Do you prefer TikTok over Instagram?

Presently, this is the question on everyone’s mind.

In this article, I’ll be comparing TikTok with Instagram based on hard data.

I’m analysing the demographics of each platform’s user base as well as the efficacy of each in terms of conducting business.

To find out if TikTok has had any real effect on my business and how I’m using it in today’s Instagram-driven world, stick around until the end.

TikTok vs Instagram

That age-old debate: Can TikTok really compete with Instagram?
The quick answer is that it is conditional on your needs.

Is TikTok more effective than Instagram in attracting an audience?

Is TikTok more effective for advertising purposes? Engagement?

Can local businesses benefit more from TikTok?

Is TikTok more effective for individual brands?

How does TikTok compare to Instagram in terms of entertainment value?

In this post, I’ll compare TikTok and Instagram from a company owner’s point of view to answer the issue of which platform is more advantageous.

It’s easy to assume that TikTok is superior to Instagram now that it offers such rapid growth.

Let me be honest with you. It’s exciting to watch a video explode in popularity on TikTok. I’ve experienced this a few times, and each time the rush of dopamine was well worth it.

Even if more people watch your TikTok videos than on Instagram, does that make it the superior platform for your business?

TikTok’s Rapid Expansion

First, I’d want to describe my own mini-experiment before delving into the data I’ve collected.

I shared some of my own footage from the first-ever Fyre Festival on Instagram a few years back.

Comparison between TikTok and Instagram Views

TikTok’s Monthly Active Users vs. Instagram’s
TikTok has 26.5 million monthly active users in the United States.

Contrast that with Instagram, which was estimated to have more than 2 billion monthly active users throughout the world in 2021.

TikTok Users Younger Than Instagram Users

Let’s focus on the adults who are active on both platforms, as it is often the adults who have access to credit and hence make purchases.

More than 1 in 8 adults are now TikTok users. TikTok’s primary demographic is young adults (16-24) in the United States. Since TikTok’s minimum sign-up age is 13, the remaining 40% of its U.S. audience must either be between the ages of 13 and 15 or be 25 or older.

Whereas 57% of people between the ages of 25 and 29 use Instagram. Instagram users tend to be in their mid- to late-twenties.

TikTok Users’ Actions Compared to Instagram Users

The vast majority of TikTok users (90%) utilise the app on a daily basis. I include myself among that group, yes.

About two-thirds of Instagrammers check in at least once per day. TikTok has a longer average session length than either Snapchat or Instagram, at 4.9 minutes. The typical time spent on Instagram is 3.10 minutes.

The typical daily time spent by a TikTok user is 52 minutes. I’m not really shocked by that at all. It’s quite engrossing.

In 2020, Instagram users will have an average session length of 28 minutes, which is about half that of TikTok.

TikTok Lead Generation vs. Instagram Lead Generation

Connecting users from TikTok to your other platforms is more difficult. However, people are still managing to do this.

A vocal instructor from the video-sharing platform TikTok mentioned my work in one of his YouTube comments. She said that the surge in interest in her services was due in large part to her popular TikTok video.
When we checked out her profile, we saw that it advertised “online lessons” via a hyperlink. Although clicking through takes you to a page where she can collect contact information, TikTok makes it difficult for users to access external links. They’ll need to key this in by hand.

You can add a single clickable link to your Instagram bio, and you may add a Link Sticker to your Instagram Stories.

Compared to TikTok, then, Instagram makes it much simpler for your fans to find you elsewhere online.

Conclusion

All of the data we gathered pointed to one thing: people like interacting with companies on social media.

It’s easy for company owners to get stuck on the thought, “I don’t want to be spammy or salesy on social media,” but the reality is that consumers enjoy interacting with companies on social media.

Ninety percent of all Instagram users are following a company. The majority of Instagram users believe that firms that actively foster a sense of community among their followers have these four traits.

Instagram is also quite important during the usual customer’s journey’s discovery phase. Eighty-three percent of Instagrammers say they’ve learned about new brands and services because to the app.

The fact that users enjoy communicating with companies on social media is encouraging, whether your preferred platform is Instagram or TikTok.

So, as an Instagram marketer, how can I best utilise TikTok for my company?

I am currently experimenting. I’m just trying out posting to TikTok to see if I enjoy it and if I can find my ideal audience there.

TikTok has helped me most in determining whether or not my target market is able to locate my business’s website and marketing channels.

So far, I’ve been keeping note of and taking a screenshot whenever someone mentions they found me on TikTok and if they sign up for my free Instagram course, chat with me, or contact one of my team members.