Businesses in today’s digital age use social media to reach their target market, improve brand awareness, and increase sales. Over recent years, Instagram and TikTok have proven to be the best social media platform in terms of marketing. It’s essential to understand the differences between the two platforms so you can choose the one best suited to your business needs.
With so many pros and cons to weigh, picking the right one for your business can be a challenge. Fortunately, this post is here to examine both Instagram and TikTok from a marketing point of view.
Instagram is widely regarded as the best social media network for marketing, and there are numerous reasons for this. The platform’s popularity stems from its wide range of features. Almost everyone can benefit from the app’s capacity to create and share professional-looking photos and videos. Here are some pros of using Instagram for your business:
- Insights
Instagram has a powerful analytics tool for business profiles. This built-in tool can show you how your content and profile are doing, who your audience is, and many other essential things. You can determine what’s working and what isn’t with your marketing using these data points. Then, you can fine-tune your strategy with an Instagram growth service accordingly.
- In-App Shopping
Instagram announced an in-app checkout option in 2019 that allows users to make purchases without leaving the app. The platform added a ‘shop’ button on Instagram Explore that enables users to browse things for sale from the brands they follow.
- Swipe-Up Links
To get your Instagram followers to check out a link to an external website, you can use swipe-up links in your stories. However, this feature is only available to verified or business accounts with more than 10,000 followers.
As with all things in life, there are certain downsides to using Instagram for your business. Some cons include:
- Too Commercialized
Since social media marketing aims to build personal relationships, the fact that your profile is set up as a business account may scare away some potential customers. If people realize you’re attempting to sell anything, they may be less likely to engage with you.
- Limited Audience And Visibility
The platform has a smaller audience than we’d hope. Though Instagram is still popular amongst teenagers and those between 18 and 34, it might be difficult for your brand to stand out. Also, the amount of competition can be difficult to grab people’s attention. Users tend to become annoyed if their feeds are bombarded with advertisements from businesses, and they’ll spend less time on those accounts.
TikTok
In influencer marketing, TikTok is known for its virality and short-form video content. TikTok, like Instagram, allows users to like, comment, and share videos, but it doesn’t go any farther. There aren’t any options to repost or save content, but the app is becoming more well-known.
Here’s why you should use TikTok for your business:
- High Engagement
Users that follow your business who are inactive are the platform’s silent killers. There are many reasons why an account may become inactive. In some cases, they stop using the platform and don’t remember to go back and look at it. Businesses can think they’re doing better than they are, even though they aren’t. For instance, you might discover that you never engage with more than half of your total followers. Your audience may not engage with your content if this is the case. However, this may be due to a large but inactive fan base.
But because TikTok is relatively new, inactive accounts are less likely and less of a worry. In truth, user engagement is high, with many users returning to the app numerous times per day. It increases the likelihood that people will view and interact with your material. It also increases the likelihood that individuals will seek out more information about your brand.
- Younger Audience
TikTok is the best option for businesses looking to reach a younger crowd. 60% of users come from Generation Z. As a result, businesses that cater to a younger demographic will see significant growth. They’ll also have an easier time promoting their products. That is because they’re going where their audience is instead of having their audience come to them.
As previously said, there are several benefits to promoting your business on TikTok. However, it’s also necessary to evaluate the risks.
- Limited Creativity
A lot of the time, when it comes to marketing, there are a lot of chances for being creative. It lets businesses use specific colours and fonts to showcase their brand. However, the users’ ability to express themselves freely is limited by TikTok. There are only three TikTok formats: 15-second videos, 60-second videos, and Live streams. Plus, it’s impossible to post a TikTok video with only text or images.
As a result, it may take more time to develop content that will make your business stand out to your target market. You may also have a hard time coming up with content that explains your brand in a short amount of time.
- Different Sales Process
TikTok has different options for selling than Instagram, such as creating a shop within your account, selling in posts, or redirecting to your website. If you include products in your 15-second or one-minute movies, you will be violating organic principles.
Conclusion
The two social media platforms provide their users with an altogether different experience. TikTok and Instagram are great for business marketing campaigns because they have different audiences and different types of content for them. But which is better – Instagram or TikTok? What matters most is not which is better but which is most suited to your brand. Think about who you want to reach and what kind of content you want to use to show off your brand and its products or services, and you’ll come up with the answer.