As social media keeps evolving, with new platforms popping up and existing ones constantly changing, brands must stay in the loop regarding the latest trends and best practices in influencer marketing on TikTok and Instagram.
Over the last couple of years, TikTok has emerged as a leading influencer marketing platform, while Instagram continues to be a staple for many brands. This article looks at the core differences between TikTok and Instagram, covering aspects from audience demographics to content types and shopping experiences.
TikTok
Collaborating with influencers on TikTok can be great for your brand due to the authenticity and creativity on the platform and the natural advantage influencers have in connecting with their followers. When influencers endorse your products, it not only builds credibility but their audiences trust the recommendations, leading to increased conversions for your brand.
Younger demographics on TikTok
There are people from every generation on TikTok, posting videos on everything from dance trends to financial advice. However, TikTok remains the leading social platform for teens and young adults.
The bulk of TikTok’s active monthly users fall within the 18 to 24 age range. More specifically, 36.4% fall in the 18 to 24 category, while 32% belong to the 25 to 34 bracket.
The third largest age group of TikTok users are those aged 35 to 44, with 16.5% belonging to this age bracket. These numbers on TikTok’s age demographics also show that as a general trend, the percentage of people using TikTok falls with age. For instance, just 8.3% of adult TikTok users aged 45 to 54 use the app. This number falls to 5.8% for those aged 55 and above.
These TikTok age demographics show that if young adults are among your brand’s target audience, leveraging influencer marketing and having a presence on TikTok is likely to go a long way in terms of connecting and building relationships with your target audience.
Potential to go viral
Knowing how to make a video go viral on TikTok can sometimes be a mystery but the good news is that just about anybody has the potential to go viral quickly – even a brand-new account with zero followers, due to the platform’s high engagement and the creative, fun, and casual nature of the content. By taking part in trends, duets and stitches, TikTok is particularly effective for campaigns targeting a younger audience, as the platform has a predominantly younger user base.
For example, @lauraxhuges, a nano-influencer, who focuses her content on fashion and lifestyle was gifted a free product by the jewellery brand, Abbott Lyon. Despite Laura only having 5,000 followers on her TikTok channel, her video of Abbott Lyons gifted product went viral reaching nearly 1 million views. This shows the power of TikTok and the ability for videos to go viral even without a huge following.
A seamless shopping experience
Given its ability to boost brand awareness and sales, TikTok is great for e-commerce brands. TikTok Shop has redefined the way e-commerce brands engage with their consumers. Influencers not only showcase brands’ products but can also sell them directly within the app. This means users don’t have to leave the platform to make a purchase, resulting in a more efficient shopping experience.
TikTok Shop offers three ways to shop including:
- Live shopping
- Shoppable videos
- Product showcases
These features are great for brands using influencers as it’s another avenue for brands to generate revenue. By making things simpler for shoppers and increasing accessibility to products or services, brands will find it easy to make sales.
As one of the most popular social media platforms, there’s no question that Instagram is an effective channel for influencer marketing. We have highlighted a few of Instagram’s stand-out features that make it an effective platform for influencer marketing.
Audience and demographics
In contrast to TikTok, Instagram has a broader user base, attracting users of all age groups. With over 1.3 billion active users, the platform caters to a diverse audience, including people between the ages of 44 to 65. The user demographics are almost evenly distributed between the ages of 18-24 (30.8%), 25-34 (30.3%) and 35-44 (15%).
Similar to TikTok, Instagram users appreciate branded content and influencer partnerships. However, organic content might not receive as much visibility on Instagram initially, making advertising and collaborations valuable assets for brands on this platform.
The polished aesthetic of Instagram
Instagram’s content is often characterised by a more polished and curated aesthetic compared to TikTok’s emphasis on fun and spontaneous entertainment. Instagram offers a more long-term engagement with its feed format, allowing influencers to build a loyal follower base over time by carefully crafting and editing their photos and videos, aiming for a visually appealing feed.
Although Instagram’s engagement can vary widely depending on the influencer and the content they are posting, it still has the potential to be a highly effective platform for influencer marketing campaigns. Despite not having the potential to go viral as quickly and easily as TikTok, Instagram posts have a higher chance of reaching a larger audience through hashtags and the Explore page. Brands looking to create polished and professional content that resonates with a diverse audience may find Instagram to be a better fit.
Instagram’s added brand value
Instagram provides brands with added value by offering a diverse range of content types, such as Reels, Carousels and Stories, allowing influencers to foster a more engaging presence in real-time. Stories enable influencers to share limited-time promotions, clickable links and real-time updates, enhancing their connection with their audience.
By leveraging these varied content options, Instagram lets influencers express their identity in creative ways, maintain audience engagement, and ultimately drive a more meaningful connection with their followers.
Key takeaways
Choosing the right social media platform for your business is crucial to maximise your online visibility and reach new customers. Both TikTok and Instagram offer unique features and advantages, making them effective tools for influencer marketing.
Based on the above factors, brands can choose the platform that best aligns with their goals and target audience.