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Technological developments mean that social media is also growing. It cannot be denied that many brands are switching to promoting their business from conventional media to digital media. However, in this digital era, many social media have become tools for developing your business. Instagram and TikTok are examples of social media that are most popular for seeking profits in business.
Comparing in terms of features, Instagram is superior to TikTok, because Instagram has various features such as feeds, instastory, reels, IGTV, and live. Meanwhile, Tiktok can only upload videos and go live. In terms of users, artists and influencers use Instagram more often than Tiktok.
Data provided by wearesocial.com as of February 2022, Instagram is the second most used social media by Indonesian people with 84.8% of the population. Meanwhile, Tiktok is in the fourth most used social media position with 63.1% of the population.
In terms of reach, Tiktok's advertising reach reaches 47.6% of the population aged 18 years and over, still superior to Instagram which is only 45.8% of the population aged 13 years and over. This means that if your business wants to advertise something and wants to get potential leads, then advertise using TikTok rather than Instagram.
In terms of people who spend time using social media, the percentage of people spending time using Tiktok is 23.1 hours/month, while the percentage of people spending time using Instagram is 16.0 hours/month.
So, TikTok vs Instagram, which social media platform is most convenient to use? Moreover, between these two platforms, which one is the most profitable for e-commerce businesses.
The similarities in features on TikTok and Instagram make people always compare the two. It is common knowledge that Instagram Reels is a rival feature to compete with TikTok. In Indonesia, the existence of TikTok was controversial. TikTok was once banned from being used, although now the government has opened access to this social media platform.
However, behind this controversy, in fact the existence of TikTok is quite "threatening" to other social media. You could say TikTok is the fastest growing social media platform in the world. This social media platform with a short video format encourages hundreds of millions of people to download it.
In theory, Instagram Reels should also be able to have a new impact with the short video format. Even though they are similar, TikTok and Instagram still have differences. The question then is, which platform is the best for developing an e-commerce business?
TikTok vs Instagram
Before discussing which social media platform is best to use to develop an e-commerce business, let's compare TikTok and Instagram from a user's perspective. The most obvious thing about TikTok vs Instagram is the length of the video. On Tiktok, the video duration limit is up to 1 minute, while on Instagram Reels it is only 15 seconds.
Even though it seems unprofitable, Instagram actually has another feature that allows users to upload videos of more than one minute, namely IGTV.
By launching Reels, you could say that Instagram is trying to keep its users from downloading other applications. Apart from IGTV, Instagram users can also upload photos, Stories and live broadcasts.
Many of TikTok's features focus on videos, such as adding music, filters, stickers, effects, sound changers, live, and so on. In terms of features, you could say Instagram is more diverse.
Additionally, influencers are much more active on Instagram than TikTok. Instagram's Reels feature can help them grow their followers.
TikTok vs Instagram, Which is Profitable for Business?
Both TikTok and Instagram have their respective advantages and disadvantages. We can narrow down the comparison between TikTok and Instagram Reels to determine which one is profitable for business.
However, regardless of the advantages and disadvantages of these two platforms, success depends on your efforts to grow your business.
So, it is important for you to have a clear strategy and business goals before comparing TikTok and Instagram. Below are several factors that can be taken into consideration on TikTok vs Instagram.
1. Audience
These two platforms have different demographics. TikTok has a younger audience. Nearly half of all TikTok users are under 30 years old and 25% are under 20 years old. Users aged 50 years and over only make up 11% of the total.
Instagram's user base is more diverse. Teenagers are indeed the smallest segment on Instagram, while most users are aged 25 to 44 years.
If your market segment is the younger generation, promoting via TikTok is the answer. However, if you are looking for a more mature audience with higher buying power, Instagram Reels is the way out.
2. Interface or Interface
In terms of interface, TikTok has a rougher design. However, appearance and ease of access do not seem to be the main aspects to pay attention to, considering that the teenage user segment is more dominant on TikTok.
The teenage segment has been accustomed to using digital products since childhood, so they are not confused by the symbols on the interface. This is different from the adult user segment, most of whom only became familiar with digital products in their 20s or older.
Seeing the interface design is easier to understand, so it is more popular with the adult segment. Instagram excels in this regard.
3. Music Choice
When it comes to music, TikTok seems to have the upper hand. TikTok does have advantages in music choices. The songs used in TikTok videos have the potential to go viral. Every video created on TikTok uses audio. You can use voiceover or use audio that you create yourself.
If that's not enough, there is an unlimited music and audio library on TikTok. From copyrighted music to audio created by fellow TikTok users, it's all in the library.
Instagram Reels takes a different approach, because there are copyright factors that must be protected. This means the music selection in Reels is limited to royalty-free music, although you also have the option to upload your own voiceover or audio.
4. Merge Videos
On the TikTok platform, you can easily add other users' videos to your videos. This also applies vice versa. Other users can easily combine their videos with your videos.
Combining videos is a bit difficult on Instagram Reels. Like it or not, you have to use software outside the platform to edit videos.
5. Algorithm
Another fundamental difference between Instagram vs TikTok lies in the algorithms of these two social media. Algorithms are a technical aspect of social media platforms that show their techniques for distributing content in their applications to all users.
On Instagram Reels, the algorithm detected is related, among other things, to the characteristics of a user, interactions with the content contained therein, trends, and the right posting time.
Meanwhile for TikTok, even though it is still being discussed and debated, most content creators see a pattern for it to be trending or FYP. These patterns include:
- Interaction
- Content upload schedule
- Fill content
- Editing techniques and video duration
- An ongoing trend
- Audio and hashtags used
- Caption
6. Communication with Users
Instagram Reels provides a maximum space of 2,000 characters to add text. So, you can add detailed information related to your content.
Meanwhile, TikTok limits text to a maximum of 100 characters. If your product requires a more detailed explanation, Instagram Reels is suitable to use. TikTok vs Instagram, when the two are compared, it turns out that each has advantages and disadvantages. Which one is better depends on your business needs.
7. Features and Filters
What is no less different from Instagram vs TikTok also lies in the completeness of features and filters. As the predecessor of a short video-based platform, TikTok has several excellent features such as music collections to add, delete comments and block users en masse, live features, screen time management, comment filters, stitch, duet and restrictive mode.
Meanwhile, on Instagram there are other features such as recently delete, live room, professional dashboard feature, off camera and audio features for live, remix reels and insights which make analysis easier for content creators.
Apart from the available features, the existing filters are also varied and different. TikTok filters are more comprehensive by including video effects, stickers, voice changer, and auto caption.
8. Editing tools
Completing the discussion of features and filters, the editing tools provided by Instagram and TikTok are also different. It is felt that TikTok has more complete editing tools, including speed, beauty filters, background, duration, effects and duets.
Meanwhile, editing tools on Instagram include timer, effects, layout, speed and touch up.
Conclusion
TikTok and Instagram have their respective advantages and disadvantages in a business context. The best choice depends on your market segmentation and product characteristics.
As an alternative, you can also use both platforms simultaneously. Choose a platform that suits your market segmentation and product characteristics. However, instead of choosing one, why not just use both?