Instagram Reels vs. TikTok vs. Snapchat: Which Should Businesses Use? [Marketing Professional Data] (2023)

FAQs

Is Instagram or TikTok better for marketing? ›

Instagram is better for polished content, while TikTok is better for raw, authentic content. If you want to reach a younger audience, consider TikTok. If you're looking to partner with influencers, both platforms can be effective but Instagram may give you more polished options.

In comparison with other social media platforms, budding influencers on TikTok earned around 18% more engagement, according to statistics. While Instagram reels saw an increase in engagement rates in the app by 22%, the platform's overall engagement rate lags behind, with emerging influencers only gaining 3.86%.

Compared to Reels, TikTok records an average engagement rate that's six times bigger. Depending on the audiences they're trying to reach and their targeted marketing objectives aiming to accomplish, some brands might get a higher ROI from their TikTok marketing efforts.

The content on Snapchat is raw and unfiltered. On the other hand, Instagram content is curated, polished and high res making it a better platform for businesses and influencers. Therefore, deciding a winner in the content-type parameter is difficult since both have their own preferences.

Why? Simply put, organic marketing on TikTok is not for selling a product or service. TikTok is about providing some sort of value to viewers (usually in the form of advice or entertainment) in order to make them follow and remember you. It's a platform you should use to sell a brand rather than sell a product.

TikTok advertising costs are generally lower than Instagram. TikTok has a younger demographic, with the 13-24-year-old segments representing 69% of the app's user base. Videos audio play, so it is easier for brands to get seen when users are scrolling through content.

Instagram, you will get a much higher ROI on average for the time + money you spend marketing on TikTok vs. Instagram. It's worth me mentioning — Instagram is still an amazing marketing platform for your brand.

Many content creators, influencers and brands have found that they earn more views and higher engagement rates when they post Reels. As an example, one Instragram creator discovered a 2,800+ increase in followers when they posted a Reel every day for a month.

The advantages of TikTok outweigh that of Reels because TikTok offers numerous filters, voice effects, and templates. TikTok users often do not need to use any third-party platforms to edit their videos. Instagram Reels, however, offers a limited selection of editing tools for users to choose from at the moment.

Con: Business Accounts Can't Add Music

If you have a business account, you can't add music to your Reels. Only personal or Creator accounts have this feature. However, you can use original audio clips created by other users!

Is TikTok good for promoting business? ›

TikTok for small businesses is a powerful marketing tool can help them reach a wider audience and increase their conversion rate. It allows you to showcase your products and services creatively and engagingly, which can instantly attract the viewers' attention.

The first and probably most critical distinguishing feature is video length. While TikTok started with 15-second clips, the platform's duration ceiling has gradually increased to 10 minutes. On the other hand, the maximum length of Instagram Reels is currently 90 seconds, up from 60 seconds as of April 2022.

Cons of Snapchat for Business

There is no way to tell if your audience is really watching your Snap Ads videos. Even a view from users does not mean they watched your video. They could have just skipped right through it. To know if your audience is really watching and engaging is if they send a direct message.

Since Snap Ads have a swipe-up rate 5x higher than the average click-through rate on other social media platforms, it's a great way to promote your brand. If you want to create a Snap Ad, Snapchat will help, but you'll need to start the process at least 14 days before your target launch date.

Build brand awareness

Plenty of big-name brands use Snapchat to promote their business because it's a proven method. Whether it's through humorous ads, unmissable filters or engaging stories, using Snapchat can help you reach a huge audience - especially since the app has over 265 million daily active users.

Perhaps the biggest con of TikTok marketing is the fact that the platform's broad targeting features make it difficult to reach a specific audience. Because the platform casts such a wide net, it may not be ideal for certain marketing campaigns requiring pinpoint precision in reaching their target market.

The Cons of Tiktok for Business

Over 60 percent of the Tiktok user base lies between the ages of 10 and 29. This means the demographic you will be marketing your brand too is severely limited. In the short term, this makes Tiktok an unviable platform for products that are targeted to a more senior customer base.

Creative Not Compelling

If it doesn't catch attention in the first 3 seconds, and if viewers don't interact with it and scroll down right away, the algorithm will automatically reduce the visibility of your ad. So, it's crucial to have an interesting video and make it look as organic as possible.

Higher Chance of Going Viral

TikTok democratizes content in a new and unique way. Unlike most social media platforms, which decide what content to serve you largely based on the poster's popularity, TikTok has confirmed that follower counts do not directly influence what content shows up in your feed.

Instagram helps businesses effectively engage with customers. Engaging your audience on social media is a business's primary social media marketing goal, and Instagram is an excellent engagement platform. With Instagram, you can engage customers daily by having them share feedback and opinions.

Which social media marketing has the highest ROI? ›

According to HubSpot's 2023 Social Media Trends Report, Instagram is the social media channel that provides marketers with the highest ROI. Facebook, another Meta-owned platform, trails closely behind. Marketers also cite Instagram as the most effective channel for engagement.

According to a survey released in October 2022 and conducted among B2B and B2C marketers worldwide 22 percent of respondents said that Facebook was the social media platform with the highest return on investment (ROI) that year.

What is a good ROI for social media advertising? As a general rule, businesses should aim for a return on investment (ROI) of at least 3:1 for social media advertising. This means that for every dollar spent on advertising, the business should earn at least three dollars in revenue.

Instagram won't be banning or hiding such videos but they won't be getting a push to appear on the Reels feed either.

Much like feed posts, Instagram prioritizes Reels based on what it believes a viewer will be most likely to interact with, and uses a set of signals to help rank content.

Reels is a new turning point in the social media horizon. In June 2021, Adam Mosseri, the Head of Instagram, announced that it would turn its attention away from photo sharing and lean into entertainment and video sharing, after the success of its competitors. This is big news!

Play rates are higher for Reels

There could be a few factors that contribute to this. As Reels is still very new, it's likely not all creators will have started using it yet, so there's less competition to appear and reach new audiences on Instagram's Explore page compared with TikTok's For You page.

Reach Your Target Market Faster

Around 29% of TikTok downloaders use the app regularly, which makes TikTok the second-most engaged user base in the world (Sensor Tower, 2022). These data show that you can easily reach a larger target market within a shorter period, that too across the globe.

Use Popular Audio Tracks in Your Reels

Because of Instagram's advanced algorithm, you'll see relevant reels based on your activity. And the best part? These reels will all have high numbers of views already because Instagram's featuring them.

How many Instagram reels a week is too much for a small business? ›

As Reels become increasingly important, marketers are asking themselves “How many Reels should I post in a day?” The industry standard is to post 4 to 7 Reels per week to increase your follower count as much as possible. There's room for variance though.

The primary benefit of Reels is brand awareness. It will enable your content to be seen on the Explore page and an endless feed of Reels. When your content can be seen on the Explore and Reels page, you reach people you would otherwise not have your brand in front of.

You can promote your small business on TikTok by posting great quality content regularly, engaging with your audience, using popular hashtags and TikTok sounds, and working with influential creators.

With its focus on short-form videos and its unique take on social media, TikTok offers a way for B2B brands to breathe new life into their social media strategy. It serves as the perfect place to engage and connect with your audience with fun, creative, and relatable content.

Should I post the same content on TikTok and Instagram reels? You can post similar content on both TikTok and Instagram Reels. However, it's best to not post the exact same content on both platforms. You can repurpose content to make it more suitable for the platform you plan to post to.

The majority of Instagram's audience (31.5%) is from the 25 to 34 years age group. Users ages 18 to 24 years are behind marginally (30.1%). According to Meta's report, 53.9% of Instagram reels Advertisement Audience are males. Females are at 46.1%.

Brand content performed better on Reels, while TikTok validates the success of influencer pages. Editor's note: This article is a re-run as part of our countdown of top stories from the past year.

How would a business use Snapchat as part of their marketing strategy? ›

With Snapchat Ads, you can target Snapchatters based on their online and real world interests and behaviors, target Snapchatters by location, whether that's multi-country, metros or a point radius around a specific address, and reach Snapchatters by certain demographics such as age, gender, language, device type and ...

Snapchat is a camera company which business model moves across three industries: social media, content marketing, and AR. Snapchat generates most of its revenue from several ad formats (AR Ads, Snap Ads, Sponsored Geolifters, and Sponsored Lenses).

Marketing was traditionally a one-way presentation of calculated, branded information. Snapchat has renovated digital marketing to a more genuine, organic, and interactive conversation between brand and user. According to Snapchat reports, there are nearly 173 million active users on Snapchat daily.

Snapchat is for real friends

Snapchat has emerged as an alternative to traditional social media and facilitates authentic communication between real friends. Unlike other platforms, users know that the only people who are going to view their content are those that they have added as a friend.

123.6 million users aged 13 to 17 (20.0% of Snapchat's total ad audience) 240.1 million users aged 18 to 24 (38.9% of Snapchat's total ad audience) 140.3 million users aged 25 to 34 (22.8% of Snapchat's total ad audience) 84.6 million users aged 35 to 49 (13.8% of Snapchat's total ad audience)

Social Media Algorithm: If your main content goals are to reach more people, show off your brand personality, and go viral, TikTok is for you. On the other hand, if you want to generate leads, increase conversions and redirect prospects to your website, Instagram is a better option.

According to one study by Influencer Marketing Hub, TikTok beats all other platforms when it comes to engagement levels across accounts of all sizes. TikTok is also really good at keeping people on the app, as users typically interact with it 45 minutes a day.

And it shows that despite the buzz around TikTok, Instagram remains more lucrative, at least for the average deal. Over the last six months of 2022, 400 U.S. creators with a variety of follower counts (split evenly between TikTok and Instagram creators) answered a 30-question survey about how they're paid.

In terms of audio options, TikTok definitely wins over Instagram. Many business accounts experience problems with using the music feature when creating Instagram Reels. Moreover, Instagram's audio library isn't as extensive as TikTok's.

Why is TikTok more successful than Instagram? ›

Its algorithm is optimized for the users who made the platform popular: influencers. But by focusing on its power users, the platform loses out on engagement by regular people. TikTok's secret sauce is its ability to keep users on the platform, and without sacrificing its core, Instagram won't be able to compete.

It's a fact that users are spending more time on TikTok than Instagram. So, you can interpret that you have more chance on TikTok since it will be easier to reach the audience. Also, as I said earlier, Instagram is an older platform than TikTok.

The Cons of Tiktok for Business

Over 60 percent of the Tiktok user base lies between the ages of 10 and 29. This means the demographic you will be marketing your brand too is severely limited. In the short term, this makes Tiktok an unviable platform for products that are targeted to a more senior customer base.

With a huge array of people - of almost all demographics - now spending time on TikTok, your audience is probably on there and potentially buying from your competitors. According to TikTok shopping behavior research, 74% of users say that TikTok has inspired them to find out more about a product or brand online.

Nearly 90% of all TikTok users are younger than 50. TikTok for Business users can create TopView Ads, In-Feed Ads, Brand Takeover Ads, Branded Effects and Branded Hashtag Challenges. TikTok is great for increasing your audience reach, consumer engagement and creativity.

It's estimated that TikTok pays around 2 to 4 cents per 1,000 views on a video. That's all thanks to the TikTok Creator Fund, a program where they committed $300 million to pay creators who use the platform and apply for the program.

How much do you get paid for 1,000 views on Instagram. According to research from Influencer Marketing Hub and Neil Schaffer, a social media marketing expert, you could expect to earn: $10 – $100 for 1000 to 10,000 followers. Genrally, the CPM is between $5 and $10 per 1,000 views, but it can range from as low as $0.