TikTok vs Instagram: What Are the Biggest Differences?
2024-05-03
TikTok vs Instagram: What Are the Biggest Differences?

Learning the TikTok vs Instagram differences can help you select the social media platform that makes the most sense for your business. We’ll save you time by presenting the top differences so you can make a decision by the end of the article. 

Some of the factors we cover include demographics, audience, features, content format, and business profiles. Ideally, you’ll have access to both platforms to grow your business. However, if you can only choose one, then we’ll provide the information to help you decide. 

TikTok vs Instagram Analytics

Understanding the TikTok vs Instagram analytics data will help you figure out the biggest differences as a marketer. Therefore, you can make the best decisions for which platform you want to use for marketing. 

Making the right choice is especially important when you have a limited budget and don’t have the resources to market on both social media platforms. We’ll share 3 of the biggest analytical differences for the social media giants. 

1. Instagram vs TikTok Demographics

Every week, 21% of Gen Z people watch Instagram Reels, while the number of TikToks is a staggering 53%. Therefore, a much larger proportion of the younger generation is actively watching TikTok compared to Reels. Nevertheless, Reels are highly popular and an excellent way to market your products. 

Here are some more considerations you need to make when figuring out the audience demographics:

  • Branding: Make sure to go after a brand identity that your target audience resonates with. You may need to do some market research to figure out the kind of brand that meets this purpose. Without the correct brand image, your audience may feel a lack of connection. 
  • Gather information: It’s helpful to gather information about your target audience to better understand the demographics. For example, you can send users direct Instagram messages, conduct surveys, and use customer relationship management (CRM) software. 
  • Buying preferences: Find out the buying preferences of your target customer, and you’ll know how to craft the ideal marketing campaign. That’s because you’ll have the ability to target customer pain points and provide the solution. Also, you can use software to track these buying preferences and AI-based suggestions to address them correctly. 
  • Segmentation: it’s a good idea to segment your audience for TikTok and Instagram to craft optimized marketing campaigns. You can segment audiences based on the average spending power, location, age, and more.

2. Advertising CPM (Cost Per Mile)

Instagram and Facebook have an average CPM of $8, whereas TikTok is at around $10. Therefore, advertising on TikTok may be more expensive compared to the target audience on Meta social media platforms. This is one of the key differences that you need to take into account when budgeting. 

However, it’s important to research the CPM for your specific niche since it can be more expensive on Instagram. You may need to run live advertisements yourself to get an accurate assessment of the costs. 

The advertising costs also vary based on the keywords you use. Therefore, a niche may have higher CPM costs but might have many more keywords to choose from. Hence, you can find a few keywords at a lower cost that can significantly increase the return on investment. 

3. Daily Active Users

Instagram has 2 billion monthly active users, whereas the figure for TikTok is 1 billion. Hence, Instagram has doubled its monthly traffic, which should be a big deciding factor when evaluating potential reach. For the majority of niches, you can expect a broader audience to view your native content. 

However, the majority of TikTok users watch short-form videos since that’s the platform that popularized them. Therefore, you can expect such videos to get more views on TikTok compared to Instagram Reels.

Instagram vs TikTok for Business

Are you trying to decide on Instagram vs TikTok for business? Ideally, your brand will be active on both platforms. That’s because, as a business owner, you want to reach as many customers as possible. Hence, by being active on both platforms, you can find customers that only use one of them. 

However, you may only have the option to go after one platform with limited funds and resources. Therefore, we’ll help you choose the right one for your preferences and business goals. Continue reading for the top reasons to choose either platform to grow your business. 

Top Reasons To Choose Instagram for Business

Instagram is one of the best social media marketing platforms for business. It’s great for personal brands, influencers, and large brands alike. Here are some of the top reasons to consider Instagram to grow your business:

  • Audience diversity: Instagram has a large and diverse user base, with a significant presence of millennials and Gen Z users. Also, it’s popular among both consumers and businesses, making it a versatile platform for reaching various demographics.
  • Visual focus: Instagram is known for its emphasis on visual content, making it ideal for businesses that have visually appealing products or services. Therefore, high-quality images and videos perform well on the platform. Businesses can also showcase their products through visually engaging posts.
  • Features: Instagram offers a range of features for businesses, including shopping tags, advertising options, insights and analytics, and tools for engaging with followers. Businesses can also leverage these features to drive sales, increase brand awareness, and measure their performance on the platform. Basically, it empowers businesses to succeed by growing followers and revenue. 
  • Content formats: Instagram supports various content formats, including photos, videos, Stories, IGTV, and Reels. This allows businesses to share a wide range of content and engage with their audience in different ways.
  • Instagram ads: The Instagram advertisements toolkit is ideal for businesses that want to turn posts into advertisements. You can do this by promoting any posts into advertisements to boost their visibility on the social media platform. 

Top Reasons To Choose TikTok for Business

TikTik is also a great choice for businesses to increase revenue and market their products. Here are some of the top reasons to choose TikTik for growing your business:

  • Organic reach: TikTok offers strong organic reach, with the potential for videos to go viral and reach millions of users naturally. This can provide businesses with a valuable opportunity to increase brand awareness and attract new customers without having to rely solely on paid advertising.
  • Trend culture: TikTok has a strong trend culture, with users often participating in challenges, trends, and viral content. Businesses can capitalize on these trends to increase their visibility and reach a wider audience on the platform. However, you must only jump on the brands that promote a positive brand image. 
  • Content formats: TikTok primarily focuses on short-form video content, with a maximum length of 60 seconds per video. Therefore, businesses can create engaging and entertaining videos to showcase their products or services. Also, they can connect with their audience in a fun and authentic way.
  • Audience: TikTok has quickly grown in popularity, particularly among younger demographics, including Gen Z and younger millennials. It’s known for its entertaining and creative content, making it a great platform for businesses targeting a younger audience.

TikTok vs Instagram Reels

Discover the top differences between TikTok vs Instagram Reels to figure out the one you need to use for marketing your business. At first glance, they appear to be both the same content types. However, there are some subtle differences you need to know about. 

The biggest difference is that the max video length for Instagram Reels is 90 seconds, whereas for TikTok, it’s 10 minutes. Therefore, TikTok caters to more in-depth content, such as product demonstrations and tutorials. 

Furthermore, the sound library for TikTok is more expensive, and there are fewer copyright restrictions. In comparison, the Instagram Reels music library has more limitations. You’ll need to play around with both music libraries to figure out if the limitations affect your creativity. 

Finally, there are many similarities between the Instagram vs TikTok content formats. For example, there is a large choice of filters and stickers to enhance your content. Also, you can upload pre-recorded videos. 

TikTok vs Instagram Users

It’s important to consider the TikTok vs Instagram users to better understand that audience. This allows you to choose the social media platform that gives you the best chance to meet objectives. Read on for some similarities and differences when it comes to the users for TikTok and Instagram users.

1. Demographics

Instagram has a more diverse user base than TikTok. The users span various age groups, including millennials, Generation Z, and older adults. It’s particularly popular among millennials and younger demographics.

In comparison, TikTok has a predominantly younger user base, with a significant portion of users belonging to Generation Z (born from the mid-1990s to early 2000s). However, the platform has been gaining popularity among older demographics as well.

You’ll need to research the demographics for your specific niche on both platforms for the most accurate expectations. Hence, you can determine what social media platform provides the best chance to market products and services. 

2. Engagement

TikTok users are highly engaged with the platform, spending an average of 52 minutes per day on the app. Also, they actively participate in challenges, trends, and viral content, contributing to the platform’s vibrant and creative community. This means marketing campaigns can have a high success rate on TikTok. 

In comparison, Instagram users are also highly engaged with the platform, spending an average of 30 minutes per day on the app. They interact with a wide range of content, including photos, videos, Stories, and Reels, making it a versatile platform for businesses.

3. Instagram Has Facebook Integration

Instagram has integration with Facebook, which expands the scope of your audience. Here are some of the benefits you can expect from Facebook integration on Instagram:

  • Targeted advertising: Integration between Instagram and Facebook allows businesses to create more targeted and personalized advertising campaigns. Advertisers can leverage Facebook’s robust targeting options, including demographics, interests, and behaviors. Therefore, you can reach specific audiences on Instagram across many industries. 
  • Unified analytics: Businesses can access unified analytics and insights across both Instagram and Facebook. This provides a comprehensive view of their social media performance. This consolidated data enables a better understanding of audience behavior, content effectiveness, and campaign ROI.
  • Expanded reach: By linking Instagram and Facebook accounts, users can leverage their existing network on both platforms to reach a broader audience. Content shared on one platform can be automatically cross-posted to the other, increasing visibility and engagement across both platforms.
  • Enhanced Shopping Experience: Integration between Instagram and Facebook facilitates a more cohesive shopping experience for users. Businesses can sync their product catalogs across both platforms, enabling seamless shopping and product discovery for users on Instagram and Facebook.
  • Cross-platform connectivity: The integration allows users to connect their Instagram and Facebook accounts seamlessly. This enables them to share content across both platforms with ease. Also, the streamlined experience simplifies social media management and ensures consistent branding and messaging.
  • Improved Ad Performance: With integrated advertising capabilities, businesses can run coordinated ad campaigns across both platforms, maximizing reach and impact. Advertisers can improve ad performance and achieve better results by leveraging Facebook’s advanced ad optimization algorithms.

TikTok vs Instagram: Which Is Better?

TikTok and Instagram bring a lot to the table for businesses and brands that want to get more customers. Ideally, you should use both platforms to market your products for the widest reach. Also, the influencer marketing opportunities on either platform are excellent. Hence, you can get an avalanche of targeted customers in almost any niche. 

Now that you understand the main differences between TikTok vs Instagram, you can choose one to get started on. In any case, make sure that you publish high-quality content that allows you to stand out. After all, social media is about new trends and original content for the best results. 

Are you struggling to get more sales and traffic on Instagram? Then, snsflow.com can help get more followers and engagement. We are a professional Instagram growth service with a long line of satisfied customers. Do you want to be the next one? Then, sign up for snsflow.com to get started today.