WRITTEN BY Caitlin Jardine
Having an awareness of where your audience is situated will help determine where your marketing efforts should be focused in trying to reach them. In most cases, it can be important to have a presence across all verticals to maximise the reach that your content has to existing as well as new audiences, particularly as the platforms and their features evolve. A lot can change, so establishing an authoritative presence on each of them will allow for audience transition and the flexibility to meet their needs as and when they change. TikTok and Instagram have different styles of content that are best suited and belong on each individual platform, which is important to understand in order to meet the needs of the audiences.
Platform breakdown
Let’s start by looking at TikTok. Since its rebirth in 2019 from its former sister brand musically, TikTok has become one of the leading and best performing platforms of its time, engaging billions of users every single day. Shaped as an entertainment platform, it is made up of digital video placed among a ‘for you’ algorithm, meant to personalise each individual user’s experience with content based on their interests and likes. This increases accessibility and usability for consumers, which has become the number one demand for audiences and an aim for marketers when targeting their content. In the context of today and the rapid growth of the digital age and the introduction of Gen ‘Z’, consumers are demanding fast content and are dismissive of anything not. Because content is so easily consumed, and we can get answers to our questions faster than ever, the rise of smartphones, viewing on demand, and access to content on the go, mean that audiences hold the power over brands who want content delivered to them on their terms.
“Authenticity”.
One important factor to recognise is that TikTok allows brands to put a face to the name. As we have already established TikTok’s USP is its projection of authenticity and the use of real people, which provides a space for audiences to meet the face of the team behind the account. At the end of the day, they are the individuals putting out the content and connecting with the viewers. This automatically creates space for that brand/consumer relationship, which is a lucrative tool for marketers to achieve, providing trust with what you are saying in the messages you are projecting- talking on a human-to-human level rather than an audience being fed by a distant power.
“Aspiration and Inspiration”.
Instagram on the other hand is renowned for its presentation and delivery of aesthetics and picturesque content, which is what users love the platform for. Audiences turn to Instagram for inspiration and to admire elevated content that, while still needing to adopt the element of realness, acts as a highlight of what a brand has to offer. This is where the more polished and ‘filtered’ content belongs.
Users are still demanding to have content that provides them with something to aim for, and while we are slowly moving away from the idea of perfection, the clean offering of content put out on Instagram acts as a mood board from which we can take snippets from to elevate our lifestyle choices. In other words ,it’s a professional portfolio for brands to showcase the best bits of their brand, but that’s not to say this content should be artificial.
This is why it is important to treat each individual platform as a separate entity. For example, with Instagram, you can post beautiful, polished campaign shots that are really eye-catching and make people who are scrolling through the feed want to shop right through. Whereas on TikTok, it’s better to tell the story of your brand heritage and brand community, as well as to showcase the types of people that make up your primary and target audience that others can see themselves in. Perhaps even posting a comedic skit or one that aligns you with a certain film or culture. It allows you to lift the lid, be more fun and teach them something, and act as an insight into behind the scenes rather than just the finished final product..
To really avoid dumping the same content and recycling it across platforms, brands need to take the right approach and format for each platform to adapt to the demands and expectations of the audiences situated on those platforms. Whether that’s posting a beautiful polished shot with an inspirational tone to Instagram, in comparison to a comedic skit to a trending sound on TikTok, you will engage your audience by blending in with the platform’s native style and surrounding organic content.
Trends
Brands are becoming more playful in taking part in trends circulating on the platforms; however, it is vital only to take part if they’re relevant. It’s about evaluation and whether your brand aligns with messages or audiences at the other end of the trend, not just jumping on the bandwagon where it doesn’t make sense. Leaning into movements and contextual factors, whether political or social, and assessing them by relevance. Trends move at the speed of light, but it’s staying true and seeing what naturally fits and is important to remain authentic to audiences. It’s about weighing up whether it’s the perfect opportunity or a detriment to your brand.
In summary
Advances in technology and platform functions are changing the way we view consumerism, and we are seeing representations and brands branching out of traditional constructions and shaping the future of social media marketing.
These platforms and trends are changing drastically and constantly moving, and to remain relevant, it is important for brands to keep up.
It is implementing the relevant strategy and working with creators that are interesting on a global scale and can provide valuable insight as to what the brand is about.