots
• Plenty of duplicate profiles
• An enormous amount of private accounts which cannot be contacted easily

In other words, most of these profiles make more sense for B2C marketing. Even if we assume you are interested in a B2C campaign, it's still not an easy task.

The Contact Problem

People usually don't show their email address, so we have to send them an Instagram message instead. And in that case, the success rate is ridiculously low - assuming that your message didn't already end up in the spam box in the first place.

Moreover, you will quickly - very quickly - be blocked by Instagram, so it's not worth it.

The Business-Only Approach

We have to contact businesses on Instagram only - meaning the profiles with an indicator of interest:

• A profile with a link
• A profile with an email address
• Any other signs showing you it wants to be contacted

The Solution: Automating Google Maps Lead Generation with the Right Tools

Now I want to talk to those who are interested in getting leads from Google Maps. You may want to get a fast and easy solution because collecting all this data is a pretty hard process, and that's the reason why we have created a lead generation tool to automate the job: scrap.io.

Getting Started with Scrap.io

If you want to have a look, I invite you to click on the link in the description, or you can simply type "scrap.io" in your search bar. We promise you can get unlimited leads from Google Maps, and in order to prove it, you have a quick demo below.

The Simple Search Process

All you need to do is search for an activity - so let's type "restaurant" or any other kind of job you might be looking for. Then you type a specific city. I'm currently located in France, so I only have access to French cities at the moment, but of course, once I create my account, I will have access to all the cities from tens of different countries.

I type "Paris," I click on search, and I will have an overview of how many data rows I can retrieve.

Creating Your Account

To fully appreciate the power of this tool, I create my account. So I click on "login" and I sign up. Now, once it is done, I have access to my dashboard. I click on it, and this is the place where I can collect all my leads.

Advanced Filtering Options

The same way as we have done previously, I search for an activity, and I can pick up a country based on this list. The funny thing here is that I can filter my leads depending on:

• The city
• A country
• The state
• An entire country

So in that case, I will be looking for all restaurants in the United States - so it might be a pretty long list! I click on search, and when you have access to more than 10,000 results, it simply returns "ten thousand plus results."

Essential and Advanced Filters

If I'm not satisfied yet, I can filter my data even more. I click on "filter," and I've got essential features and advanced ones. We can wonder whether I'm looking for:

• Closed restaurants
• Restaurants with a website
• Restaurants with a phone number
• Restaurants with social media links (or more particularly Instagram links)
• Restaurants with a specific price range
• Restaurants with a specific rating
• Specific number of reviews
• Specific number of features
• Whether there is a contact form on the website

A Valuable Misconception Clarification

That's something really valuable. We were talking about some misconceptions related to Google Maps, and another kind of misconception is that we can see a lot of people only using email to contact the leads. But actually, you can also contact them through the contact form on the website - that's something we shouldn't underestimate.

Exporting Your Data

I can click on "filter," and to export my leads, I click on "export." I can give my export a name, and if I click on "Advanced options," I have access to all the fields - to all the columns I'm about to retrieve. Then I click on "export."

All exports I have done so far are located in the "my exports" tab. If I want to download my data, I click on "download," then I choose between a CSV or Excel file.

How to Choose Between Instagram and Google Maps: The Decision Framework

After exploring both platforms in detail, here's a practical framework to help you make the right choice for your specific business needs.

By Industry Type

Local Services (95% should choose Google Maps)

• Plumbers, contractors, restaurants, real estate agents
• These businesses need local visibility and direct contact
• Google Maps provides phone numbers, addresses, and immediate contact options

Creative & Visual Services (70% Instagram, 30% Google Maps)

• Photographers, makeup artists, lifestyle coaches, content creators
• Instagram's visual nature aligns with their service offerings
• Google Maps can supplement for local discovery

B2B Services (80% Google Maps, 20% Instagram)

• Consulting, legal services, accounting, business services
• Google Maps offers direct business contact information
• Instagram works as secondary channel for brand building

By Business Size

Solo Entrepreneurs & Freelancers

• Start with Instagram for audience building and engagement
• Add Google Maps once you establish local presence
• Focus on quality over quantity in lead generation

Small Businesses (2-10 employees)

• Google Maps should be your primary lead source
• Instagram as secondary for brand awareness
• Scrap.io can automate the Google Maps process efficiently

Agencies & Larger Companies

• Multi-channel approach is mandatory
• Use Google Maps for bulk lead generation
• Instagram for targeted, high-value prospect engagement
• Implement both platforms with proper automation tools

The Multi-Channel Success Formula

The most successful businesses don't choose one platform – they use both strategically:

1. Primary Platform: Based on your industry (usually Google Maps for B2B)
2. Secondary Platform: For brand building and relationship nurturing
3. Integration Strategy: Use tools like scrap.io to find businesses on Google Maps, then engage with them on Instagram for a warmer approach

Pro Tip: If you find a restaurant on Google Maps that also has an Instagram account, you now have multiple touchpoints for your outreach campaign – phone, email, and Instagram messaging.

What Data Can You Extract? A Complete Breakdown

Here is a sample of what you can expect. You have access to:

Basic Business Information

• The name of the company
• Whether the restaurant or company is closed or not
• The category (main category and all categories, because you can get multiple categories at the same time - for example, a restaurant can also be a cafe or a French restaurant)
• Whether the restaurant has a website or not
• The phone number
• The time zone

Location Data

• The full address, which is divided into:
  • The streets
  • The city
  • The postal code
  • The state
  • The level 1 and level 2 division, which includes the country
• The country code
• The latitude and longitude (coordinates)
• The link of the Google Maps detail page

Contact Information

• The owner name
• The email address (when there is one)
• Social media links:
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

Review and Rating Data

• The price range
• The review count
• The number of reviews
• The review rating
• The review percentage score
• The number of pictures
• The URL of some pictures
• Popular times
• Whether it has been claimed on Google Maps or not
• Working hours
• The characteristics (which can depend on the industry)

Advanced Website Data

If the company has a website, what about its SEO? We have access to:

• The website title
• Keywords
• The meta description
• Meta image
• The tool that has been used to create the website
• The language
• Up to five emails
• Up to five contact pages
• Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram links
• Website technologies (which is something very accurate - we are well aware that this website uses Google Analytics, that this one uses reCAPTCHA or WooCommerce, so maybe you can book a reservation there)
• Website ad pixels

The Bottom Line: Making the Right Choice

This is the end of our comprehensive comparison. I hope you have enjoyed it and found it valuable for your lead generation strategy.

Key Takeaways:

• Google Maps excels for traditional local businesses and B2B lead generation
• Instagram works better for visual content creators and influencers
• Google Maps provides more direct contact data and higher-quality business information
• Instagram requires filtering for business-relevant profiles but offers engagement opportunities
• A multi-channel approach yields the best results for most businesses
• Use our decision framework to choose the right platform mix for your industry and business size
• Automation tools like scrap.io can streamline the Google Maps process and scale your efforts

If you want to extract leads from Google Maps efficiently, give a try to Scrap.io. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Google Maps good for lead generation?

Absolutely! Google Maps is an excellent platform for B2B lead generation, especially for targeting local businesses. With over 1 billion users worldwide and millions of business listings, it provides accurate, up-to-date information that's perfect for finding potential customers in specific geographic areas.

How do you generate leads from Google Maps?

You can generate leads from Google Maps by searching for businesses in your target industry and location, then extracting their contact information including phone numbers, websites, and email addresses. Tools like scrap.io can automate this process, allowing you to collect thousands of leads quickly and efficiently.

Which is better for B2B lead generation: Instagram or Google Maps?

It depends on your target market. Google Maps is ideal for traditional local businesses like restaurants, contractors, and service providers. Instagram works better for visual content creators, influencers, and lifestyle-focused businesses. For maximum results, consider using both platforms in a multi-channel approach.

Can you use Instagram for B2B lead generation?

Yes, but with limitations. Instagram can be effective for B2B lead generation, particularly for businesses targeting visual content creators, coaches, and lifestyle brands. However, 95% of profiles may not be relevant for commercial purposes, and the platform has more restrictions on direct outreach.

What tools are available for Google Maps lead generation?

There are several tools available, including scrap.io, which allows you to extract leads from Google Maps automatically. These tools can gather contact information, social media profiles, and other valuable data from business listings, making the lead generation process much more efficient.

How do you contact leads from Google Maps?

The best approach is multi-channel: start with phone calls, follow up with emails if they don't answer, and consider social media outreach (including Instagram) as a third option. Having multiple contact methods increases your chances of success.

Are there any legal considerations for Google Maps lead generation?

Yes, it's important to comply with data protection regulations like GDPR and use only publicly available information. Tools like scrap.io ensure compliance by only extracting data that businesses have made publicly available on their Google Maps listings.

How accurate is the data extracted from Google Maps?

Google Maps data is generally very accurate because businesses have incentives to keep their information up-to-date. Local businesses actively maintain their Google My Business profiles to attract customers, making it one of the most reliable sources for current business information.