TikTok vs. Instagram: What's the difference?

Today, about seven-in-ten Americans use social media. TikTok and Instagram are the leading social media platforms and they play significant roles in marketing. Businesses use both platforms to reach their target audience, build brand awareness, and ultimately, close deals. TikTok and Instagram are competitive with similar features and marketing tools. Let’s explore their differences and how they can help your business.

What is TikTok?

TikTok is used to create and share short videos. What began as a platform to upload fun dance videos has now transformed into a massive digital landscape for crafts, vlogging, cooking tutorials, and so much more. It is one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in the last six years. Since its creation, TikTok already has over 1 billion users. If your brand’s target audience is between the ages of 13 to 60, you should join. TikTok encourages users, known as “creators,” to share their passions and creativity through entertaining, easy to produce videos.

What is Instagram?

Instagram is a photo and video sharing social media platform founded in 2010. The focus of the platform is to upload photos from a mobile device. Users can upload and edit media with filters and organize it by geographical locations and hashtags. It allows users to connect with friends, family, celebrities, and brands.

Instagram has been embraced quickly from its beginning. When the app launched, more than 25,000 signed up on the first day. Roughly two months later, the platform had more than 1 million users. The timing of the app’s release was fortunate because the iPhone 4 — with improved camera features — had just been released a few months before. Since then, Instagram has continued to grow in popularity across the world. For more information on Instagram, check out our blog post here.

Key differences between TikTok and Instagram

Instagram has been the leading social media platform for over a decade. Since the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, TikTok has taken the world by storm. Beginning 2021, TikTok has been the most downloaded app across smartphone users. The short-term video features on TikTok are a major factor for its success. Instagram can’t seem to slow down TikTok’s growth. To compete, Instagram has added short videos called Instagram Reels and other features.

TikTok and Instagram continue to go head-to-head with competing features, so what makes them different? Here are three major differences to know as a marketer:

1. Style of content: TikTok media tends to have a more creative, spontaneous, “homemade” feel to its videos. There are many easy-to-use editing features on the app to improve the look of your videos, but there are a lot of successful TikTokers that upload raw videos without any touch ups.

   Instagram is known for polished creative content. There are not as many editing features on Instagram, so you need to rely on professional editing software outside of the app. You can also publish more types of media than just short videos. 

2. User demographics: TikTok has a strong influence on the younger age groups with half of the Gen-Z population accessing the platform compared to 22% of millenials and 14% of 50–64 year-olds. 
   Instagram has a wider range of users with 71% of the Gen-Z, half of millenials and about a third of the 50–64 age range. Overall, Instagram users have more buying power due to the older demographics.

3. Number of Influencers: TikTok has not been saturated with influencers yet, but the numbers are growing rapidly. Due to its newness, there are more opportunities to grow mass followings. TikTokers want to see more original content so influencers need to be more subtle in marketing. 
   Instagram has millions of influencers which makes it easier to be picky when choosing which influencers you want to partner with. More than 70% of marketers favor Instagram for influencer marketing. Partnering with an influencer doesn’t necessarily mean you will go viral, but it’s worth a shot! However, there are proven Instagram influencer marketing methods to successfully reach new people in your niche target audience.

How each platform can help your business grow

Both platforms can create unparalleled marketing opportunities for the growth of your business. Different factors regarding your business and marketing goals will determine if you want to use one or both platforms. Both platforms provide free marketing tools and resources and fast ways to reach millions of your target audience. In addition, let’s take a quick look at their unique features which are geared to help your business:  

TikTok: 

• Business online community: Small business conversations are already happening on TikTok. You can find communities of small business owners through different hashtags like #smallbusiness, #entrepreneur, or #sidehustle. These communities hold conversations on tips, tricks, and branding strategies to build your brand online.

• TikTok partners with Shopify: As an e-commerce business, you can set up a TikTok Ads Manager Account that helps you find customers and provide a seamless shopping experience. Many TikTok users join the platform to discover new things. 67% of TikTok users agree that they were inspired to shop even when they weren’t looking to do so. With this mindset, users are ready to buy and the shopping experience is made easy with Shopify. 

Check out TikTok’s business page to learn more about what they can do for your business.

Instagram:

• Advertising: You can have more precise targeting for your paid advertising. Instagram users expect to see advertising, influencer marketing, and promotional content. This expectation makes it easier to start building brand awareness and promoting your products and services. 

• Insights and analytics: Instagram keeps track of what your followers like and are most engaged in. The data provided can help you when making decisions for your Instagram marketing strategy. 

• Connect to a scheduling app: Online marketing can quickly feel overwhelming to stay on top of. With an Instagram business account, you can schedule your posts. Check out Meta’s page to learn how to do so. 

You can learn more about what Instagram can do on their business page. 

What questions do you have? Let us know by filling out the form below. We are happy to help you here at Jamias Creative!

3 Instagram benefits you're missing out on right now

You don’t have to wonder if Instagram marketing is right for your business! There are a handful of clear benefits you can receive by promoting your brand on Instagram. This article will cover 3 Instagram benefits you’re missing out on right now and more.

What is Instagram?

Instagram has been embraced quickly from its beginning. When the app launched in 2010, more than 25,000 signed up on the first day. Roughly two months later, the platform had more than 1 million users. The timing of the app’s release was fortunate because the iPhone 4 — with improved camera features — had just been released a few months before. Since then, Instagram has continued to grow in popularity across the world.

Stats about Instagram

Since its initial success, Instagram has been a prominent social media leader. If you are still on the fence about using Instagram for your business, take a look at these current statistics:

• Instagram has been around for twelve years — it is not going anywhere anytime soon. 

• It is the ninth most visited site worldwide with 1.3 billion annual users. 

• The term “Instagram” is the 10th most Google-searched word. 

• It is the fourth most-used social media platform, following Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp. 

• There are roughly 1 billion monthly active users and over 200 million business profiles. 

• 18–34 year-olds make up the largest Instagram audience. However, other generations continue to join. Last year, the number of males between 55–64 years old grew by 63.6%. 

• 73% of U.S. 18–29 year-olds use Instagram daily, and 53% of those users get on multiple times per day.

• Users spend an average of 30 minutes a day on the app.

3 Instagram benefits you’re missing out on right now

Instagram is more than uploading nice photos and videos. It can be a great marketing tool for your business. Here are three major benefits:

1. Global reach: Take another look above at the statistics about Instagram, and you’ll see how many opportunities there are to reach new people. Social media platforms, like Instagram, are made to help you meet others and build relationships. Instagram does a remarkable job of exposing your brand to people that otherwise would have never learned about you. 

   Instagram continues to build marketing-friendly features to help you reach your niche target audience. Like, comment, follow new people, use hashtags, and frequently create valuable content to grow your following.

2. Personal touch: People love to see authenticity and learn more about the face behind a business. Instagram allows you to show who you are — a real person that works with great people. Provide valuable and engaging content to build loyalty to you and your brand. Share your business story, show your customers a behind-the-scenes look at how you run your business, display a sneak peek of a product, and express your passion for what you do.

   The various features on Instagram (Instagram Stories, Reels, Instagram Guides, etc.) give you the power to communicate and influence your target audiences’ opinions of your brand. You can learn what questions, concerns, and desires your customers have by running an Instagram Live Q&A session or taking polls on your Instagram Stories. As you address those needs, you will create loyal customers and build credibility as an expert in your field.

3. Shopping made easy: Use Instagram Shopping if you are an e-commerce business. Instagram Shopping is a set of features that make it easy for potential customers to shop your products the moment they discover them through your posts, stories, and ad campaigns. A potential customer can watch your Instagram Story about your new baking tools and proceed to checkout in-app in just a few steps. This will improve your sales and bring more traffic to your business. A recent study shares that 82% of surveyors discovered a product on social media and bought it directly on their phones. The study also found that 42% prefer to checkout directly in-app instead of using third-party websites. Instagram Shopping provides these conveniences for you. 

   For visuals and a more in-depth explanation of Instagram Shopping, click here.

How you can start reaping the benefits of Instagram this week

Optimize your Instagram profile: Your profile will be the first impression to your viewers. Take the time to create a clean, professional look that appeals to your brand.

1. Profile picture: Your Instagram profile picture will be confined to a small circular frame. Make sure that your photo is clear to see within those parameters.

2. Bio: All Instagram bios are limited to 150 words, so be concise and make every word count. Share your mission and goals as a business but don’t be afraid to use emojis or quotes to add to your brand’s personality.

3. Link to your online store: Add your business’s website, blog, or e-commerce store URL in your bio. Traffic to your website will increase and provide more leads.

Plan the next month of marketing: Decide what content you want to create and schedule when you will publish it on Instagram. Planning photos, videos, Reels, and captions ahead of time will ensure that you can produce quality content that your followers will love. Organizing your month will also help you see what content you need to create and how much time you need so that you aren’t rushing the process.

Make your Instagram feed “shoppable”: Add links to your products on your Instagram stories and posts. Show your customers the quality of your products, how to use them, why they need your product, and who is using it. Customers love to see how they can adopt your product into their lifestyle.

Instagram is a powerful marketing tool. If you are not already using it, now is the time! What questions do you have about marketing on Instagram? Let us know by filling out the form below. Jamias Creative is happy to help!

5 effective ways to increase Instagram engagement for your brand

Despite not being the first major social media platform to exist, Instagram still provides value for so many brands. This blog post will cover effective tips you can use to increase engagement on Instagram for your business. Before we dive in to these tips, let’s go over what Instagram is.

What is Instagram?

Instagram was founded in 2010. The focus of Instagram is to upload pictures or videos on a mobile device. Users can upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by geographical locations and hashtags. You can connect with friends, family, celebrities, and brands. 
The original intent of the platform was to share what you are doing instantly — hence the name “Instagram.” In time, filters and editing features have changed the expectation to post clean and professional photos and videos. It is the fourth most-used social media platform with roughly 1 billion monthly active users and over 200 million business profiles. Businesses have quickly adopted Instagram into their marketing strategies to reach large numbers of people.

What is engagement on Instagram?

Just as we consume media and technology differently as it evolves, businesses must change how they advertise and share their content. Today, consumers want to know that they are working with experts in their industry who can provide engaging, valuable content and products — in fact, they expect it. Content marketing focuses on building relationships with customers through frequent online engagement.

Engagement on Instagram refers to the numerous ways customers can interact with your content — such as likes, comments, direct messages, saves, and shares. Publishing engaging content strengthens trust and loyalty between your brand and customers. When your brand has strong engagement, your customers are more likely to have a strong enough connection with your brand to make a purchase.

5 tips to increase your Instagram engagement

There are countless ways to increase engagement on Instagram. Let’s take a look at five effective tactics:

1. Post consistently: Consistency in marketing is key to your success. You want to stay top of mind with your customers. The more consistent you are with publishing content, the more exposure your potential customers have to your brand, the more credible your business becomes to them, and ultimately, the more likely you are to reach your goals. 

   Building your presence on Instagram will take detailed planning and consistent marketing efforts to generate leads and increase sales. Stay organized by planning your next month's marketing on Instagram. Answer these questions while planning: How often do you want to post? What content do you want to share? What is the caption going to say? What questions do your customers have that you could address? What Instagram features do you want to use? When are you going to create your content? Who is assigned these responsibilities?

2. Communicate directly with customers: Effective online marketing initiates conversations with followers because it builds relationships and gives you direction on what your customers want to know. Ask creative, conversation-sparking questions for your customers to respond to. Share your authentic self, introduce other team members, express your passion, and showcase how existing customers benefit from your work. 

   The best practice is to check for comments and direct messages daily. The more active you are with replying to people, the more control you have over conversations about your business online. Also, it increases the chance that a broader audience will see your interaction with that customer. Keep your replies respectful, uplifting, and thoughtful to show your customers that you value their thoughts, questions, and concerns. 

3. Call-To-Actions (CTAs): A call-to-action is when you ask your followers a direct question or prompt them to take a specific action. These are typically found at the end of a caption to encourage more engagement. The trick is to make sure that your questions are genuine so they don’t backfire on you. For example, if you post a selfie and ask what everyone’s favorite ice cream flavor is — it probably won’t work. However, if you are an electrician that did work in an ice cream shop, you could share your story and ask a related follow-up question, like, “What is your favorite ice cream?” Followers are more likely to comment on relevant CTAs. Another way to use CTAs is to encourage followers to click on the link in your Instagram bio to sign up, learn more, or buy your products.

4. Instagram Reels: Reels are fun, short videos that you can create with music, visual effects, sound effects, and special editing tools to engage viewers. Instagram used to only upload photos, videos, and stories, but to stay competitive with other social media platforms, Instagram has made Reels the new focus. Meta CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, noted that “Reels is the primary driver of engagement growth”. Social media users have a short attention span, so getting to the point with short, engaging reels has proven to increase viewer engagement. 

   Instagram Reels give you great opportunities for visibility because they align well with Instagram’s algorithms. This means users interested in similar content videos to yours will soon find your Reels. You can find Reels by scrolling through your Instagram feed, visiting the ‘Explore’ page, and searching with hashtags or audio. Your Reels can also be shared, increasing your visibility. Reels will permanently stay on Instagram as long as you don’t delete them, unlike Instagram stories that disappear if you don’t save them to your profile.

5. Instagram story stickers: When you add a picture or video to your Instagram Story or Reel, you can include stickers to add graphic elements to your post. Some stickers are animated, some share links or your geographic location, and others help followers interact directly with the post. Stickers make your stories more interesting and invite engagement from your followers. 

   There are various ways to use stickers to your marketing advantage. Question stickers allow you to ask your customers questions directly. Poll stickers can help you see what products your customers like the most. Countdown stickers can advertise an upcoming sale. Stickers are easy to use and very effective. Instagram announced that “polling stickers have increased 3-second video views in 9 of 10 beta campaigns.” Keep track of what stickers drive the most engagement for your business. Also, study and adopt what your competitors are doing to drive engagement.

Do you still have questions about increasing engagement on Instagram? Let us know by filling out the form below. We want to help you achieve your goals!