Snapchat Vs TikTok: Which is Better for Marketing to Millennials?
Marketing & Advertising

Snapchat Vs TikTok: Which is Better for Marketing to Millennials?

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Snapchat vs TikTok… perhaps not a debate that lights up your social gatherings of a weekend (unless you’re a teenager yourself!) but a fight to the death that’s sure to rumble on in the battle for the attention of the teen market.

These are two social media apps that have skyrocketed in popularity over recent years. And both continue to grow. Snapchat has 210 million daily users globally while TikTok recently passed 800 million monthly active users. While marketers use these apps because they are more niche and non-traditional than older platforms, like Facebook or Twitter.

But despite each platform’s growth, marketers in the social media realm are wondering, “Are either of these worth the hype? Or will they just become another Vine?”

Snapchat Vs TikTok: The Platforms Explained

What is Snapchat?

Snapchat is a multimedia and messaging app that allows users to “friend request” other users they choose to communicate with, where pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they disappear.

snapchat

The Snapchat app, which launched in 2011, allows users to create video-based stories about their lives and send video or image-based messages to their friends.

Unlike most other apps, Snapchat content expires either immediately or after 24 hours. This platform leads to users creating content that is more lighthearted or uncensored than other more public-facing platforms.

About 71% of Snapchat users use it only or mostly for peer-to-peer messaging, and about 60% of the interactions on the platform are between close friends.

Snapchat has about 382 million monthly active users. As far as reaching a young audience, about 73% of 18- to 24-year-oldsuse Snapchat.

What is TikTok?

Meanwhile, in the battle between TikTok vs Snapchat, TikTok, which launched in just 2017, is similar to Vine in that it allows users to create 10 to 60-second looping videos that can be seen on their profiles or can be algorithmically placed on feeds of users with similar interests or demographics.

TikTok is a video-sharing social networking app, where users can share their own videos as well as follow, like, and comment on other creators’ profiles.

tiktok

On TikTok, users create and post short, looping videos set to the app’s library of music and sound bites. Humor and talent are often the themes. You’ll see a lot of choreographed dances, lip-syncing, hashtag challenges, reaction videos and cringe-worthy content.

Originally created in 2017, it is the youngest of the platforms and also potentially the most viral right now. Tiktok boasts 800 million monthly active users, and about 69 percent of TikTok users are 13- to 24-year-olds.

When you consider which platform is best, consider your brand positioning and your goals. Below are the pros and cons of each platform so that you can decide for yourself.

Advantages of Snapchat for Marketing

As with any social media tool, Snapchat has its own quirks, which make for unique benefits (and drawbacks) for marketers.

At its core is the 24 hours time limit which means that the content posted will not be available for more than a day after posting and in general the disposable nature of its content.

That’s why many marketers use the tool in order to provide followers with exclusive live content, for example, behind-the-scenes footage from a shoot or a live event. 

Hurry! It’s got Built-In Urgency!

As mentioned just above, the beauty of snapchat contradicts what many consider its major flaw: the idea that images disappear. Snaps are designed to have a short lifespan -making snaps that are meant to disappear creates a sense of urgency.

You can do a behind the scenes and show your followers what a day in the life at your business is like, or do any number of promotions that play on that sense of urgency.

An absolute goldmine for the savvy marketer! For example, many companies go so far as to include QR or quick response codes which would connect users to the companies website when scanned

Location, Location, Location

These Snapchat scanners are a new way for people to find out your location. They use your phone to calculate where you are and then send that information back to the scanner’s server. snapchat location

The scanner will then send the location of your phone back to its server and will be able to pinpoint your location to within a few feet.

Some companies, like yogurt seller Chobani, are more playful. They use Snapchat’s text function as a new marketing tool.

Chobani posts marketing videos to their own account every morning, or “enter a code to win one of 3,000 pumpkin pies.” Chobani believes that Snapchat is a priority for them to stay with the times.

The benefits of using Snapchat for branding support include instant relevancy, constant engagement, and the ability to convert young demographics through offers of discounts and prizes. The upside seems to outweigh the disappearing nature of the images, even for someone recognized for their prowess in photography. 

Ad Options Galore

It’s also a great way to get to know your customers. You can send them messages and photos and they can send you messages and photos. Snapchat has a lot of advertising options too.

You can buy ads that will appear in between stories or you can buy ads that use branded filters and make really creative use of augmented reality marketing in their use of different lenses.

You can also buy shoppable ads and personalized targeting. Below you can find some of the different options for ads:

Disadvantages of Snapchat for Marketing

The Videos are only 10 Seconds Long

The videos are only 10 seconds long and the pictures and videos are deleted after 24 hours. This is a disadvantage because it is hard to tell a story in 10 seconds and it is hard to keep your audience’s attention.  In the battle of TikTok vs Snapchat, you will see why this is a major flaw for the platform.  

Snapchat ads disappearing is a negative because it prevents brands from reaching their target audience and gives the impression that the app isn’t worth paying for. 

This was the message a recent study found when looking at the effects of the company’s decision to remove ads from its mobile app. The study, which was conducted by Shareablee, a social media intelligence company, found that the number of people who saw the ads decreased by 63 percent. 

In addition, the study found that:

the number of people who clicked on the ads decreased by 54 percent. The results suggest that, while Snapchat has been successful in increasing the number of users who are paying for its service, it has not been able to increase the number of people who are seeing ads on the app. 

The study also found that people were significantly less likely to purchase products they saw on Snapchat. This suggests that Snapchat ads disappearing is a negative because it prevents brands from reaching their target audience and gives the impression that the app isn’t worth paying for.

Snapchat Analytics 

Snapchat analytics have been an issue for quite some time now. The company has been accused of deleting data and not providing any meaningful insights to the users. 

This is a huge problem, especially for those who use it for marketing purposes. Snapchat analytics is one of the most common reasons why people consider quitting Snapchat. It’s also one of the most common reasons why marketers don’t use it. 

Snapchat analytics provide no insights and are basically useless. In addition, the analytics are deleted after a certain amount of time, which means that it’s impossible to track the data over a period of time.

Advantages of TikTok for Marketing

The Size of TikTok

TikTok is a platform that is very popular with marketers. It is a place where they can share their content and grow their brand

There are many reasons why marketers should advertise on TikTok. One of the main reasons is that TikTok is an app with

800 million monthly active users

This is a large audience for marketers to reach.

Humorous Content

TikTok advertising is all about balancing general humorous content with brand promotion. This is done in a number of ways, such as by using “sponsored” content which can be anything from a celebrity endorsement to a product placement, and “branded” content which is often an advertisement for a company or business. 

TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, has been known to use these tactics to promote their own products. This balance can also be seen in the “popular now” section of the app.

While it might seem like this section is just filled with random posts, it is actually curated to show what is popular at the moment, and this includes sponsored posts. TikTok is also a free app, so people are more likely to watch sponsored content than if they had to pay for it.

Target Teenagers

Ads on TikTok are becoming more common, as brands are realizing that the platform is a great way to reach teenagers.

TikTok Ads offer a lot of benefits for advertisers, including targeting specific age groups and demographics, low-cost advertising, and the ability to create an interactive ad.

TikTok ads are short video commercials that show up at the top of your feed. To advertise on TikTok, brands have to pay $0.05 per view and $0.50 per click. The ads can be up to three minutes long and are only played after the user swipes past them.

For some examples check out this video:

Disadvantages of TikTok for Marketing

Is it Viral Yet?

It is difficult to predict what will go viral on TikTok. There are many different factors that could contribute to a post going viral.

One factor is the number of likes and views a post receives. Another factor is the content of the post. A post can go viral if it is a video of someone doing something creative or funny, a video of someone singing, or a video of someone doing something embarrassing. 

If you are marketing on TikTok, it is important to try and think of new trends that haven’t been done before. It’s also important to do research on what kind of content goes viral on TikTok.

Brand New

The lack of a playbook for TikTok ads makes it difficult to know what the best strategy is. For example, you might think that a video with 50 million views on YouTube would be a safe bet for your first TikTok ad.

In the battle between TikTok vs Snapchat, this is an important factor to consider.  

But the truth is that TikTok will only show your video to a fraction of its viewers. It might be better to post a video of your product in action on TikTok. You should also keep in mind that TikTok is not a platform for commercials. If you’re looking to advertise something like laundry detergent via an online advertising agency in the UK or elsewhere, it’s better to use another platform.

Video Only

TikTok is video-based. If you want to promote different content, then TikTok is not the right platform for you. 

Being only video-enabled means that if you want to show a picture or any other type of content, you will need to post a video and then link to it

This is not an easy task because TikTok does not allow you to link to other websites. The only way to do this is by posting a video and then linking to it.

This can be done in one of two ways: 

  1.  You can create a video on your computer and upload it to TikTok, or you can
  2.  Upload a video from your phone to TikTok.

Snapchat Vs TikTok: Which Platform Wins?

As a form of social media, both Snapchat and TikTok offer a wide range of features and tools to help brands market themselves to their target audience.

From story advertisements to story polls, there are many opportunities for marketers to generate revenue and spread awareness. However, TikTok offers a more streamlined approach to marketing, with a more user-friendly interface and more organic ways to engage with followers.

In contrast, Snapchat has been criticized for being overly complicated and making it difficult for new users to find their way around the app. As a result, TikTok may be a better option for brands looking to grow their following and engage with their audience.

If require any assistance in setting up your business advertising on social media, take a look at some of our expert social media customization agencies in the United Kingdom or in your area who are ready to help!

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