There are millions of social media users globally. That is why it’s no surprise that digital marketers jumped right into social media as a primary marketing and ecommerce platform. Social media offers amazing opportunities to reach a larger audience and advertise to diverse groups of people.
However, using social media for marketing may not be as easy as some would think. It is crucial for marketers to learn and understand the dynamics of the different social media platforms to utilize them for marketing properly. So for this article, let’s take a closer look at how social media marketing works on the two most popular video-sharing social media platforms – YouTube and TikTok.
YouTube
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YouTube is considerably one of the pillars of social media and video content creation as we know it today. Launched in 2005, YouTube was almost immediately a hit. In its first year, the site was hosting more than two million videos per day and has an average of 20 million active users daily. Because of its apparent popularity and potential, Google acquired YouTube and was continuously developed to be the primary video-sharing social media platform in the digital world.
YouTube, as a video-sharing platform, is primarily designed for long-form video content. This is the site to watch vlogs, educational videos, product reviews, and even documentaries. However, recent app and website development featured the addition of YouTube shorts. This is a dedicated feature that is focused on short-form videos much like TikTok videos and Instagram Reels.
YouTube Demographic
YouTube is one of the few social media platforms that cater to all generations. Since the type of content shared on YouTube is significantly diverse, people of different ages and interests can find something to enjoy and consume consistently. Recent reports show that an average of 73% of internet users from all age groups in the US use YouTube.
YouTube has approximately 2 billion active users which makes it the second most visited website globally. From this number, there isn’t much of a difference between it male and female users. Reports show that 54% of YouTube users identify as male while the remaining 46% account for female users.
TikTok
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TikTok is a relatively young and new social media platform. While the site was only launched in 2016, it is recognized as one of the fastest-growing social media platforms in recent years. In 5 years since its launch, the number of TikTok users grew to a whopping 1 billion by the end of the year 2021. In the same year, TikTok was recognized as the most downloaded app globally with roughly 656 million downloads.
But what is TikTok exactly? TikTok is a social media platform focused on sharing and creating short-form video content. It is primarily a mobile phone application but it can also be accessed via desktop, laptop, and other mobile devices. Since the app is designed particularly for mobile use, the TikTok app comes with built-in video recording and editing features. This allows users to not only consume video content but also create quality content with one handy device.
TikTok Demographic
TikTok is undoubtedly one of the most popular social media platforms. However, the site is particularly popular among the younger generation. According to recent reports, a majority of 63% of TikTok users belong to the ages of 10 to 29 in 2021. However, the percentage dropped to 49% by the next year as people of all ages begin to use TikTok as well. In terms of gender, there isn’t much of a difference between the number of male and female users. The latest report shows that 40% of TikTok users are male, 57% are female, and the remaining 3% are non-binary.
While TikTok is popular worldwide, particular countries in the world have the most active users. According to the latest data, the United States has the highest number with approximately 131 million active users. This is followed by Indonesia, Brazil, Russia, and Mexico with 92 million, 74 million, 55 million, and 46 million active users respectively.
YouTube and TikTok for Video Content Marketing
Both YouTube and Tiktok serve as major social media platforms utilized by digital marketers for video content marketing. However, the marketing strategy between these two digital channels is not exactly the same.
The are lots of factors to consider when starting a video marketing campaign on either YouTube or TikTok. With that, here are some tips on how to create a video marketing strategy suitable for your social media platform of choice.
YouTube for Marketing
One of the best features of YouTube for marketing is that the platform is compatible with search engine optimization strategies. Since the website was acquired by Google, video content posted and uploaded on YouTube can also be designed and optimized in order to rank high on search engine results pages. Doing so can boost visibility and increase views and overall audience engagement.
However, it’s important to consider that the YouTube search engine takes into account user-generated content. Unlike Google which provides search results depending only on the relevance to the keyword and value of the content, YouTube takes into account the types of videos users consume and their overall watch history.
With this feature, search engine optimization for YouTube works slightly differently than for Google. But, this also opens an opportunity for digital marketers to create a more targeted and effective video marketing campaign based on their viewer’s characteristics and preferences.There is a lot to achieve with YouTube marketing.
Businesses can create promotional videos for their products, release reliable product or service reviews, or educate the audience about their specific niche. These objectives work particularly well with the long-form style of video content which is what YouTube is primarily known for.
TikTok for Marketing
Marketing campaigns on TikTok are mostly focused on promoting and advertising products or services. Because TikTok is designed for short-form video content, it’s important for digital marketers to utilize this style to best catch the attention and interest of their target market.
Generally, short-form video content is easy to draw clicks and attention. That is why the platform is one of the most common places where viral videos and trends come from. Aside from that, TikTok is also one of the easiest platforms to generate a considerable amount of social media following.
Taking this into consideration, digital marketers can utilize TikTok in several ways. One is to create videos that are meant to be entertaining or intriguing. The goal for this short-form video content is to generate interest or a form of emotion than will connect or resonate with your target audience. Another way to utilize TikTok is to use it hand-in-hand with influencer marketing. Since it’s significantly easier to engage a large audience on a platform dedicated to bite-size content, collaborating with TikTok famous influencers can help easily increase brand awareness and boost visibility to million users online.
Bottomline
Using video content as part of your marketing strategy can bring promising results. However, this would not be as effective if you fail to understand the dynamics and differences between social media platforms.
In summary, YouTube is the most famous video-sharing platform designed primarily for long-form video content. On the other hand, TikTok is focused on short-form video content that is easy to consume and interact with. Creating your video content in a way that would work on either platform is key to ensuring that your video marketing campaign would be able to meet its objectives.
Whether it’s to reach a broader audience, increase brand awareness, improve online presence and visibility, or lead web traffic to your ecommerce website. Using video content is extremely effective in drawing attention and piquing the interest of your targeted audience.
Simply make sure that the format, structure, style, and content of your videos suit both the platforms and the audience. Otherwise, your videos wouldn’t be making as much impact or producing the quality results you are looking for.
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