Advertisers often have questions about which social network to choose to advertise their brand or offerer, where to start and where. In this article will be considered and analyzed in detail all the issues of interest. TikTok or Instagram? Let’s go.
Nowadays, social networks are rapidly gaining popularity, developing, competing and complementing each other. They seem to be almost identical, but they are quite different platforms, each with its own specific functionality and target audience.
So, what should a beginning advertiser do and where to start? On which platforms will advertising work most effectively?
Almost everyone is familiar with Instagram. The social network is based on beautiful pictures that are easy to understand and remember. The idea of posting attractive photos was the beginning of the development of Instagram. Today, we know this social network as a tool with which you can post photo and video content, post short storis, conduct live broadcasts, etc. The functionality is very large, but the base is exactly Static visual content.
A young and rapidly developing platform is TikTok. Its essence is to Viewing and posting short, creative videos. The real connoisseurs of the network were the younger generation, as there was an opportunity for self-expression, hype, and just plain fun and carefree fun.
What do you need to know about TikTok and Instagram ads?
Russia’s target audience
Number of Instagram users is still growing. At the end of 2020, it was estimated that the audience was almost 60 million people of all ages. The main audience is 25-34 years old, with 59% of women and 41% of men. An important indicator is the level of income: it is average or above average.
From TikTok. Things are a little different because the target audience are younger people. The most active users, who are 16-24 years old, are watched by people of different ages. This suggests that paying customers can be found here, too, and quite a few of them. The very rapid growth in popularity of TikTok makes this site an excellent advertising tool.
What about overseas?
TikTok and Instagram are popular social networks around the world. The record number of users is in the United States. Russia has a larger audience than Europe, so, for example, Instagram in Germany has 26 million, and in the UK – 31 million. However, even with lower figures, the West has a high level of sales. This is due to high-quality, productive advertising, active users, and the population’s higher ability to pay.
The coronovirus pandemic has given rise to a surge in user interest in social media. At the same time, the volume of online purchases has increased, and retailers are placing more advertisements accordingly.
Content
Advertising campaigns for different social networks are fundamentally different. On Instagram, you should prepare a descriptive post with a picture or storis. In TikTok, it’s only a video.
Before you start working on your ads, you need to be clear about the desired target audience and the result. The platforms differ in both format and goals. When you need advertising for a youth brand available in the online space, or a product for entertainment, and your goal is to reach a wide audience, TikTok is the place to go.
To promote an account, for example, an online store, it is worth paying attention to Instagram. Advertising campaigns can be placed directly in the network, while advising customers and accompanying them to make a purchase, using direct or commentary.
To bring a customer to your site and motivate them to make a purchase, then setting up Instagram ads through a Facebook account will be your 100% option.
Advertising Placement. Advertising offices.
Instagram is a subsidiary of Facebook. For this reason, you can launch your targeting through Instagram and through your Facebook advertising account.
Setting up an ad campaign through Instagram goes easier, faster and cheaper.
The procedure is as follows:
1. You need to create a publication in your account and click the “Promote” button, which is located in the lower right corner.
Important! You can promote posts and storis. For storis, the “Promote” item is located on the three-dot icon in the bottom right corner of the screen.
2. Next, you need to set the destination (the direction to the desired page after clicking on the ad), select the audience (you set the geolocation, age and interests), specify the budget and duration of the advertising campaign.
Make payment and click on “Create Promotion”. The ad is launched!
On Facebook, setting up ads is a little more complicated, but the functionality is more interesting. Do you care more about leads than reach? This is the right place for you. To set up an advertising campaign Via Ads Manager necessary:
1. login via the profile linked to the Facebook page.
2. Go to the Ads Manager.
Important! When setting up ads through Facebook, campaign setup, ad groups, and ads themselves are equally important.
3. Choose an ad target, come up with a name for the ad, and fill in all the information about the ad account (geo, currency, and time zone).
4. Set up the target audience and detailed targeting. In this section it is possible to take into account interests, marital status, activity, education, language selection and other important for efficiency.
5. Choose a placeholder – Instagram.
6. Specify budget and display schedule.
7. Create an ad. For Instagram, select a published post or create a new post. Prepared ad, click “Confirm” and make payment.
Before posting, the ad must go through moderation. After checking for irregularities and approval, you will be notified and can start tracking your ad stats on the Ads Manager main page.
Keep in mind that here is a brief algorithm for what to do. A more detailed one can be found here.
TikTok
Creating ads in TikTok can be classified as a separate art form. Remember that TikTok is a video. Therefore, advertising is created in the form of video creative. The tool on this platform is TikTok Ads.. There are 5 types of ads:
1. Brand Takeover. Displays ads to the potential customer when they enter the application for 3-5 seconds.
2. In-feed Native Video.. Ads appear as you watch the tape. The duration of the video is no more than 15 seconds, marked “Advertisement”.
3. Hashtag Challenge.. A video is created as part of a certain challange. Content is also created by other users. It is more suitable for famous tick-tockers.
4. Augmented Reality (AR).. The brand is promoted through different effects, masks, etc.
5. Top View. Combining Brand Takeover and In-Feed Native Video
The advertising cabinet is much more Easier than Facebook. You register on the site, enter the primary data and fill out the questionnaire. After you need to ask for moderation, after receiving approval, set up an advertising campaign. More detailed instructions for advertising in TikTok here.
What to choose in the end?
Let’s break down an example of personal brand advertising.
1. Assessing your target audience (TA). Answer the questions: who are you creating the ad for, and who are those people.
Imagine your customer. Let’s say he’s sitting on a park bench waiting for a friend. What is he looking at on his phone? Instagram? TikTok?
2. Topic definition. Reflect on what tools are more appropriate to reveal it?
Actors and voyeurs and food bloggers and other creatives are more comfortable in TikTok. Promoting a literary classics club? I don’t think that’s appropriate for TikTok. Need descriptions, texts, and reasoning? Instagram for you.
3. Budget estimation. How much are you willing to pay? Targeting on Instagram is more budget-friendly. However, to attract a large volume of users, be prepared to leave 15-30 thousand rubles for a test-run of the advertising campaign through the Facebook cabinet. This way you’ll have the right audience, excluding not the most successful creatives with a low conversion rate.
TikTok will require a minimum of 5 thousand rubles for advertising. However, with a competent approach and proper creativity in TikTok, free promotion through viral videos is possible.
4. You are unique.? How much? Instagram has more competition than TikTok. If you’re competitive, make sure your content is of high quality. Creativity, promotions, retargeting are very important!
5. Work with the tools. of all the sites. Choose the one that’s right for you, the one that’s more comfortable. By testing the sites, you’ll figure out which one is right for you.
These simple rules will work well for advertising products or services. You own a clothing store? Go to Instagram with static pictures. A hair salon? Videos are good for review, so go to TikTok.
Examples
The following are examples of successful Instagram and TikTok advertising campaigns.
Citystar clothing store has become very popular in Instagram thanks to the advertising, which worked 100%. In the publications there is an extremely convenient placement of static photos, which makes it possible to view the closet items from different angles and evaluate them. In addition, using the carousel you can show the same model in different colors. The store often arranges discounts and notifies customers about them, and also here is a trick: the action is valid for a limited short time.
Instagram is a platform where almost everything is advertised. The main thing is to set up the target audience according to their interests and get leads.
To reach a wide range of audiences uses TikTok. Cosmetics advertising campaigns are very popular. With the help of videos show makeup, interesting images. Here you can not tear yourself away to look at the creatives with different effects. An example would be the effect of instant transformation.
So, to summarize:
1. Instagram is the most simple, clear and stable platform for launching an advertising campaign.
2. Need targeted targeting, leads and high stats? Choose Facebook Ads Manager for Instagram.
3. low budget? Instagram.
4. TikTok is ideal for creativity, especially if the target audience is young people.
5. TikTok is rapidly gaining popularity, besides young users more and more adults appear, and there is also little competition. It’s a great option, isn’t it?
We wish you a lot of generous customers! You’ll do great!