Social media has changed brand marketing strategy, and influencers have become essential to the brand’s and business’s roadmap. There are two platforms for businesses and influencers willing to market their brand there: Instagram and TikTok. Both platforms provide extraordinary opportunities that brands can take advantage of, but simultaneously, they have complications.
This article will discuss influencer marketing on Instagram and TikTok platforms.
We will talk about influencers, the partnerships a brand can have, and why all businesses should consider collaborating with them. Moreover, we will compare the advantages of influencer marketing on Instagram and TikTok based on audience demographics, content formats, advertising opportunities, etc. After reading this blog, you will have a bright understanding of each platform’s pros and cons, and you can decide which is better based on your brand’s requirements.
Who are TikTok Influencers And What Do They Do
TikTok has become one of the most popular social media platforms, and compared to Instagram, TikTok viewers are younger generations. As a result, this is the best platform for a brand whose target audience is Generation Z. In addition, the TikTok algorithm differs from Instagram, meaning content with high engagement rates can get viral quickly, and influencers who make videos regularly can receive a good level of attention. Therefore, TikTok marketing campaigns can be more beneficial than Instagram because there is less competition in TikTok, and the outreach level is higher.
There are different types of TikTok influencers, and each is active in other fields, such as comedy, dance, makeup, or cooking. There are also lifestyle influencers who prepare content for their audience about their daily routines and offer helpful tips to their followers about Fashion, health, and beauty. On the other hand, there are educational influencers who make informative content for their audience about science, technology, history, and more.
These influencers try to make viral videos that can receive millions of viewers worldwide. Different brands are interested in collaborating with these influencers to promote their products or services to a specific audience or niche.
Why Should Brands Collaborate with TikTok Influencers?
Collaborating with TikTok influencers has many advantages for brands promoting their business and communicating with their young audience. According to the TikTok user base platform, which pays attention to unique content, it is the best platform for cost-effectively promoting a brand’s products and services. On the other hand, TikTok influencers usually create more authentic and engaging content than Instagram influencers. As a result, brands can gain more exposure by collaborating with relevant TikTok influencers on their niche and connecting with their target audience.
Challenges of Marketing with TikTok Influencers
Working with TikTok influencers can also bring some challenges for brands. First of all, TikTik is a new platform compared to Instagram, and it might take some time for brands to find the right TikToker relevant to their niche and target audience. Moreover, the TikTok algorithm prioritizes engaging and creative content, meaning influencers should be innovative enough every day to stay ahead in the competitive platforms with many brand-new trends.
On the other hand, evaluating the level of influencer marketing’s success on TikTok can be challenging because there are few metrics for doing that measurement. But aside from these challenges, working with the right TikTok influencer can bring massive exposure to any brand. Therefore, businesses need to plan and perform strategies in working with TikTok influencers in the most cost-effective way to communicate with their young target audience and keep their heads up in this competitive social media platform.
Who Are Instagram Influencers, And What Do They Do
We have known about Instagram influencers since a while ago as they were able to create a deep connection with their audience through the years and connect with a broad range of audiences. Instagram algorithms focus on a high engagement rate, and influencers can get more exposure through sponsored posts and product placement, which usually leads to a high engagement rate. In addition, influencers can use different Instagram features such as posts, stories, photos, and videos to showcase their talent and creativity. But, because the Instagram market is saturated now, brands should choose the right influencer for their brand wisely to ensure they can get effective results for their business.
Instagram influencers are trying to create trust with their followers; by doing that, they will share their ideas, knowledge, and experience. Brands should collaborate with influencers relevant to their niche to promote their products and services.
There are different types of Instagram influencers. Some create content in Fashion and beauty and share the most recent Fashion and makeup trends with their audience. There are also lifestyle influencers who provide content to their audience about their daily life and sometimes offer valuable tips about other topics such as health, music, or Fashion.
Fitness influencers also create content about their workout routines and provide health and nutrition tips for their followers. Food influencers also prepare content about different food recipes. Finally, we also have travel influencers who create content or vlogs of their trips to other parts of the world. Even more, niche travel nurse influencers share content about the perks of travel nursing and their experience in various destinations with followers. Brands should choose the right audience among these groups of influencers to get satisfying outcomes from influencer campaigns for their brand.
Why Collaborate with Instagram Influencers?
Businesses can bring more exposure to their brand through influencer marketing and increase brand awareness for their target audience. Instagram has more than 1 million active users monthly, and Instagram influencers can connect brands to a comprehensive range of audiences in their niche. Businesses should collaborate with influencers on their niche, increase their brand value, and ask influencers to make content with high engagement rates to promote their products and services. Moreover, influencer marketing can be more cost-effective compared to other forms of advertising, which turners it into the best option for small businesses that are trying to increase their ROI
Challenges of Marketing with Instagram Influencers
Working with Instagram influencers can also have some challenges for brands and businesses considering the Instagram-wide market for finding the right influencer for your brand. In addition, Instagram changes its algorithms from time to time which can affect the success of sponsored posts and make it difficult for businesses to gain satisfying results. Another challenge for brands is ensuring their product placement will feel natural to the audience, as most Instagram users are not interested in promotional content. Aside from these challenges, brands can still collaborate with Instagram influencers because they have many followers in a specific niche and can create engaging visual content aligned with their audience.
TikTok vs. Instagram Influencers
When brands use influencer marketing to promote their products and services, they must choose between Instagram and TikTok influencers. Both platforms have advantages and disadvantages, and businesses should choose among them based on their brand’s requirements.
For example, TikTok influencers usually have younger audiences, while Instagram influencers deal with audiences from different age ranges. On the other hand, the TikTok algorithm causes a higher engagement rate per follower in comparison to Instagram, influencer marketing on Instagram is older than TikTok, and the TikTok platform is less saturated; as a result, the brand could have more opportunities to promote their products and services.
On the other hand, Instagram provides a comprehensive range of options for advertising, such as stories, sponsored posts, Reels, and many more. Brands should choose the right platform and influencer according to their target audience and campaign objectives. There are some factors that brands should consider before choosing between Instagram and TikTok, and some of them are as below:
It can be challenging for brands and businesses to find the right influencer to promote their products and services. But different methods can help brands identify and choose the proper influencer. Many businesses use different web scraping tools, such as web scraping with Python, to extract data from social media platforms and make data-based decisions.
Audience Demographics
There is a considerable difference between TikTok and Instagram regarding audience demographics. TikTok users are from the young generation, and about 41% of users are between 16 to 24 years old. While Instagram users are from more diverse age ranges, some studies suggest that about 33% of Instagram users are between 25-34 years old. Moreover, TikTok users are primarily female (about 60%), and Instagram has an equal number of users between men and women.
Brands should study these demographic data before choosing a platform or influencer for promoting their products and services through a marketing campaign. For example, a brand whose products are designed for different age ranges should work with Instagram influencers. In contrast, brands whose products are designed for the younger generation should work with TikTok influencers.
Content Formats
The content formats of Instagram and TikTok are different according to their audiences. For example, TikTok is well-known for short videos, while Instagram has other content formats such as photos, videos, stories, Reels, etc. TikTok algorithm detects creative and engaging content and helps them to go viral. At the same time, Instagram primarily identifies content with high visual quality or a story to tell to the audience.
TikTok influencers create content for different challenges and use trendy hashtags to gain more exposure and followers. In contrast, Instagram influencers focus more on creating high-quality photos or videos to showcase their brand. In addition, influencers must align their content with the platforms they are working on.
Advertising Opportunities
TikTok offers different methods for advertising, such as sponsored hashtag challenges, brand takeovers, in-feed ads, etc. As mentioned, TikTok’s algorithm mostly favors genuine content, providing extraordinary opportunities for businesses to communicate with their target audience. On the other side, Instagram is a better-known platform for Influencer marketing because many influencers on Instagram have vast numbers of followers and have already established a long-time connection with them.
When brands want to choose among these platforms for their marketing campaigns, they should have a clear understanding of campaign goals and target demographics to gain a satisfying outcome from influencer marketing. Ultimately, the brands must choose a platform that aligns with their products or services’ objectives.
Wrapping Up Influencers on TikTok vs Instagram
TikTok and Instagram offer various influencer marketing opportunities for businesses and brands to communicate with their target audience. Even though TikTok has become very popular for its short videos and memes, we can confidently say that Instagram is still the king of visual content. Brands should study vital factors before choosing an influencer among these two platforms. They have to research each platform’s demographics, content formats, and advertising opportunities properly to make a wise decision with the best result. Brands can use influencers’ power on both platforms to increase ROI and boost sales.
