When it comes to marketing, many businesses waver in their choice between TikTok vs. Instagram. Social media marketing is critical for modern businesses to thrive, and thousands of consumers in the United States and worldwide take to their preferred social media platform every day. They look for new products and share their ideas, and no business can afford to miss out on those invaluable interactions.
There are hundreds of social media platforms available, but TikTok and Instagram are two of the most popular choices. These platforms continue to see exponential growth, with an average of over 1.3 million new people joining social media in some form every day of 2020. By 2021, more than four billion individuals were using social media across the globe.
It is no secret that growing social media presence leads to greater brand recognition; services like Connective see the value of these connections daily in our line of work. Both TikTok and Instagram offer incredible digital marketing benefits for various industries, so which one is better?
Below, Connective’s social media professionals offer some tips on how to leverage these platforms and decide on TikTok vs. Instagram, depending on your products or services.
What Is TikTok?
The TikTok phenomenon started as a simple, short-video platform. Originally, people used TikTok to discover new music or comedy skits that they enjoyed watching in their free moments. However, this impressive social media app now has over 689 million monthly active users worldwide, with this number growing daily.
Brands that tap into these active markets have a unique opportunity to connect with hundreds of new customers every day. If increasing brand recognition is the goal, TikTok is an excellent place to start. The short videos and easy-to-edit features allow platform users to quickly scroll through new content and connect with several different profiles in a single session.
One of TikTok’s main features attracts millions of users: its unique 60-second video platform. When using the app to create a video, users have only sixty seconds to record their content.
The social media platform then allows users to edit their videos with:
- visual effects,
- trimming,
- music, and
- several other features for easy customization.
The video can be longer if the user uploads their content from another source instead of using the app to create it, which is great news for brands wanting to leverage TikTok’s massive reach.
TikTok Stats
Knowing the brand’s target market is essential to developing the right strategy for digital marketing. On TikTok:
- about 60% of users are between 16 and 24 years old
- its 600 million daily users spend an average of 52 minutes every day scrolling the app
What Is Instagram?
Instagram is a more established social media platform that focuses primarily on reels and photographs. Instagram reels are short 30-second videos that users either create on the app or upload. Similar to TikTok, Instagram users can edit their reels with sound or visual effects, trimming, stickers, and more.
Another popular feature is Instagram stories, where users upload a video or image to their profile that only appears for 24 hours (after that, the content disappears unless the user chooses to save it). Companies can use Instagram stories to connect with their target market by offering promotions or sharing new information in real-time. The average completion rate for businesses’ stories on Instagram is about 86%, meaning that more than eight of ten viewers watch their stories from beginning to end.
Marketers also take advantage of this social media platform through the available shopping feature, allowing consumers to browse products, tap on an image, and quickly make a purchase. Instagram sees about 130 million taps every month for their shopping feature, which is an impressive number of connections between consumers and businesses.
Instagram Stats
Despite its long-standing reputation, Instagram has fewer active daily users than TikTok. On Instagram:
- there are only 500 million active daily users, each spending 30 minutes per day on the app
- about 70% of its users are under the age of 34
When Should You Use TikTok?
How can a business decide between TikTok vs. Instagram? If the brand must choose only one, consider that both social media platforms offer several benefits and branding opportunities. TikTok tends to have a much younger audience than Instagram, but a growth rate that is about three times higher.
On high-growth platforms like TikTok, any business has the potential to reach a greater number of new customers in a short period. It is also incredibly immersive and encourages more users to interact with various companies and engage in promotions. A majority of TikTok users will turn off their television and other distractions to focus solely on the platform content; they also save hashtags to go back to certain videos and keep up with trends.
Another benefit of promoting with TikTok is that users access the platform at all hours of the day. Marketers have more chances to connect with customers and increase brand recognition without calculating an optimal time to schedule the post.
How to Use TikTok
Creating fun and engaging content is the key to increasing TikTok views. Only about 4% of marketers are currently using TikTok, so there are vast untapped audiences of young, energetic digital users. Even if a target audience includes the older generation, the fast-growing app can quickly connect a brand with thousands of leads.
When it comes to promoting on TikTok, a business will do well to pay attention to the latest trends. Look at the stand-out dance moves or music to attract and engage customers. Create a hashtag challenge, where users connect the business’s custom hashtag to share the content and save it to their favorite list.
When Should You Use Instagram?
TikTok videos can go viral without a significant following, but businesses need a decent following for Instagram content to do the same and reach new customers. However, in the TikTok vs. Instagram debate, Instagram certainly has a broader range of ages among its users. Marketers have the opportunity to reach a diverse market and offer various types of promotions tailored to specific categories.
Instagram’s platform is friendlier when it comes to traditional marketing techniques, but it is essential to post content frequently to grow a following. In fact, businesses looking to create a successful marketing campaign on Instagram should be posting at least every other day. Posting an engaging story every few days is also helpful in extending your reach.
How to Use Instagram
Instagram users want relatable content and quick purchases, which is why the general rule is for a business’s content to be 80% original and only 20% promotional. Consumers want to see more than an organization on Instagram; these users engage when they see personal or relatable content. They also want convenience, which means making stuff easy to buy on the platform.
Do not let your audience click through several pages to purchase a single item; their buying decision will be a resounding “No!” On Instagram, it is important to make product pages accessible to increase meaningful connections and boost sales. The primary goal is also to increase followers, so post frequently to improve brand recognition.
Which Platform Is the Best for Your Product?
So, TikTok vs. Instagram: which platform is best for the product or service you have to offer the world? The decision will depend on:
- the target audience
- the product or service’s features
- the business’s marketing preferences
Both platforms offer exceptional marketing opportunities across all industries, and marketers should take full advantage of them. Two considerations are to utilize influencer marketing and video content, trends that are gaining traction in this digital marketing realm.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing uses a social media influencer to promote a brand to their thousands or millions of followers. It is an excellent way to reach customers outside of the brand’s own following. Instagram tends to lead the way for influencer marketing, whether with endorsements on clothes or physical items like jewelry or services that influencers promote with personal recommendations.
Starting a hashtag challenge engages and excites customers to promote a brand and spread the word, but influencer marketing can be even more powerful. For example, many of these influencers’ followers will purchase identical items. They might also visit the store that it came from for more information about other desirable products or services.
Instagram Reels and TikTok Videos
The second consideration is video content. Both Instagram reels and TikTok videos use a short timeframe to grab users’ attention and make the content easily digestible. TikTok videos tend to use fun music or dance moves to engage or challenge users, whereas Instagram reels are informational.
Both platforms allow uploaders to edit and personalize content. If a business wants a post to go viral quickly, TikTok is more accessible. However, Instagram facilitates quick buyer decisions and connects with a current following instantly to keep the connections fresh.
Connective Can Help You Boost Your Social Media Presence
There are so many choices available, and a significant social media presence is great for brand growth, customer connections, and staying relevant. When it comes to TikTok vs. Instagram, why not use an experienced and innovative team to help your business leverage the right platform?
Connect with us online to see how we can improve your social media marketing strategy and online brand recognition; connections are our business.
