TikTok vs. Snapchat: Which Is Better For Your Brand?

TikTok and Snapchat are undoubtedly two of the most popular social media platforms today. Both apps boast hundreds of millions of downloads and users on Android and iOS, and these platforms’ user base tends to skew towards younger generations.

Both platforms can be invaluable to your social media marketing strategy. But, which of these two popular apps is the best home for your brand? It depends on your goals.

TikTok Business Stats 2023

If your phone pinged while you’re reading this, the chances are good that someone forwarded you a TikTok video. The TikTok app boasts 3.5 billion downloads on Android and iOS, many of which happened during the first stages of the global pandemic.

TikTok is an entertainment-first social media platform that surpassed the 1 billion active users benchmark two years ago. The average TikTok user opens the app around 19 times every day. Users also tend to spend at least half an hour on the app at a time. In the US alone, those between the ages of 10 and 19 make up 25% of all active users.

TikTok caters to young people but has a place for millennials and baby boomers. The app’s business stats are astounding:

• TikTok is available in more than 200 countries.
• Half of the TikTok population is between the ages of 18 and 24.
• The US has the largest TikTok audience.
• Consumer spending on the app has risen to more than $2.5 billion.
• The US is responsible for 42% of all TikTok revenue.
• 50% of users purchase an item after seeing it on TikTok Live.
• 1 out of 3 users visit TikTok to find out more about brands.
• Influencers in America have reported engagement rates on their TikTok accounts of up to 18%.

Overall, advertising on TikTok is more expensive when compared to other social media platforms. The main reason for this is that TikTok ads get better results.

TikTok Pros and Cons

TikTok has a massive user base, and you will reach people quickly and cost-effectively. The conversion rates are high, and you can use your TikTok content on other social media platforms.

The problem with promoting a brand on TikTok is that it could be expensive for startups. TikTok is also not the number one choice for physical stores and companies because online businesses make more money on the platform. You may not even be able to find your target audience on TikTok, especially if you want to advertise to middle-aged or older people.

Additionally, there is not much to TikTok’s analytics and paid ads. Paid advertising only reaches broad audiences, meaning there is no opportunity for niche ads. You can only see a month’s worth of analytics data per post, and you may find it difficult to link to outside content.

Snapchat Business Stats 2023

Snapchat, on the other hand, has been around since 2011. This social media platform’s claim to fame was disappearing private messages and short-lived stories. Today, you can shop on the app while keeping in touch with loved ones. Gen-Z loves Snapchat, sending millions of snaps every minute.

There are over 750 million users on the app, posting 2.1 million snaps per minute. Users spend an average of 30 minutes on the app per day, and the average user opens the app over 30 times every day. Snapchat also reportedly appeals to 90% of the Gen-Z population in over 20 countries.

When looking at these stats, it is clear that Snapchat has the edge with its numbers. However, this doesn’t mean that Snapchat is automatically the better platform for your brand.

If your brand caters to the younger generation, Snapchat is the place to be. This platform embraces user-generated content and has a boatload of features you can use. Snapchat’s business statistics are equally impressive:

• The app generated more than $1 billion in revenue for the quarter.
• There are over 1.5 million Snapchat subscribers.
• Users on Snapchat are 60% more likely to buy on impulse.
• Snapchat’s user base has a spending power of $4.4 trillion.
• The platform can reach more than 550 million people through advertising.
• Experts estimate that Snapchat will generate almost $6 billion in advertising revenue by 2026.

Snapchat Pros and Cons

Snapchat’s 24-hour limit makes it the perfect option for live content and behind-the-scenes footage. The app’s text function is often used in marketing because the interface is so user-friendly. If you buy advertising, you can choose ads that appear in stories or have branded filters.

On the downside, all videos are 10 seconds long and are only available on the platform for 24 hours. If users want to know more about the content in the video, they won’t find it again unless you post it more than once. This app flaw has resulted in a decrease in purchases influenced by Snapchat.

Furthermore, Snapchat’s analytics are useless to marketers and cannot be used to fine-tune marketing strategies.

Snapchat vs. TikTok: Which to Choose

For lead generation in the under-18 age group, Snapchat is the way to go. The platform offers lead-generation and non-lead-generation campaign options. If you exclusively target the over-18 age group, you can use both Snapchat and TikTok.

Geographical advertising is easier with Snapchat because you can target specific ZIP codes if you want to. TikTok isn’t far behind and boasts a full-state reach.

List campaigns don’t fare well on TikTok but do much better on Snapchat. Depending on the age group you want to target, you can run different ad campaigns on both platforms instead of list campaigns.

Conclusion

If you want to reach a diverse audience with your content, TikTok would be a better option. TikTok is also the best option for reaching millennials. Modern brands often choose TikTok over Snapchat because they want to be trendy. If you want to establish a more serious brand, Snapchat might be the ideal platform.

However, the truth is that you don’t have to choose between these two platforms unless your marketing strategy favors only one age group. Most brands want to cater to a broad spectrum of people, and if that is what you want to achieve for your brand, you can use both TikTok and Snapchat.