Did you know that in 2021, an estimated 4.48 billion people used social media worldwide? With so many people on social media at any given time, businesses and influencers have an increased chance of promoting themselves to their target audience with little effort.
But here's where you might ask “what is the best social media to help grow my business?” The short answer is… it depends.
While there are a handful of popular social media platforms, some of them are not as great as others for business purposes. In this article, we'll cover the benefits of using Instagram vs TikTok to help grow your business.
Social Media and Advertisement
Before you decide which social media is best to use in 2022, it would be a good idea to refresh yourself on why people use social media to advertise in the first place.
Social media is an online activity that encompasses over a dozen apps that allow people to connect with others. These apps can be personal or impersonal, photo-based or text-based, and educational or recreational.
A popular trend that started in the late 2000s is the use of social media as a way to advertise one's business, no matter how big or small it might be. Social media is great for advertising because, for the most part, it's completely free, as well as being easy and widely accessible.
Currently, the top five most popular social media platforms are Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok.
While these are all good in their own ways, most of them are quite different from each other. This makes it a little difficult to gauge which one is the exact “best” for growing your business.
For now, let's stick with Instagram vs TikTok.
Growing A Business on Instagram: What's It Like?
Instagram. The current number one spot for the most popular social media platform out there— whose reign has long triumphed over the rest of the competition for almost a decade now.
Instagram is a must-use tool if you wish to grow your business, especially if you can provide pretty and eye-catching photos of whatever product or service you provide. Instagram's algorithm and structure make it easy to see thousands of photos and videos within a very short amount of time. What's even better is that posting on Instagram and growing on it is free!
The app also has a dedicated business section where shops can put their products on a display page with their designated prices and other information. You can also transition your account into a business page where you can directly see analytics. These analytics include things like user engagement, how many shares it got, how popular this post is compared to recent ones, and other trends.
Sharing is also tremendously easy on the app which makes reaching your target audience all the more simple. Direct messages and comments also create an environment where business owners can directly converse with their customers.
Instagram Pros
So what are the concrete pros of using Instragam to grow a business in 2022? Let's take a look at a few:
- Direct customer engagement
- High potential of working with influencers
- Post photos, videos, or use stories
- Create a business account and make a shop
- Flexible audience: reach people of all backgrounds
You can also make use of methods to help you get free likes Instagram, which really helps get your name out there!
Instagram Cons
Just like any other social media app, there are some cons to using Instagram.
- Very large user base— hard to grow without commitment
- Stories only last 24 hours
- Hashtags can often be useless if not very specific
- A large number of bots and trolls
The algorithm also works a little weird at times, which can cause your post to go completely unnoticed.
The Case of TikTok
TikTok was an app made in China back in 2016. It's a platform where people make short, edited videos with soundtracks mostly for the purpose of entertainment. Almost banned in the United States due to a court order from former U.S. President Trump, the app often has a bad reputation among older and more conservative demographic groups.
TikTok has no dedicated business section as of yet, which makes growing a business on TikTok hard, but not impossible. Many companies have started using craft ways to advertise on TikTok in an indirect way.
For example, Chipotle does an annual #boorito competition where users upload a Halloween-themed video to TikTok for a chance to win free burritos for a year.
TikTok also has built-in tools to edit videos which can cut down the costs of advertising by a substantial margin.
TikTok Pros
So what are the pros of using TikTok to grow a business?
- Take advantage of affiliate programs
- Use influencers to create content
- Target younger audiences
- Exercise creativity and get intimate with your audience
Since TikTok is a newer app, you can also ride the wave and take advantage of the novelty factor!
TikTok Cons
However, there are some downsides to using TikTok.
- There is no inherent way to ‘advertise'
- Extremely hard to get conversions
- Unpredictable algorithm— “What's going on?”
- Hard to connect outside of comments
The biggest issue with using TikTok is that you can't simply post a photo or text post saying you have a new deal or whatever. You have to make a video, or score a deal with a content creator, and find a way to creatively advertise. TikTok is by no means the place for businesses to be extremely adamant about growing a business, it's more about connecting and making interesting content.
Which Is Better?
So the long-awaited answer to your question about Instagram vs Tiktok is…
Instagram. At least at first.
TikTok can be an extremely valuable tool to grow your business and is a very fun and engaging social media platform. But it's not developed in a way to directly help advertise. It's widely used as a way to create interesting, fun, quirky content aimed at younger audiences.
You can start off with Instagram and see where your digital marketing journey takes you from there.
Want to learn more ways to grow your business online? Visit the business section of our blog to learn more!
